[Matthew Tully]

Hey Dan,

I feared there was no magic solution. Thanks for your help, again.

It’s a bummer that parenting objects doesn’t actually update their 3D coordinates.
This seems like something they would have included.

– Matt

[Matthew Tully]

Thanks for the tip Mike.

I’m developing the framework in AE7 tho, so unfortunately I wont be able to look to a “Control” layers’ markers. AE7 I think only allows me to look at the markers on the layer the expression is in?

There are a number of ways to approach this, but the best solutions require that an expression be able to retrieve the comment field of a layer marker. Fortunately that capability now exists in AE CS3. We’ll also need to use the capability of accessing a marker by its comment field.

Maybe I should fork the project now and support both versions?

[Matthew Tully]

Thanks Lloyd. I totally over looked that, I was using ‘ instead of “. Duh!

I’ve been working on an animation framework that loads from an external file (inspired by Maltaannon) and I’m looking to have an easy way for users to trigger the functions they are calling.

The project base should be up on gitHub soon.

[Matthew Tully]

I’m talking about an actual framework. Like MooTools or jQuery. A standalone file that would write its own functions.

Maltaannon posted this: hacking-expressions

So you could load an external framework to simplify the expression process. Am I still missing something?

[Matthew Tully]

you should make a null and attach as many sliders as you have properties to change each time, this way you only have to edit one set of keyframes.

Not sure if this helps, could you explain the problem a little more?

[Matthew Tully]

Create a null and make it 3d. Add effect > expression control > slider.
drag your object to be repeated into the comp, turn on 3d.

attach this expression to your objects anchor point:

temp = thisComp.layer(“Null”).effect(“Slider Control”)(“Slider”);
[value [0], value [1], temp]

and this expression to Y Rotation:

(index*36)-36; // 36 because you have 10 instances in 360 degrees (360/10 = 36)

parent the object to be repeated to the 3d null. move the null layer to the bottom of the stack.
Now click the layer you want to repeat and press “cmd + d” 9 times, duplicates layer.

Go to your slider control on the null and increase the value to adjust the circumference.

this should work.

tully

[Matthew Tully]

Thanks again Dan!

[Matthew Tully]

Thanks for the tips. Victory!

You guys are awesome!

Do either of you have any good resources for expressions that control text?

[Matthew Tully]

Thanks Dan.

Is there any way to look into folders in the bin from the same expression?

As usual, you are a rockstar!

– Matt

[Matthew Tully]

Along the same lines can I turn something like

comp(“montage”).layer(“pic control”)

into something like

thisComp.parentComp.layer(“pic control”)