[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Answer and solution can be found here:

https://chrissilich.com/blog/after-effects-expression-snapping-objects-to-whole-pixels/

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

As I’ve understood it, a script can create a mask from vertex points but cannot access them once the mask has been created. If this is indeed the case, lack of expression access to vertex points would be a logical consequence of the same.

Not that that answers the question why the vertices cannot be accessed.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Sine wave is not exactly random, but if you put a different freq setting for each star, that would give the impression they are random.

Wiggle should work for this though if the time setting is slow enough. Such as: wiggle(.5,[your brightness change here]) or even slower.

If you don’t want to deal with each star separately, other approaches could be used, such as putting an animated fractal noise layer above your stars.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Hi Roger,

“V” (in this code) is the brightness value that you need to do the math with.

1A. Minimum value: V = Math.max(20,V); (Using Max for minimum value may seem counter-intuitive at first, but you want the higher value of these two)

1B. Maximum value: V = Math.min(100,V); (If you want to set the maximum value to 100)

2. Threshold. This conflicts with the Minimum value code in 1A but basically:if (V<20) {V = 0};
To fix the conflict, you can combine minimum and threshold into one expression: if (V<20) {V = 0} else {V = Math.max(20,V)};

3. Ratio. Linear is a nice way to do this, for example: V = linear(V,20,100,20,50);
This will remap your input values (20-100) to a new range, in this case 20-50. The new range can be any two numbers.

So, it should work by adding this to the end of the existing code (I didn’t test it):

if (V<20) {V = 0} else {V = Math.max(20,V)};
V = Math.min(100,V);
V = linear(V,20,100,20,50);

(You can drop the “V=” on the last line, as the result is used for the brightness value directly.)

Actually, that linear expression already takes care of your minimum and maximum input values. In other words, the whole thing boils down to adding this to the existing code (replacing the last line “V”):

if (V < 20) 0 else linear(V,20,100,20,50);

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

On Mac you can make the file a “stationery pad” (see here: https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/16691/how-do-i-save-as-a-template-in-photoshop-cs4)

On windows you don’t have such an option but you can make the file Read-only so that you can’t accidentally overwrite it.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Maybe the “Endless Tunnel” effect? It is not as 3-dimensional as the example, but it could look very similar.

https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1054138

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Parenting doesn’t work by entering the position of the pin into the Null. You pickwhip the position of the null into an expression for the pin position, then add fromComp() around the expression. The expression for the Pin Position will look something like this:

fromComp(thisComp.layer("Null 1").transform.position)

(Yes, it is a good idea to put the Null in the same location as the pin originally.)

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Create a solid layer above this, put the mask there and use the solid layer with the mask as a track matte.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Not much you can do other than precomping all the “other” layers in one precomp to collapse them into one layer.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Like so:

rot = Math.abs(transform.rotation);
y_scale = 50+50*Math.abs(rot % 90 -45)/45;
[transform.scale[0], y_scale]