I’ve gotten it figured out! Here’s my code…

largerThan = 0;
myRoll = essentialProperty("Initiative Roll");
loopCount = thisComp.layer("LoopCount Index").effect("LoopCount")("Slider")-1;
myIndex = index;
loopCountTrueIndex = thisComp.layer("LoopCount Index").effect("LoopCount")("Slider");
distanceToController = loopCountTrueIndex -…

Read more

I can figure out if/thens and loops on their own, but combining them together into a single expression is something I can’t quite figure out.

I’m attempting to create a dynamic initiative tracker for a D&D podcast. I’ve gotten all of the expressions sorted out, except for one: Sort their initiative rolls (the number on the left) from highest to…

Read more

Let’s say I have a number of layers parented to each other in sequence like a chain. Think individual layers composing an animal’s tail, for example. Is it possible to, through expressions, make something that returns the number of “parents” a layer has until it reaches either the end of the parent sequence, or a specific layer?

I know you can…

Read more

–WHAT I’M DOING/BACKSTORY–

We’ve all had a project where there’s icons or text orbiting around a central point of interest. Attaching a layer to a centralized null and adding “parent.transform.rotation*-1” is almost always good enough. Once you have those orbiting objects become rectangles, such is generally the case with text, that’s not quite…

Read more

Ebberts, you’ve done it again. I’ve attached a gif below, of the arc script in action. Maybe it’ll play here, I’m not sure.

I’m happy to have the script working, but do you think you can explain to me why your script (with minor edits) works flawlessly:

var topArcPos = effect("Top Arc Position")("Point");
var botArcPos = effect("Bottom Arc…

Read more

I’m so mad right now. After I had made the above post, I had figured out that I DID have it right like you demonstrated just now. So the top arc worked, and I also got the bottom arc working. I was just having an issue; I needed the bottom arc to be read backwards otherwise the shape made an “X” shape in the middle since the bottom row was also…

Read more

I’ve been at this still… I’m currently just trying to get the top arc to appear using the createPath function. From everything I’ve read, this looks like it should at least do SOMETHING, but no matter what I change nothing appears on screen. I feel as though my loop isn’t actually adding anything to myArray. If I set a value to myArray…

Read more

I’ve been fiddling with expressions for the last 3 hours, and I’m so close I can feel it. But I’m not quite there yet. Perhaps I can get help here?

I’m attempting to define the area of a motion smear using the createPath function.

In the first photo, you will see I have a stick with two nulls on each end. Those are the nulls I want to use to get…

Read more

As the title suggests. Is there any way to use sourceRectAtTime or similar to glean the size of the bounding box created by a continuously rasterized precomp? When I use the sourceRect at Time function, it returns the size of the unmodified, non-continuously rasterized layer. I can get this particular thing working if I am checking the…

Read more

As the title suggests. Is there any way to use sourceRectAtTime or similar to glean the size of the bounding box created by a continuously rasterized precomp? When I use the sourceRect at Time function, it returns the size of the unmodified, non-continuously rasterized layer. I can get this particular thing working if I am checking the…

Read more

Thanks Dan. I’ll look into animators, I hadn’t thought about using those but I bet I can get something working with them. Seriously, you’re a gift to the AE community!

I’m creating a .Mogrt for someone, and I want to add a highlight functionality. What I mean by this is have the ability to target a certain segment of the text, and apply different text formatting than what is used overall by the text layer. Perhaps the default text is 50pt. white Arial, but the highlighted area needs to be 55pt. Orange bold…

Read more

Huh, interesting way to get that to work. I mean, it makes sense!

I guess the loopOut expressions just don’t play well with others?

As the title asks. I am animating a character riding a bike, and everything is driven by the pedal. As the pedal rotates about it’s axle, it has an expression inverting it’s rotation relative to it’s parent so it stays straight up. On top of that expression, there’s a few small adjustment keyframes so the character’s foot doesn’t stick out of…

Read more

I’m running macOS Catalina Version 10.15.7

Continual rasterization can be a pain in the neck at times. There’s lots of stuff it doesn’t like to play well with, so it’s hard to pin down exactly what your issue might be based on the description. My first guess would be that you have a layer-style based stroke on the ornament, but that’s just a guess. Can you post a screenshot of the visual…

Read more

GOOD NEWS!!!

I fixed it. So, this is one of the weirdest fixes I’ve had to do. Apparently it is a security issue. After Effects doesn’t have permission to “record this screen”. So here’s how I fixed it:

System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy

On the right hand side of the window there will be a list of applications with checkboxes next to…

Read more

Yep, I’m fairly sure it’s up to date. I also updated my mac to the most recent updates and the problem still persists.

There’s also a primal fear in the back of my mind whenever I hear someone saying it might be a driver issue. Drivers are the computer problem that is most likely to make me want to tear my hair out.

This issue definitely feels like a layer stacking issue where the Eyedropper, instead of being on the top layer looking down, is on the bottom layer looking down. I’m fairly certain I’ve tried restarting the computer, but I will try again. Also, now that you have me thinking about it, this IS a new computer I’m working on since my old one got…

Read more

Nope, the sample box itself doesn’t even perceive any non desktop background colors. If I scrub the eye dropper over anything, the color box updates in real time like one would expect, although it only grabs the colors from my desktop and not any windows which are actually below my cursor. A way to describe it would be to think of it like…

Read more

I’m trying to sample colors from a storyboard to bring them into After Effects. Whenever I try to do this, the eye dropper tool returns the colors on my desktop background as though there weren’t a window with the color I want to sample beneath my cursor.

After some experimentation, it seems like it is 100% ignoring all windows, desktop icons, and…

Read more