Content in Adobe Community

Expression stops after if...else...statement

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 07:20:09 GMT

Hi,

I am new to expressions and am trying to teach myself from the internet and books. I have set myself a challenge to emulate a horizontal "ticker" line starting from right to left across the screen. When the text reaches a preset position (x=-3200), I want the layer to return to the right hand side and resume moving right to left for as long as the composition time. This is part of a larger project where several layers will follow on in continuous loops in the same manner as seen on TV. I have a simplified expression which I am trying out but as soon as the if statement is triggered the calculations stop and the layer stays at the x=1920 position. I cannot find a way to keep the action running. Am I missing something as I thought the expression was calculated at each frame ?

the expression:

x=position[0];

y=position[1];

x=position[0]+((time-inPoint)*-200);

if (x<-3200) x=1920;

[x,y]

I would be grateful for any help or advice.

Regards

John

Using valueAtTime syntax problem?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:23:32 GMT

Hi guys

I want to follow position of current layer "cardio.ai" but with a delay.

This code currently works:

tempX = transform.position[0];

tempY = thisComp.layer("cardio.ai").transform.position[1];

[tempX, tempY]

But if I do this:

tempX = transform.position[0];

tempY = thisComp.layer("cardio.ai").transform.position[1].valueAtTime(time -1);

[tempX, tempY]

it will not work.

I may be having problems with the API or syntax but I am just learning this and can't figure out what's going on.

Thanks

velocityAtTime returning incorrect non-zero value (possible bug)

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:39:28 GMT

Hi, I've written an expression that uses velocityAtTime to check if a layer is moving. I have removed all the animation and the script seems to be randomly returning values above zero for the velocity on some frames even though the layer is definitely not moving.

any ideas? Fells like a definite bug in after effects unless there's something I'm missing.

Creating a number counter that counts in increments of .05 in After Effects.

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 23:59:35 GMT

I need to create a number counter that counts in increments of .05 in After Effects. Any advice on how to do this?

Many thanks!

color corrupt now on all Adobe after effects video after editing one video

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 15:56:23 GMT

I was working on a video the title was purple and green and after editing using this theme all of my videos that I have edited in After Effects are all colored green and purple. I don't know how or why but it is not my video card because videos I have saved on DVD or videos on youtube work just fine. I am at a loss. Can any one help???

AE CS6: Render glitches with timeremap expressions

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:35:34 GMT

Version:

11.0

OS:

Mac 10.7.4

Source Footage:

.ai files

Problem:

First of all, we've been using this method for character animation since AE 7.0. We have had minor glitches here and there, but nothing consistent enough to a real problem. We're currently using CS5.5, and considering the CS6 upgrade.

I am filing an official bug report for this, but am curious if anyone else is experiencing this. I don't want to share my project here as it's for a TV show in production.

Starting with CS6, we're experiencing random, arbitary render glitches all over the place. Our character comps are generally two comps deep. Meaning in the character comp, we have timeremapped comps for sequences of eyes, eyebrows, mouths, etc. Inside those comps, there is a lot more going on than just an image sequence. We have mesh warp keyframes and other stuff.

All of this is controlled by various expressions that link everything to some simple master controls. I'm sure this sounds familiar -- it's very similar to the method used in these tutorials, but not even as complex.

As for the glitches, they are hard to pin down. There are different glitches depending on whether the character is continually reasterized in the scene or not, which comp we're in, etc. Really random. The problem is resolved by proxying those precomps (the eyes, mouths, etc) with prerendered sequences. This is an OK workaround for most cases, but we can't depend on it.

Thanks for any help. In the meantime we'll be sticking with 5.5.

Bryan

What benefit should I get from "// cacheCompareSamplesPerSecond 0"?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:00:47 GMT

Background for anyone reading this: http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2014/04/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014.html I think I must have misunderstood what this statement does for an expression. I was hoping "// cacheCompareSamplesPerSecond 0" would allow me to force AE to evaluate an expression only once, on the first frame of the comp, but clearly it isn't that simple. I've applied it to a number of expressions, each of which is designed to evaluate to one value for the entire comp, but I'm not seeing any improvement in render times. What am I missing? This is on Mac AE CC 2014 (13.1).

Scale over time expression

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 23:07:53 GMT

I'm trying to have an element scale up and do so through an expression:

startScale = 100;

endScale = 300;

scaleUpTime = 5;

s = ease(time, inPoint, inPoint + scaleUpTime, startScale, endScale);

[s,s]

This works but I'd like to modify this is that the endScale is actually a random number between 100 and 300.

I'd also like the whole thing to trigger at a specific time (or frame).

I tried random(100,300) but it gives a jittery result not a constant scale up to a random value

How do I script a certain layer to rotate slightly based on movement?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 18:44:49 GMT

Hi guys,

So I'm trying to script partial rotation of a vector (a plane) so that as its moving either up or down it rotates slightly (by about + or - 30 degrees) and once it has reached it desired position it goes back to an orientation of 0,0,90 which is the start orientation. Anyone know how to do this or I simply have to keyframe every action?

Random motion from a certain position to random position

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 18:32:26 GMT

Hello, i saw lot of random motion expressions but they were looped, and starting, finishing positions were random, I need help with making an expression that will allow me to make a certain starting position and then make random ending position without looping

for example: from (600,600) to (X,X)with limit 120%, so the layers will go out of composition and will not come back

I wanted to make it for one animation, where one robot shots the other, and from him will explode many parts to random positions.

Can someone help me to make this expression please?

Thank you very much

Using sourcetext from another layer as an array - blowing up expression

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 12:54:39 GMT

Hey all, I am doing something that I assumed would be a quick and easy, and it is turning into quite a headache.

Here is what I am trying... (The following works btw)

stuff = thisComp.layer("textSource").text.sourceText;

stuff[2]

The problem is that if I try an index higher than 3, the expression blows up. The error is somewhat odd too...

property or method named '4' in Class 'TextProperty' is missing or does not exist. It may have been renamed, moved, deleted...

The source layer has not gone anywhere. The only thing that changes was the index.

I want to break down the sourceText into individual letters to feed something else and this was how I was going to go about it as I don't think the you can 'split' into letters. I figured I could get the length of the string and then scoop out each letter. Not so much eh'?

Update...

Tried it with split, and this also breaks it. What's odd is it seems to work for just a moment, so the script takes the index, displays the letter, waits a second, then freaks out. It does the work/breaking thing as long as the string has contains enough characters, as where a request for something that is not there immediately breaks it (which we would expect)

stuff = thisComp.layer("This").text.sourceText.split("");

stuff[15]

Set inPoint with expression?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 18:23:44 GMT

Hi,

Is there some way to set the in and out points of a layer in an expression?

thisLayer.inPoint seems to be read-only...

Thanks,

Linking expressions to central Controller

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 13:29:52 GMT

I'm trying to link up my expressions to one central Controller layer so that that one expression is shared across all objects in my project which require it.

I have "// Controller" composition with "Expression_Source (tK-logo_anim)" text layer. Its source text expression is set to my desired expression:

sourceLayer = comp("Killers logo (test)").layer("tK-logo_anim_mask");

sampleSize = [1,1];

samplePoint = transform.position;

color = sourceLayer.sampleImage(samplePoint,sampleSize);

x=color[0]*100;

[x,x]

Now, another composition includes a shape layer with its Transform Expression: Scale set to:

eval(comp("// Controller").layer("Expression_Source (tK-logo_anim)").text.sourceText.toString())

But when I try to hit enter on this line of code I get error: expression result must be of dimension 2, not 1

What am I doing incorrectly? The expression works when inserted manually into the Scale property but not when I try to link to it...

Thanks

How to control only the WIDTH of a rectangle with slider control using expression

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:17:48 GMT

I have a simple rectangle shape layer that I want to control (only the width) with slider control using expression. How do I do that?

Thanks in advance.

Trapcode Particular sprite layer changing after emitting

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:59:41 GMT

Hello,

I've linked the sprite layer of Trapcode Particular to a comp, and I was planning on putting some expression on a layer there that emits a random number (between a fixed set), so I can place all my different footage files with a simple expression on opacity (if random number generated == index then opacity 100, else 0).

There are a few problems on this. One, the way I'm making it, the seed randomizes based on day/month and holds the number for 3 seconds (which is the max life of each particle). But the output shows just a random layer selected every day, and repeated through the video, instead of it changing every 3 seconds.

The other problem is that sometimes particles overlap, as in, one gets emitted while other one was still there. Even if I am able to fix the first problem I've just mentioned, that means both particles (the one almost dying, and the one just getting emmited) would use the very same footage file, generating some bad flickering on the old particle instantly switching from one footage file to other.

I'm really stuck on this! Perhaps there's a way of randomizing after a single emit has been made.

Let me know if you have any ideas or even tips to do something like this.

Thank you,

-----

Juan

Layer Source Text linking to external text. (no code in doc!)

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 09:22:34 GMT

I've seen linking to text documents with code snippets in it.

So that means the external text document must contain bits of scripting.

I would like to link to txt documents (or csv) that do not contain code.

Total noob users must be able to link a text to a After Effects project.

I have a website data catcher which exports CSV values.

It would be ideal if After Effects can hoover up the text and put certain pieces into certain source texts.

We're talking automated sports cards here.

Is this possible without adding code to a text dump?

Or is this just impossible?

trapezoidal wave in AE

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 03:15:49 GMT

trying to figure out an expression for a trapezoidal wave function in AE. I have not found any forms that discussed this wave formation. I am pretty new to AE's expressions.

Number Counting Expression with $ - Understanding how to set stop points

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 19:02:21 GMT

Hello, I'm using an expression I found on: Dan Ebberts's Expressioneering Design Guide which has saved me quiet a bit of frustration since I needed to have a comma and a custom character at the end of my counting numbers. But I have a simple question that I can't quite get out of the page's instructions and I'm hoping someone here could direct me.

Issue: The numbers are counting for the first 4 seconds - or whatever I change it too, but I don't understand how to set my number stop points. ie, I want to go from 0 to 1,800 pause at a specific point for several seconds and then count up to 6,500 pause again and count up and so on. So the part I'm not understanding is, how to start the count and stop on a number and then start the count again. I've set key frames for where I want those numbers to be on the timeline in the 'Source Text' which Dan's page references but this isn't working. Thoughts? Direction??? Expression is below and I've attached a reference image of my timeline. Many thanks for any direction you can provide!

Expression:

numDecimals = 0;

commas = true;

dollarSign = true;

beginCount = 0;

endCount = 17000;

dur = 4;

t = time - inPoint;

s = linear (t, 0, dur, beginCount, endCount).toFixed(numDecimals);

prefix = "";

if (s[0] == "-"){

prefix = "-";

s = s.substr(1);

}

if(dollarSign) prefix += "±";

if (commas){

decimals = "";

if (numDecimals > 0){

decimals = s.substr(-(numDecimals + 1));

s = s.substr(0,s.length - (numDecimals + 1));

}

outStr = s.substr(-s.length, (s.length-1)%3 +1);

for (i = Math.floor((s.length-1)/3); i > 0; i--){

outStr += "," + s.substr(-i*3,3);

}

outStr + decimals + prefix;

}else{

prefix + s;

}

Basic Offset Expression

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 15:35:36 GMT

I pick-whipped the position of a particle to the position of an object. (Particle Playground)

Everything works but i need to offset this position -300px x 170px.

Is there something i can add to this expresion that will allow that?

Also, Particle Playground does not seem to have a life of particle setting. Is there any other way to extend this?

AE cs5

Wiggle expression - slider control

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 12:15:12 GMT

Hi all

I had a solve for this from Dan Ebberts but I seem to have lost that content in the Jive update. I want to use a slider control for a wiggle, but when I have my basic wiggle expression applied to position, then pick whip from that to the slider, I get the below expression.

temp = effect("Wiggle Control Sliders")("Slider");

[temp, temp]

What is the fix for this/ way to do it right?

At the minute I'm using the expression below instead, but I hate not knowing the right way to do something! Using sliders/ creating decay in expressions has always been an issue for me...

wiggle(15,effect("Slider control")("Slider"))

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks!

Start to Play Composition at Position Y

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 20:55:45 GMT

Hey guys,

i started to try a build that the compositions start at the position of 400 in my main-composition.

I build this with a null-object that controls the compositions.

I tryed with markers, but i dont know and i dont have any idea how to do.

what is the command for play a composition?

Her my after effects file

http://sebastian-hielscher.com/-download/MARKER2.aep

Hope anyone can help me.

Sorry for my bad english.

Kind Regards

Sebastian

aftereffects expression BUG. cannot compare the values of 2 sliders???????

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 21:51:07 GMT

so do this:

make a new comp with a new solid.

add 2 slider effects to the layer.

add an expression to the Opacity of the solid, add this tot he expression:

// begin expression

if(effect("slider_01")("Slider") == effect("slider_02")("Slider")){

100

}else{

}

// end expression

then try setting the values of the sliders to be exactly the same. IF they are exactly the same, the solid should be visible.

they NEVER evaluate as true. Which means this is a bug, no?

How to overwrite position value with variable

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:08:30 GMT

Is it possible to overwrite a specific value with a value of a variable from my expression?

My expression (I thought I could use):

"z = transform.position[2]-thisComp.layer("Audioamplitude").effect("Beide Kanäle")("Schieberegler");

transform.position[2] = z;"

But AE claims that the Z-Position Value of my layer (camera) is read-only...

I want to have jumps in my camera synced to musik so the amplitude value should be substracted from my Z-position value but if I dont overwrite the "old" value then the camera obviously jumps back to the original position.

Thanks in advance for any answer

expressions - best practice for duplicating layers

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 19:00:23 GMT

Hello,

I have a fairly complex set of expressions on multiple layers. These layers together make up an overall effect for a piece of footage. For convenience I have these expression linked to a controller null object so I can control them from one place. Now that I have it set up, I want to duplicate the group of layers (footage item, various effects, and null object controller) multiple times. I basically have a template for a footage effect that I want to duplicate multiple times so I end up with many pieces of footage with this effect applied. When I duplicate the group of layers, I'd love to set it up in a way that the expression variables will now point to the duplicated controller object. I noticed this behavior happens if the expression is a simple pick whip from one property to another. Basically a direct connection. But if I attempt to store this pick whip selection in a variable to be manipulated further, this functionality ceases. So my question is, how can I create a set up that will permit me to duplicate layers and have the expressions update as if they were a simple direct pick whip from one property to another? Is this possible? If not, how can I better set this up to allow me to accomplish my end result?

Thanks!

-Justin

how to parent a layer on a negative x,y position value ?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 07:09:44 GMT

Hey there i have a composition with 2 text layers on it one is scaled -100 on the y axis to get a reflection effect

and i added a wiggle expression to the the upper layer and i want the reflection layer to have the same moment as the upper layer but on a negative x,y direction.

Storing and Calling Array Values

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:12:47 GMT

Hey folks, I've got a complex expressions project whose ultimate purpose is to position a large number of layers in a grid, and then move each layer to a unique point on the grid depending on a number of animating factors.

In the course of creating this project, I find myself wanting to take advantage of a kind of array function I'm used to from some programming languages, but I'm not sure if it's available in AE or javascript. In short, I'm used to an array where you could do the following (please ignore the syntax, as I realize that AE uses brackets for a different purpose, which we'll get to in a moment):

CREATE array(100)

array(1) = 4.5

array(2) = 6.2

array(3) = 1.2

...etc. These values could be inserted into the "array" (which is really more like a spreadsheet than an AE array as far as I can tell) arbitrarily, and then called. As in, you could add array(1) + array(2) and get 10.7.

So in a sense, the difference between this function and an AE array is it has one "dependent" variable, whereas the AE array behaves like a matrix, where all the values are independent.

Please note that this is not a question about creating values in an expression which persist across time. This whole array is created and called within one frame. I'm merely wondering if it's possible to essentially create a "list" type variable.

Cheers,

Ari

After Effects Expression deactivate layer if in comp

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 14:07:12 GMT

Hi guys,

I am currently working on a huge animation with lots of comps. I have certain animations, that are used several times, but I don't want to duplicate all the comps and I am trying to figure out a more elegant way to use those comps.

Is there an expression, something like (" if layer in pre-comp1 is nested in comp2, then opacity=0", or something like that), to deactivate certain layers if they are nested in a certain comp?

Thanks in advance!

expression error

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:28:33 GMT

Hi-

I am trying to link a layer in after effects to the position of another layer.

I get an error stating that it is expecting a number, array or property.

I know I am getting this wrong. Is there somewhere I can go to get a good understanding of what should be added to the end of the expression?

I want the layer (smoke) to track the position of another layer (sparks).

Thanks in advance-

-C

Re-using expression-generated values to input into other expressions (read-out)

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 06:18:55 GMT

Hi there everyone. I was wondering if there is a way to 'capture' expression generated values and either buffer these values or re-using them directly in other expressions. I am trying to track rotations of parented layers, which are generated from the DuDuf IK expressions. Getting the rotation through a pick-whip will always return zero, of course; but as After Effects is able to physically show the expression generated value as a number, I guess it should also be able to output this number somewhere as a (buffered) digital value to be re-used somewhere again.

Anyone ideas?

Replace text from external source expression from AE CS6 not working in AE CC

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 19:42:56 GMT

We have used some expressions in an AE CS6 project to fill text from an external file. Here's an example:

try{

/* "mypath" must be absolute to data file */

myPath = "file:////nynfile1/Production/Egg/Marque/data.txt";

$.evalFile(myPath);

/* Use [0,1,2] for array offset value(Name, Date, Time)*/

eval(thisComp.name)[0];

}catch(err){

/* Display if data error found*/

"text not found";

}

It works fine in CS6. When we open the file in AE CC, the expressions can't find the data.txt file to pull text from. All we get is the "text not found" error. We stepped through debug and the data.txt file doesn't open/isn't found.

What up with that?

Expressions from AE CS6 not working in AE CC

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 13:09:46 GMT

We have used some expressions in an AE CS6 project to fill text from an external file. Here's an example:

try{

/* "mypath" must be absolute to data file */

myPath = "file:////nynfile1/Production/Egg/Marque/data.txt";

$.evalFile(myPath);

/* Use [0,1,2] for array offset value(Name, Date, Time)*/

eval(thisComp.name)[0];

}catch(err){

/* Display if data error found*/

"text not found";

}

What up with that?

Accepts Lights+Shadows via expression or Script

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 23:37:52 GMT

does anybody know an expression/script to turn on/off the above mentioned properties.That would be quite useful.

cheers

Quick question regarding 2-dimensional expressions

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 19:43:19 GMT

What I'm doing is probably really simple, but I've only ever tinkered with simple expressions.

I have a bulge effect and I want the centre to follow an object, so I pickwhip the position of the object to the bulge centre, but it needs to go "up" a couple hundred pixels. (say 200) How do I modify JUST the y value of the bulge center?

I could move the anchor point of the object and solve the problem, but I'd rather have this knowledge.

AE CC 2014 - Wiggle Expression not assigning similar values on scale

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 22:37:06 GMT

So I've just noticed that the wiggle expression no longer works how it used to. I found a released article explaining changes in the Noise Algorithm used for the wiggle expression what’s new and changed in the 2014 update to After Effects CC | After Effects region of interest and am referring to the "fixed bug in implementation of Perlin noise algorithm" section.

I'm not sure if this is what's causing the issue but let me explain.

I'm just adding a wiggle expression on to an object's scale.

wiggle(5,50);

This would normally scale the object's parameters with the same value. so it would be (100,100) to (125,125) and so on.

Now however with CC2014 the expression is assigning different values to each value so getting (125, 115) or something even if the 'constrain proportions' button is enabled.

So I tried to trick it:

temp=wiggle(5,50);

[temp[0],temp[1]];

Still got different values even though i'm telling it to insert the same variable?

temp=wiggle(5,50);

temp;

Still got different values... I don't get it can anyone help?

How can I load external file .txt in After Effects CC 2014.0 Release / Mavericks OS X 10.9.4 (13E28)?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:36:59 GMT

ello everybody.

Someone can help me to load a external file .txt in After Effects CC 2014.0 Release / Mavericks OS X 10.9.4 (13E28)?

I tried the code bellow, but doesn't work.

try{

myPath = "~/Desktop/source.txt";

$.evalFile(myPath);

eval(thisComp.name)[0];

}catch(err){

"MISSING";

}

The source.txt file have the texts bellow:

var comp1 = ["Title”, “Subtitle”, “Description”];

var comp2 = ["Text 0", "Text 1", "Text 2"];

var comp3 = ["Text 0", "Text 1", "Text 2"];

Thanks.

Accessing currently selected keyframes

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:10:31 GMT

Is there a way to access the currently selected keyframes through javascript? I'm trying to write a gui that will paste the currently selected keyframes (or the copied keyframes could work too) onto a user specified layer when you press a button. And secondly, is it possible to retain all of the extra attributes such as ease in and ease out for example?

Thanks in advance!

KeyFramed Rectangles Flashing, How To Fix?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 19:03:02 GMT

So I recently have been making videos with adobe after effects where I am showcasing copyright free songs in the Monstercat layout, but I keep having problems and I thank the adobe community for being so helpful every time I ask, but I have one last problem. In this video at about 2:50 the rectangles I use with sound keys (to keyframe their scale) are flashing Vena Cava - Get Wrecked [DUBSTEP] - YouTube like I said it starts at about 2:50. I don't know if certain parts aren't getting keyframed or something.... but I need help knowing how to fix this This is the code I am using:

myVal=thisComp.layer("Sound Keys 21").effect("Sound Keys")("Output 3");

X = 100
Y =clamp(1,100,myVal);

[X,Y]

(Took me a long time to figure out how to insert that, xD)

I am so thankful that this community is so open and helpful! Thank you so much!

OH! I am using comp FPS which is 30. I read something about using a different keyframes per second than the comps fps. But Idk. Thanks!

Time Remapping code help

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 14:45:56 GMT

I'm trying to make some audio visuals for my YouTube channel, and I was trying to get an object to rotate during the song, so it would go faster when the song was louder and vice-versa

But when I tried my code, the object went back and forth in it's rotations, because when the music got quiet it rotated backwards

Could anyone help me make a code that makes sure the object only rotates clockwise, while still going faster when the music gets louder?

Thanks

-RaPiD

Adding a Minimum Scale Value to an Equation

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:17:14 GMT

So with sound keys I have succeeded in making some rectangles move up and down to the beat of music. But when the range I have goes to 0%, the rectangles disapear because it is the scale. So I am wondering how I am supposed to add a minimum Y Value to this equation:

X = 100

Y = thisComp.layer("Sound Keys 21").effect("Sound Keys")("Output 3");

[X, Y]

I would like the scale to always be at least 3%. Thanks

Track nested child layer's position

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 01:48:41 GMT

Hi,

I have a Main Comp with a layer named 'Controller'.I have several 2d layers parented to this controller.

Now,i need to precompose two of them.let's say this precomposition of these two layers is named 'precomp 1'.

How can i parent these two layers in the 'precomp1' to the 'Controller' in the Main Comp again via Expression?

Dan,any ideas?

Numbers expression - add letter "B" for billions

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:36:49 GMT

I have a question for Dan Ebberts. Dan, the expression you have for a text layer for numbers (see below) I wanted to see if it's possible to add a letter at the end of the expression such as the letter B to represent Billions so that the final number count would be $1.7B. I appreciate any help you can provide

Best Regards

Ira

numDecimals = 1;

commas = true;

dollarSign = true;

beginCount = 0;

endCount = 1.7;

dur = .5;

t = time - inPoint;

s = linear (t, 0, dur, beginCount, endCount).toFixed(numDecimals);

prefix = "";

if (s[0] == "-"){

prefix = "-";

s = s.substr(1);

}

if(dollarSign) prefix += "$";

if (commas){

decimals = "";

if (numDecimals > 0){

decimals = s.substr(-(numDecimals + 0));

s = s.substr(0,s.length - (numDecimals + 0));

}

outStr = s.substr(-s.length, (s.length-1)%3 +1);

for (i = Math.floor((s.length-1)/3); i > 0; i--){

outStr += "," + s.substr(-i*3,3);

}

prefix + outStr + decimals;

}else{

prefix + s;

}

How to parenting the puppet pin

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 23:57:47 GMT

Hi there,

I animating 10 animal 2D that walking in a row. I moved the first animal with puppet tool. Is it possible to just parenting the puppet pin the the other animal behind the first one so they do walking in a same way? I Need any expression suggestion. Thanks

Help with time expression!

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:32:47 GMT

Hi everyone, I need some help with the time expression.

Im working with video copilot´s plugin element 3d and i've made a spere shaped thing with particles which im going to sync to music. The problem is that when i make the simple expression "time*321" on the noise evolution value to make the sphere move organicly throughout the whole video it only does so for about two minutes then it just stops changing even though the value changes. The pictures might help you understand.

Pictures: http://puu.sh/adNNB/e8de72a1e8.jpg, http://puu.sh/adNQJ/4fe8d4fe94.jpg, http://puu.sh/adNRx/8ecff2b2ca.jpg

Then there is another problem which is that the sphere evolves alot faster with the time set to 321 compared to when i have it on 30.

I hope you can help me and im sorry for my bad english just tell me if there is something you dont understand.

Is it possible to use an effects 'Reset' or 'Clear' mode in an expression?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 03:22:09 GMT

Hi all, hopefully someone can help me with this.

I'm using 'CC Time Blend FX' in a project I'm working on. Am using it in multiple pre comps, and before rendering I need to go into each pre comp and push the 'Clear' button at 00:00 to clear any images that have been cached in the timeline.

Have been trying to figure out a way to have a controller/null in the master comp with the 'Clear' button in it, so I just need to push it once before rendering (instead of going into each pre comp).

Is this possible?

create randomly changing characters or numbers

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 08:53:31 GMT

Hello. I wonder if there is a way to create randomly changing characters or numbers using expressions?

Pendulmum expression by Dan Ebberts

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 19:55:42 GMT

There is this rotation expression created by Dan Ebberts for a pendulum swing that I was wondering if it is possible modify and have it begin at a specific time on the timeline

veloc = 12;

amplitude = 40;

decay = 1;

amplitude*Math.sin(veloc*time)/Math.exp(decay*time)

Thanks for any help on this.

Ira

Center Anchor Point at a Layer

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 22:52:27 GMT

How can i center Anchor Point to a Layer center? Are there commands to align a center point?

Off by a frame

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 21:32:24 GMT

Hey guys, I'm coming up empty here with a simple expression to drive the time remapping of a layer. The bit having the problem works like this:

I've got a precomp with a texture layer that changes every frame (driven by an image sequence, so there's no risk of weird interpolation). In the main comp, I am performing an animation with the precomp, but I want the texture to change only every 20 frames.

So, I have an expression on the time Remapping property that says simply "time/20". This seems to work great about 90% of the time, but every once in a while, it gets off by a single frame. It doesn't get progressively further off — after each one that's wrong, the next one is almost always back to the correct frame again. So, for example, the texture is supposed to shift on frame 860, and the shifts on frame 800, 820, 840 all are on the correct frame, but then for some reason, the next one happens on frame 859. After that, the next one shifts on frame 880 again, as it's supposed to.

The image sequence, the precomp, and the main comp are all running at 23.976 fps.

Below is an image showing a grid constructed from the main comp. The yellow planks are all off by a frame.

Loop Out Stop expression

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 21:00:54 GMT

I was wondering if it's possible to create a stop/smooth ending to a LoopOut expression on Rotation and Position keyframes. I am currently using OSX 10.9.3 After Effects CS6 and I have tried a couple of things that haven't worked for me.

adding a checkbox expression control to the layer and an expression for loopOut()

if (effect("Checkbox Control")("Checkbox")==true){

loopOut();

}else{

value;

}

loopOutDuration(“cycle”,2)

Unfortunately neither of these seems to work. I was wondering if someone had a solution they have come across.

Thanks very much

Ira

Slider Range always resets itself (AE CC)

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 09:59:31 GMT

Hi All,

if I want to limit a custom slider to specific values, I go to the Slider control and set the min and max. E.g. min -50 and max +50. Fine so far. But when I switch to another layer and go back to the previous layer (where I set the min and max values), it resets to min 0 and max 100 This happens all the time

I’m using AE CC. Anyone else having this annoying problem ?

Best

Serge