PLUGIN/PLUGOUT
TUT01 - Interact Objects with Lines Using Expression
By Megan PaleroMarch — 2019
Music
Slow Life With Sunshine
By Yu Manabe
In this tutorial is a simple animation technique without using any plugin to achieve a plexus style animation. We are going to connect objects or texts with lines together using Beam effect and control the layers with customisable settings.
Intermediate Level
Must have the basic knowledge in Expressions and Keyframes
Software Used, Adobe After Effects CC
01. Create a number of Text Layers with the same name and distribute them in random position. Layer > New > Text
02. Create a new Solid Layer with the same size of your composition. Layer > New > Solid
03. Add a Beam effect in your first Solid Layer. We will use this effect to create our first line to connect layers.
Decide your preference of colors and thickness in the Effects Control panel. Effect > Generate > Beam.
04. ADD EXPRESSION
Let’s use an expression in the Beam > Starting Point and Ending Point to link the endpoints of the line
in the position of our layers. In this example, we are linking the endpoints of the line to Layer 1 and Layer 2.
Starting Point
thisComp.layer(”Layer 1”).transform.position
Ending Point
thisComp.layer(”Layer 2”).transform.position
05. Make the Length in the Beam effect control settings to a maximum of 100%
to extend the line to the anchor point of each connected layers.
06. Connect the other layers with another line by duplicating your Solid Layer with Beam effect
and edit the expression of your Starting Point and Ending Point on which number of layers are you going to connect with.
07. Do the same process in the other combination of layer numbers.
08. ANIMATE
Let’s animate each layer’s Position.
Layer Demo
CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Use Shape Layers as objects to connect the lines together.