[Terry Coolidge]

Several hours long? I would be looking for a video playback solution that allows for scripting randomized sequencing of animated clips/loops. This doesn’t sound like a job for After Effects to me. Not the right tool for what you’re wanting to do in my opinion.

[Terry Coolidge]

When adding an element to a comp, drag it from the project panel into the timeline instead of into the comp window. Dragging to the comp window will place it wherever you drop it, but dragging to the timeline will place element at the center of the comp by default.

[Terry Coolidge]

Does the green “minimize/maximize“ button at the top left corner of the window not work? You could also just double click somewhere in the empty space of the title bar of the window frame.

[Terry Coolidge]

If layers that have already been imported have “changed” in the Illustrator file, as long as those changes have been saved in the AI file, you simply need to reload the footage in AE. No need to import again.

[Terry Coolidge]

While there may be tutorials out there that go into greater detail, it seems to me there are some basic ways to make CG animation look more like film:

• 24 frames/second

• motion blur

• depth of field blurring

• film grain

Any one of these techniques will help CG footage look less computer generated. Using all of them will push the look even further.

[Terry Coolidge]

In your second screenshot…

All layers appear to have out points set. The comps (layers) have durations that are longer than what will be shown since the out points have the layers ending early. Layer 4 appears to be the only layer that also has an in point set that doesn’t coincide with the actual first frame of the comp (layer).

[Terry Coolidge]

A folder with pre-made comps is pretty easy…

[Terry Coolidge]

Just one man’s opinion, but your expressions solution seems to me like you’re trying to be too clever. There are only seven different possibilities for start dates. I would be inclined to just make seven different calendar comps, all with 31 numbers, and then mask out the “31” when appropriate (and the “30” and “29” as well for February). Maybe I’m not understanding the benefit of using expressions in this instance. Setting up seven comps, or even 21 since there are only three different month lengths (not counting leap years), isn’t so much work that it’s worth dealing with the potential of serious expression headaches.

[Terry Coolidge]

I would have both the circle and the null centered at the origin so that the position for both is 0, 0, 0. Place an icon at the origin and then slide it along just one axis until it intersects the edge of the circle. Copy the position of the icon and paste it to the other two icons so that all three icons are at the same point in 3D space. Set the null as the parent of the circle, then set the circle to be the parent of the first icon. Rotate the circle 120°. Attach the second icon to the circle. Rotate the circle another 120° and then attach the final icon. You can now reset the circle’s rotation value to zero if you want, but all transforms from this point on can be to the null and just leave the circle and icons alone. You probably want to set the icons to auto-orient so they always face the camera.

[Terry Coolidge]

I’ve created 3D carousels like this in the past, and I always have my elements parented to a 3D null layer. I recommend creating the parent link with one icon at a time, rotating the null layer before attaching the next icon, as opposed to trying to position the icons in three different locations in 3D space. Just have all three icons at their origin point while touching the circle’s edge (null’s position value should coincide with circle’s center) and then attach the first icon. Then rotate the null 120° and attach the second. Then rotate another 120° and attach the third. Then transform the null as necessary and animate the rotation.