[Dane Cannon]

You have to make a new sequence and choose to use a Matrox sequence preset (if you’re using Matrox gear, Blackmagic if you’re using BM etc.). Also, be sure to check the video card developer’s website to make sure that the driver is up to date and the software version you’re running is supported by the installed driver.

[Dane Cannon]

Worked like a charm Dan. Thanks again. Where will your article be published? I look forward to reading it! I could follow that expression to a certain point… I had to google and learn about for loops. What is the variable i? At first I thought that might be counting the number of frames that the checkpoint is on, but I don’t think so (since it will stop looping if it exceeds n). Also, what is “t +”? That’s not an increment operator, is it?

[Dane Cannon]

What’s especially frustrating is that I have that expression plugged in in 2 places — one on a text layer under the source text, and the other on the null controller slider as detailed above. At the third keyframe, they return different results… yet are the same expression! Can an expression not reference it’s own value at a given time in the past?

[Dane Cannon]

Hey Dan,
Thanks again. This works like an absolute charm. I’m only now realizing (after fruitless hours) that this was probably the wrong question to be asking in the first place. I think it’d be easier if I explained what I was trying to do. Let’s say that it’s a clock that counts up (shows time) unless a checkbox is checked. Whenever it’s checked, the clock stops and stays at the number, but when the checkbox is unchecked, it continues to run, starting at the value that it’s already displaying. I thought I might be able to do it by establishing the delay using “else if” statements for the first couple of keyframes, and then using a slider in a null control layer to act as kind of a placeholder (so I could refer back to it’s value at a certain time and calculate its current value from that). It always seems to screw up around the 3rd or 4th keyframe though… Feel free to not read this code at all and just answer the question. I figured I’d include just in case I was on the right track but did something wrong.

//this is pasted into the "Placeholder" expression slider on the control null
cb=thisComp.layer("Text/Cursor Controller").effect("Pause if Checked")("Checkbox");
p=effect("Placeholder")("Slider");

n=0;
if (cb.numKeys>0){
n=cb.nearestKey(time).index;
if (cb.key(n).time>time)n--;
};

if((
n==1)|(n==0)|(cb.numKeys==0))
{m=0};
else
{m=cb.key(n-1).time};

//hard part here

if(
(cb==0)&
(cb.numKeys==0)
)
{z=time};

else if(
(cb==1)&
(cb.numKeys==0)
)
{z=0};

else if(
(cb==0)&
(n==0)
)
{z=time};

else if(
(cb==1)&
(n==0)
)
{z=0};

else if(
(cb==0)&
(n==1)
)
{z=time};

else if(
(cb==1)&
(n==1)
)
{z=0};

else if(
(cb==0)&
(n==2)
)
{z=time-m};

else if(
(cb==1)&
(n==2)
)
{z=cb.key(n).time};

else if(
(cb==0)&
(n>2)
)
{z=p.valueAtTime(m)+(time-cb.key(n).time)};

else if(
(cb==1)&
(n>2)
)
{z=(cb.key(n).time-m)+p.valueAtTime(m)};

//end hard part

z

[Dane Cannon]

How’d you get it to bounce? I’m having trouble recreating that.

[Dane Cannon]

Additionally, here’s 2 more that only do one character at a time.
4566_onecharatatimewaveonfromfront.ffx.zip
4567_onecharatatimewaveonfromback.ffx.zip
These work the same as the other ones. I am seeing some problems though. Your first keyframe needs to go at the start of the layer (or put it wherever you want and trim the layer to the keyframe). Also, it’s not really set up for multiple animator. I’m not sure how to point to the index of different animators, so this will definitely work with one animator… not so well with 2 necessarily.

[Dane Cannon]

Try this.
4565_waveonfromfront.ffx.zip
4564_waveonfromback.ffx.zip
Waves on from front or back, supports 2 or 4 keyframes, keyframes 1 and 2 go at beginning and end of the animate on part, keyframes 3 and 4 go at the beginning and end of the animate off part. It should calculate everything else for you. Use the Y Offset slider under Effects to make the text come in from the top or the bottom. Throw a mask on the text layer so only the text is showing, then apply this — you should get the picture. Even works if you add them both.

[Dane Cannon]

Would it be possible to have hold keyframes put onto the time remap property whenever there was an on off keyframe from a checkbox? Hmmm… but then of course, the problem would be that the cursor as well would be paused, when it should still be blinking… This is way more trouble than it’s worth, I’m just having a hard time letting go of it… 🙂

[Dane Cannon]

Here’s the problem I’m running into now… I can pause the expression, but when I unpause the expression, it goes immediately to where it would’ve been (it runs on time) as opposed to starting back at the place where I paused it. Is there a way to reference the last keyframe without knowing its key(index)? numKeys will get me the total number of keyframes, but I can’t figure out how to specify for which keyframe I’d like the time value returned (I’m trying to get this so I can save it as an animation preset, so hopefully it’d work with any number of keyframes… or none). nearestKey seems to jump forward in time as well unfortunately.

[Dane Cannon]

Yeah… like I said, not a good solution. Also, I think that you’d need to use the flipped font, but then left justify and THEN flop it… All of these flops are getting a little confusing in my head though.