Generate patterns and moving dots in After Effects

Published: 13 September 2019
on channel: Workbench
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Make interesting animation with L-systems in AE
Project File: http://workbench.tv/tutorials/2019-09...
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In building something for a client last week, I came up with an interesting movement using our generative paths from Tutorial 190: Cicada http://workbench.tv/tutorials/2019-08.... At the same time I was doing more experiments with L-systems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-system and so I coded a sort of Logo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_(p...) or Turtle graphics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_... interpreter expression inside of After Effects. So this is the result of that.

The base premise is that we take the total number of points and fit them into a Trim Paths operation—or a pointOnPath() expression—by fitting the total number of points into 100. So we divide 100 by our total number of points, and set keys to move the end of our trim by that tiny increment. Then using loopOut('offset'), we have that tiny path move down the whole path. Setting our trim's start to be just a tiny bit away from the end effectively lets us use strokes that extend past the end like round or projecting caps to make circular or square dots.

There's a lot of additional things that can be done. After recording, I even built a system to put layers at specific positions matching the points of these generated paths so that anything could follow the paths in this mechanical fashion. By adding multiple points together, you could even make interesting animated shapes with these, which we'll probably do for Patron files this month. Also, that position setup found it's way into the project files if you want to buy them below.

Have fun experimenting with this! It's a rabbit hole. Expression code can be found at the project file link above.

#AfterEffects #MotionGraphics #Mograph


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