Message-ID: <52101E4D.9030704@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 21:07:25 -0400
From: Bruce Wainer <brwainer@gmail.com>
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To: After Effects Mail List <ae-list@media-motion.tv>
Subject: Re: [AE] Sat. Night Expression Question
References: <list-5179060@media-motion.tv>
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On a null layer, apply the "Slider Control" effect. In the camera or 
the text, (not both) change the position expression to be:
(whatever is already there) + [0,0,---SLIDER---]
For "---SLIDER---", use the pick-whip to select the number field of the 
slider effect. Then any changes to the slider will be added to the 
Z-parameter of your position. to change position over time, simply 
keyframe the slider values.

So if you made the change to the text position, the expression might 
look like:
thisComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position +  
[0,0,250+thisComp.layer("Position Control").effect("Slider 
Control")("Slider")]
or:
thisComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position +  [0,0,250] + 
[0,0,thisComp.layer("Position Control").effect("Slider 
Control")("Slider")]

Bruce

On Saturday, August 17, 2013 8:56:28 PM, Stephen van Vuuren wrote:
> I’ve got a comp with a camera flying forward while slowly rotating in
> Z through a 3D scene (title sequence). I want text layers to be offset
> from the camera in front. That’s easy:
>
> thisComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.position +  [0,0,250]
>
> thisComp.layer("Camera 1").transform.zRotation – 90
>
> But I want the text layers to be moving slightly off-speed with
> respect to the camera, camera slowly catches up and passes them, so a
> variable offset if you will. And nice if further offset could be tied
> to opacity (far away would fade in).
>
> I could manually do this of course but wondered if there was some cool
> way to do it with expressions.
>
> *stephen van vuuren*
>
> 336.202.4777
>
> **
>
> *http://www.insaturnsrings.com/*
>
> *http://www.sv2dcp.com/*
>
> *http://www.sv2studios.com/*
>
> **
>
> /A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It
> should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s
> behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later./
>
> –*Stanley Kubrick*
>