[Mike Clasby]

Do you mean on the skateboard (beginning) and the ground (end)? Those are 3D and zaxwerks is the only native AE plugin that does that, probably easier in a real 3D program, many like Cinema 4D (works with AE nicely).

If you do mean writing on a wall, Aharon has a few tuts here:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/horror_text1.php

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/horror_text2.php

And Andrew has a graffiti tut, here:

33. Graffiti Writing May 20, 2007

https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials.html

If you really want to try 3D text in AE, here are two alternatives:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/2/912213

In method 1, the expression for Z depth, it’s best to parent all to a Null so you can rotate/move the letters as one unit, it’s done in the first tut referenced on that page.

[Mike Clasby]

This hack seems to do what you want. Put this expression on Position:

if (n == 0){
value;
}else{
xMoveAmount = 60;
moveFrames = 0;
holdFrames = 15;
f = Math.round(time/thisComp.frameDuration);
period = Math.floor(f / (moveFrames + holdFrames))
phase = f%(moveFrames + holdFrames);
x = xMoveAmount* period + linear(phase,0,moveFrames,0,xMoveAmount)

value + [x,0,0]

This is a hack from a Dan expression, with “value +” added so you can just place you layer anywhere you want to start and it will go from there. If you change “moveFrames” to, say 5, the move will take 5 frames then hold for the remaining 10 frames. Here’s the original Dan post (’twas for rotation):

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/227/6860

To get it to start at frame 15, I’m using this expression so a marker triggers the above expression.

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

if (n == 0){
value;
}else{

//your expression here

}

So place a Marker at frame 15 (select layer, hit * (asterisk) on the nemric pad). The whole expression is:

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

if (n == 0){
value;
}else{

xMoveAmount = 60;
moveFrames = 0;
holdFrames = 15;
f = Math.round(time/thisComp.frameDuration);
period = Math.floor(f / (moveFrames + holdFrames))
phase = f%(moveFrames + holdFrames);
x = xMoveAmount* period + linear(phase,0,moveFrames,0,xMoveAmount)

value + [x,0,0]

}

Dan probably has a cleaner way to do this, but I love to hack, so I did.

To find out about Loop expressions (loops keyframes), see this (Intro comp has examples of the different loops):

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/ebberts_dan/layer_looping.php

Since you know code, Dan’s site should be a God-send, here:

https://www.motionscript.com/

Also an older but great beginning site is here:

https://www.jjgifford.com/expressions/

[Mike Clasby]

You don’t really need a solid. Here are two ways, first with an expression and parenting, the second with position separation of Z-depth.

1) Expression, oh boy!

Add you pics to the comp, make them 3D. They should be the same size.

Add this nifty Dan expression to the Opacity of the front (will be on top in the stack) layer (Copy the expression, Alt-Click the Opacity Stopwatch, then Paste, hit Enter):

if (toCompVec([0, 0, 1])[2] > 0 ) value else 0

Make the front (top) layer the Parent of the back (bottom) by pickwhipping from the bottom to the top in the Parent Column.

Rotate the parent pic and you see the backside when it revolves.

Add a camera and the same expression works, so fly-arounds will see the backside of the card.

The expression comes from here:

https://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/invisible-facing-away.html

2) By Z-Depth

Place the two pics in a camp, make them 3D, P reveals the position, add 0.1 to the Front’s Z, so the Front would be:

320 , 240 , 0.1

and the Back would remain

320, 240 , 0.1

Now parent the make the Front the Parent of the Back, and animate the Front to control both. The camera works for this too.

If things get a little wonky make sure you’re using the Advanced 3D settings, (Ctrl K>Advanced Setting>Advanced>Rendering Plugin>Advanced 3D).

For both methods if you really want the Solid, put it in the same place as the pics, make it 3D and parent the pics to it.

[Mike Clasby]

When you double click it in the Project window, will it play the audio there?

[Mike Clasby]

I think you want to tweak the Radio Waves > Wave Motion > Frequency, with it set to 0.1 it takes a little over 10 seconds to emit the second ring or wave.

And Expansion controls how fast they move outward, but I think you got that.

Radio Wave is a fun plugin. Have a good weekend.

[Mike Clasby]

Sounds odd, but maybe AE is sensitive to audio type.

In a pinch you could seperate the audio and Convert them to AIFF or WAV (AE likes these) and import to the same comp. There are lots of 3rd party programs to convert audio, Quictime, and a fav of mine for PC folks… Vdub.

[Mike Clasby]

Forgot to say, a big THANKS for creating and sharing all those tutorials.

[Mike Clasby]

I can’t see them either, mine defaults to Google and list your sites, when it can’t find the page.

[Mike Clasby]

Cool.

[Mike Clasby]

Forget the Auto Trace on the text. If you want it too all grow out of one line, you need an unbroken (open mask) that outlines all the text.

Add text. On a new Black Solid, moved below the text, add a mask with the Pen Tool (G) by click off to the left of the text even with the bottom of the text, then click at the base of the first letter, then up the letter, tracing the shape of the letter, then over the top of the letter and don to the bottom of the letter, and go right to the next letter, continue so all the letters are connected by the line, so it’s one continuous line (mask) that looks like the letters. When you get to the end go out to the right aways, still even with the bottom, and click. It will kind of look like the skyline of a city. Now connect the mask back at the beginning point, underlining the letters. It won’t look perfect. It will take time.

Now turn off the text eyeball and to the layer with the mask add Render>Stroke, green.

Add the expression to the Scale of the Black Solid layer, the mask will scale appropriately.

Here’s the expression:

minAudio = 0;
maxAudio = 8;
maxStretch = 3.0;
xFac = 2://width factor

audioLev = thisComp.layer(“Audio Amplitude”).effect(“Both Channels”)(“Slider”);
stretch = linear(audioLev, minAudio, maxAudio, 0.1, maxStretch);
x = scale[0]*stretch;
y = scale[1] * stretch;
[x/xFac,y]

Notice the 1 in line 6 was change to 0.1 to make the Stroked text shrink to a line. The xFac will control how much it stretches sideways, higher numbers stretch less.
Adjust the minAudio and MaxAudio to match you audio levels by twirling down to see the graph under the slider. Tweak the numbers, they will change the look.

Note: Instead of Stroke above, you can try Render Audio Waveform or Audio Spectrum, just tune the Maximum Height down to 15-30 or so, and Audio Layer>Choose you audio layer (it must be in the comp), and Path, choose your mask (mask 1). This will make the line twitch like and audiowave. Play with all the setting to find what you like. The expression will still scale the mask, the audiowaveform will climb on top.

I think you’ll like the audiowaveform instead of the stroke.

You’ll still need a covering audiowave in front of what you’ve just created, Homer and Family hides behind audio waves of the same color. See Aharon’s tut (it has curves lines like Homer’s example) or make another instance of Audio Waveform running in front (no mask here, no expression, just stretch out the Start and End Points to cover.

If this doesn’t do it, I dunno how to.