[Mike Clasby]

This is it!

https://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/up-down-clock.html

With a complete explanation to boot.

[Mike Clasby]

Try checking the “Collapse Transformations switch” (aka Continuously Raterize), cathy names, No… looks like a little Sun next to the Shy guy… 3D precomp play nice when that’s on.

[Mike Clasby]

File>Project Settings, then click the radio button for “Timecode Base”.

I had a lot of trouble finding that too, I kept looking under preferences.

[Mike Clasby]

Trying your expression, the distances work for me; with x and y equal for camera and rotating layer, when the z gets within 150 pixels it makes the rotating layer start to rotate.

The only change I can see is to switch the 0, and -20 to make the last line this:

linear(P,startR,endR,-20,0)//0 degrees at start minus 20 at end

That works in a test.

[Mike Clasby]

Don’t think so, you need to add that in Flash. Should be simple for a Flash person.

[Mike Clasby]

In the Composition window there should be two tabs, one for Comp 1 and another for Comp 2. Pull one of them off to the side, then you can see two comps at once.

Then if you work in the timeline and the Composition window of Comp 1, you’ll see the results in the Comp 2 Window.

I’m assuming Comp 1 is precomped in Comp 2.

[Mike Clasby]

OK, thinking about it, the above is a bit overkill. You could simply use a wiggle expression, controlled by a slider. Here’s how:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/227/8953

Key-framing the slider to zero, stops the wiggle.

[Mike Clasby]

To get a Marker to trigger expressions, drop a marker where the alarm goes off (* on the numeric pad), then add the expression(s) below.

If you just want it to rattle around, jump up and down, put this expression on Position (Copy the expression, Alt-Click the Position Stopwatch, Paste, click outside the box):

amp=30; //amplitude (pixels)
freq=8; //frequency (cycles per second)
decay=0.8; //decay time (seconds)

// find previous marker

n = 0; // assume haven’t reached a marker yet
if (marker.numKeys > 0){
n = marker.nearestKey(time).index;
if (marker.key(n).time > time){
n–;
}
}

if (n > 0) t = time – marker.key(n).time else t =0;
a = amp*Math.sin(freq*t*Math.PI*2)/Math.exp(decay*t);
wiggle (a,a)

And to give it a rocking, rotation, motion add this to rotation:

amp=30; //amplitude (pixels)
freq=8; //frequency (cycles per second)
decay=0.8; //decay time (seconds)

// find previous marker

n = 0; // assume haven’t reached a marker yet
if (marker.numKeys > 0){
n = marker.nearestKey(time).index;
if (marker.key(n).time > time){
n–;
}
}

if (n > 0) t = time – marker.key(n).time else t =0;
a = amp*Math.sin(freq*t*Math.PI*2)/Math.exp(decay*t);
a

These are Dan Ebberts’ expressions (or modified form sthereof), change the amp, freq, and decay as needed, but do it the same for both expressions… although that’s probably not necessary.

[Mike Clasby]

I would think if you used the method in this tut, but instead of Illustrator Art, use the branches or fir sprigs that make up the wreath, it would work:

Growing Design Elements in After Effects

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/hansen_jaysen/growing.php

So break you your wreath into many smaller pieces, then maybe even a reveal isn’t necessary, more just with animating scale.

You could also animate scale in a non-proportional way like Jayse does, by disconnecting them (that little symbol that looks like an Infinity sign between them), then animate both x and y scale from 0 to say 25% then animate the x out to 90% and the Y to 50%, for an elongating branch, then a little while later go to 100% for each.

Be sure and reposition the anchor point like Jayse does, so that it scales in the direction you want.

If you can’t get the individual elements you could mask off parts of the wreath, feather and animate as above. Duplicate the layer to pick up the sections of the wreath to do the full effect. But having individual branches would be better.

[Mike Clasby]

I don’t quite get what you’re trying to do, and I doubt that roving keyframes would make any difference… but…

Have you seen this page by Dan for creating trails?

https://www.motionscript.com/mastering-expressions/follow-the-leader.html

Does this stuff help?