Return-Path: Received: from mo4-p00-ob.smtp.rzone.de ([81.169.146.163] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP id 5403863 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Tue, 11 Mar 2014 07:32:44 +0100 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; t=1394519606; l=12842; s=domk; d=mamoworld.com; h=In-Reply-To:To:References:Date:Subject:Mime-Version:Content-Type: From:X-RZG-CLASS-ID:X-RZG-AUTH; bh=9ZEiYPKtCWhRqi51zH1sdewyCJc=; b=CApUnu6TeMpHG+Y3k5umFDeX2maaKfxhgXcWgMKv6oElkOU+U2b9TunZlI4FPJ32S1Z lzCfyvmJ6yd7QXn32mrKoADvo/Fqu2DFLhRDp6U16l08ZGEBkvxl7/KCsY/zNKlAoBLl9 pZYb2Hf4wWYjTsJYbWNcxdKeuVTExQNZVIQ= X-RZG-AUTH: :JWICemClevKDgu8HjcNJMjRl593UXLPRxATGwvl0czvlKPvWKaNvvwT0g2JbTw== X-RZG-CLASS-ID: mo00 Received: from mathiasmac-2.fritz.box (p5DC6564E.dip0.t-ipconnect.de [93.198.86.78]) by smtp.strato.de (RZmta 32.27 DYNA|AUTH) with ESMTPSA id t01b51q2B6XQXum (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (Client did not present a certificate) for ; Tue, 11 Mar 2014 07:33:26 +0100 (CET) From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Mathias_M=F6hl?= Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="Apple-Mail=_72B503F1-3933-41B4-AB30-DAE69D83C4D1" Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 7.2 \(1874\)) Subject: Re: [AE] How do I quickly rearrange a Sure Target 2 camera layout? Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 07:33:25 +0100 References: To: After List In-Reply-To: X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1874) --Apple-Mail=_72B503F1-3933-41B4-AB30-DAE69D83C4D1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Hi Teddy, this is really a problem in the design of Sure Target. During the development of my =93Autofocus on Layers=94 iExpression I = thought about this issue. http://mamoworld.com/after-effects-expression/autofocus-layers The expression does something very similar, but only handles the focus, = not the movement of the camera. I also wanted to be able to transition the focus from layer number 4 to = layer number 8 without focussing layers 5,6,7 in between. First I = thought this is not possible and I need to go the Sure Target way. But = then I got the idea to make the expression look at the keyframes only = and not at all values. In other words: When sure target sees 7.4 it thinks: I am transitioning between element = 7 and 8 and 40% of the transition is done. When AutoFocus on Layers sees 7.4 it looks at the closest keyframe left = and right (which could have values 4 and 8, for example) to know from = which layer it transitions to which other one and looks at the distance = of these keyframes (and the chosen easing type) to figure out how much = of the transition is done.=20 This means no need to resort your targets at any time :-) Maybe you should lobby at Video Copilot to change their design in the = same way. Cheers, Mathias On 07 Mar 2014, at 18:58, Teddy Gage wrote: > So this may be a bit complicated to explain, but I will do my = best. I am coming to the end of a project where I did the whole layout = using Sure Target 2.0 (free plugin available from video copilot, it's a = life saver) in conjunction with Simple Camera Rig (plugin from = aescripts.com, but not really relevent to this), it has about 35 targets = (representing camera move positions) that are represented by 3D nulls. = You then plug these nulls into the plugin script and it automates camera = moves between targets with predefined settings. It makes a lot of issues = of working with AE's camera much faster. However, now the client has = asked for a section of the piece moved to the beginning of the video and = this really f***s up the whole layout.=20 >=20 > Because these targets are laid out in sequence numbered 1-35, in order = to retime the whole thing I'd either have to move every keyframe = denoting which target to hit, or rebuild the entire ordered number = sequence of targets. This is because if you set a keyframe for the = camera to animate between targets 25-35, it will hit every target in = sequence between those numbers, instead of smoothly animation from where = target 35 is in 3d space over to where target 35 is, so the target order = is VERY important.=20 >=20 > At this point I am thinking of simply cheating the middle section to = the beginning with a second camera in a precomp, while keeping the = overall target sequence order intact.=20 >=20 > To anyone not familiar with this plugin this may all sound like = nonsense, but would anyone familiar with Sure Target be able to offer = another idea? My brain is pretty fried on this one.=20 > -TG >=20 > --=20 > _____________________________ > VFX & Motion Graphic Artist > teddygage dot com mamoworld.com simplify your cgi Dr. Mathias M=F6hl Marlow 52 , 18551 Sagard, Germany Phone +49 (0)38302 - 88 75 61 info@mamoworld.com --Apple-Mail=_72B503F1-3933-41B4-AB30-DAE69D83C4D1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Hi = Teddy,

this is really a problem in the design of Sure = Target.

During the development of my =93Autofocus= on Layers=94 iExpression I thought about this issue.
The expression does something very similar, but only handles the focus, = not the movement of the camera.
I also wanted to be able to = transition the focus from layer number 4 to layer number 8 without = focussing layers 5,6,7 in between. First I thought  this is not = possible and I need to go the Sure Target way. But then I got the idea = to make the expression look at the keyframes only and not at all = values.
In other words:
When sure target sees 7.4 it = thinks: I am transitioning between element 7 and 8 and 40% of the = transition is done.
When AutoFocus on Layers sees 7.4 it looks = at the closest keyframe left and right (which could have values 4 and 8, = for example) to know from which layer it transitions to which other one = and looks at the distance of these keyframes (and the chosen easing = type) to figure out how much of the transition is = done. 
This means no need to resort your targets at any = time :-)

Maybe you should lobby at Video = Copilot to change their design in the same = way.

Cheers,
Mathias

On 07 Mar 2014, at 18:58, Teddy Gage <teddygage@gmail.com> = wrote:

    So this may be a bit = complicated to explain, but I will do my best. I am coming to the end of = a project where I did the whole layout using Sure Target 2.0 (free = plugin available from video copilot, it's a life saver) in conjunction = with Simple Camera Rig (plugin from aescripts.com, but not really = relevent to this), it has about 35 targets (representing camera move = positions) that are represented by 3D nulls. You then plug these nulls = into the plugin script and it automates camera moves between targets = with predefined settings. It makes a lot of issues of working with AE's = camera much faster. However, now the client has asked for a section of = the piece moved to the beginning of the video and this really f***s up = the whole layout. 

Because these targets are laid out in sequence numbered = 1-35, in order to retime the whole thing I'd either have to move every = keyframe denoting which target to hit, or rebuild the entire ordered = number sequence of targets. This is because if you set a keyframe for = the camera to animate between targets 25-35, it will hit every target in = sequence between those numbers, instead of smoothly animation from where = target 35 is in 3d space over to where target 35 is, so the target order = is VERY important. 

At this point I am thinking of simply cheating the = middle section to the beginning with a second camera in a precomp, while = keeping the overall target sequence order = intact. 

To anyone not familiar with this plugin this may all sound like = nonsense, but would anyone familiar with Sure Target be able to offer = another idea? My brain is pretty fried on this one. 
-TG

--
_____________________________
VFX & Motion Graphic Artist
teddygage dot com

mamoworld.com
simplify your = cgi

Dr. Mathias M=F6hl
Marlow 52 , 18551 = Sagard, Germany
Phone +49 (0)38302 - 88 75 61
info@mamoworld.com

=

= --Apple-Mail=_72B503F1-3933-41B4-AB30-DAE69D83C4D1--