Matrix

Takes a layer in your comp and breaks it into pieces. You choose the size of the pieces, whether to animate in order or random, and how long you want the transition to take.

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Matrix

Version: 1.0 Sign up to be notified by email when a new version of this script is posted

The Matrix script will take a layer in your comp and break it into pieces. You choose the size of the pieces, whether to animate in order or random, and how long you want the transition to take.

Getting Started

The script is designed to be used as a dockable panel, click here for a quick tutorial on installation

You need to begin with a comp with a single layer. This will be the layer that will be chopped up. The options for the effect are as follows:

Transition Type

Animate in: the pieces of your image will start at a Z point in space that you choose and will end at 0.

Animate Out: the pieces will start at position Z 0 and will end at a Z point in space that you choose.

Order

Random: Pieces will animate in random order. When this option is chosen an additional field “Transition Min” appears in the interface; the script will make the transition lenght a random value between Transition Min and Transition Length

Directional:Pieces will animate in order. When this option is chosen two additional fields Delay Across and Delay Down appear

Fragment Size X and Y

The size of the pieces that the image will break into. If you choose very small pieces it can take a long time to build. Use caution

Gap

How many pixels of space between pieces. 0 leaves no gap, a higher number will cause space between the individual pieces

Target Z

Z position where the pieces will either start or finish (depending on whether you are animating out or animating in)

Rotation XYZ

Rotation XYZ where the pieces will either start or finish (depending on whether you are animating out or animating in)

Start Frame

Which frame in your comp to start the animation. If your order is Random, this is the earliest frame a piece will start animating.

Start Variation

Only visible if your order is Random. All pieces will start animating at a random frame between ‘Start Frame’ and ‘Start Frame’ + ‘Start Variation’. For example, if ‘Start Frame’ is 10 and ‘Start Variation’ is 5, every piece in your matrix will begin animating at a random frame between 10 and 15

Transition Length

The amount of time it takes for an individual piece to go from 0 to target Z (or vice versa depending on whether you are animating out or in) . If your order is Random, this is longest possible time for an individual piece to animate, and Transition minimum is the shortest.

Transition Min

Only visible if your order is Random. this is the shortest possible time for an individual piece to animate, and Transition Length is the longest.

Delay Across

Only visible if your order is Directional. On each row, the pieces start their animation one after the other, this is how many frames before the next one in a row starts.

Delay Down

Only visible if your order is Directional. On each column, the pieces start their animation one after the other, this is how many frames before the next one in a column starts.

Fade

If checked, when a piece animates it will either fade out or fade in (Depending on animation type)

Ease Keyframe

Makes the transition smoother by easing the keyframes

Motion Blur

enables motion blur for all layers

When you have all parameter set, hit the “Build Matrix” button. The script will only run if you are in a composition with only 1 layer. (after you build it you may re-edit its parameters, but this is done through the edit button which will be discussed later).

What Happens When I Hit Build Matrix

The script precomposes your master layer (unless it already is a precomp). Then the script makes as many solids as it needs to cover your comp from top left to bottom right. It duplicates your master layer for each of these solids, parents and track mattes to the solid and animates the solid based on your settings. All the master layer duplicates are made shy. The master layer is duplicated one final time and placed at the top of the timeline with the eyeball turned off. This layer is not made shy and is there to make it easier to access the preconp that housed your original layer.
There are two layers at the very bottom of the comp that are shy and locked. These layers should not be touched, they are used by the script if you want to change any parameters.

Editing A Matrix

If you have built a matrix and want to change any of the parameters, click the edit button while you are in that composition. A window will popup with all the parameters that were used in that matrix build. You will not be able to do anything else in After Effects until the popup window is closed. If you hit cancel, the popup will close and nothing will happen. If you hit Rebuild Matrix, the matrix will be rebuilt using the parameters set in the popup.

Version History

Initial release – Aug 2010

Last updated August 3rd, 2010
9,329 views
Tags: 3D, Automatic, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5, Layers, Matrix

Michael Cardeiro

About the author

Mike Cardeiro has been creating graphics with after effects since 1997. He has been programming computers since the early 80's and when Adobe introduced scripting into the mix he jumped in. Mike is currently employed at an ad agency in Philadelphia as an animator/designer. View Resume

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8 Comments

ej (Reply to this comment)
August 3, 2010

Is there a way to have it so the image breaks up into custom shapes other than squares?

Great plug-in btw, thanks for the effort!
- mike cardeiro (Reply to this comment)
  August 3, 2010
  
  EJ,
  
  I had thought about doing this, the problem is I dont see how I could have the entire image covered by the shape, so there would always be holes. With squares it is just simple math and the entire image is covered.
  
  Mike Cardeiro
James Wicks (Reply to this comment)
August 9, 2010

Lovely effect, and I downloaded to try.
After Effects crashed 3 times.

CS3
Comp had a single layer Quicktime file 1920×1080
Mac OSX 10.5.8, 2.8 Quad Core, 8 Gig RAM

I’d love to have a solution to this, because the effect is so cool.

Best,
J
mike cardeiro (Reply to this comment)
August 10, 2010

Hey James,

How small are you making your pieces (fragment size x, fragment size y). if you make these too small you will run out of memory as the script will make as many pieces of that size as it needs to cover the entire 1920
James Wicks (Reply to this comment)
August 10, 2010

Got it, thanks Mike.
I can see possibly using the script as a transition in some of the commercials that I produce.
Is it possible to turn off the opacity of the source layer (photo, video, image), so that we see the pieces fly into position to form the image? Or, is it available and I have just overlooked it?
Having that ability would really put this at the top of my effects list.

Otherwise, nice little script well worth the price.

Best,
James Wcks
- Mike Cardeiro (Reply to this comment)
  August 10, 2010
  
  Hey James,
  
  This is the way it works, if you choose animate in, the pieces will form your layer. if the pieces are visible at their starting point just check the fade checkbox and they will fade in as they go to their final position.
  
  Mike Cardeiro

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