circuitFX
  • SystemSystem

    imagecircuitFX

    circuitFX is a tool for After Effects designed to create graphical circuit boards. The circuit pattern is generated randomly with every button press. Apart from the circuit lines and circles, circuitFX also creates, chips, resistors and capacitors. It has the ability to put all of the needed parts in a single shape layer or create separate shape layers for each part of the board. It ideal for technology or sci-fi related projects, animated backgrounds, HUDs etc.

    https://aescripts.com/circuitfx/


  • David EastmanDavid Eastman
    This looks very useful!  However, is there any chance you could make it so circuit traces don't cross over each other?  That doesn't happen in real circuit boards, and is a dead giveaway to anyone with even a passing familiarity with electronics.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    David Eastman said:
    This looks very useful!  However, is there any chance you could make it so circuit traces don't cross over each other?  That doesn't happen in real circuit boards, and is a dead giveaway to anyone with even a passing familiarity with electronics.
    Hey David,

    Thanks for your comment. The goal of this script is to create a graphical representation of a circuit and by no means to create something realistic that obeys the rules of electrical engineering.

    Having said that in order to make the circuit more realistic, a lot more processing power is required (meaning a slower generation process) to check and verify all possible path collisions.

    It's definitely on the to do list for future 1.x versions (free for existing buyers).

    Cheers!
  • Miika TurunenMiika Turunen
    If I'll ever need a circuit type of a thing for anything, I know now where to get it. The idea of having more realistic circuits sounds obviously good, but even if and when that is available dont remove the current "circuit setups" that are fast to generate. Sometimes you may use something like this to represent something else than circuits, and then the crossing circuit traces might just be what you are looking for. 


  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Miika Turunen said:
    If I'll ever need a circuit type of a thing for anything, I know now where to get it. The idea of having more realistic circuits sounds obviously good, but even if and when that is available dont remove the current "circuit setups" that are fast to generate. Sometimes you may use something like this to represent something else than circuits, and then the crossing circuit traces might just be what you are looking for. 


    Yes Miika, it will be surely implemented in the form of a checkbox, or a user selectable dropdown menu.

    Thank you for your comment and suggestion :)
  • Miika TurunenMiika Turunen
    Btw. not sure how it would be possible, but wouldnt it be great if you could use custom shape as the "CPU SOCKET/CENTER OUT". So for an example you could make the script create circuit around a TEXT or SHAPE layer these layers being the center/cpu :)
  • Hans Christian FürstenheimHans Christian Fürstenheim
    Theodoros Tziatzios said:
    David Eastman said:
    This looks very useful!  However, is there any chance you could make it so circuit traces don't cross over each other?  That doesn't happen in real circuit boards, and is a dead giveaway to anyone with even a passing familiarity with electronics.
    Hey David,

    Thanks for your comment. The goal of this script is to create a graphical representation of a circuit and by no means to create something realistic that obeys the rules of electrical engineering.

    Having said that in order to make the circuit more realistic, a lot more processing power is required (meaning a slower generation process) to check and verify all possible path collisions.

    It's definitely on the to do list for future 1.x versions (free for existing buyers).

    Cheers!
    I'm by no means an expert but maybe you could use a collision avoidance algorithm? https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Robotics/Navigation/Collision_Avoidance ;
  • Mark ChadwickMark Chadwick
    I have to agree with David Eastman. I was excited to first see this script, but the crossing lines is a deal-breaker. Most creators who would find use for this tool have an audience that probably knows at least a little bit about electronics. Unfortunately, the crossing lines make the images look silly. Too bad. I spend a lot of time drawing up circuit boards in illustrator and this would tool would have been perfect for me.

    The extra processing time would not be a problem for me.

    If you fix this issue, send me quick note and I'll get out my wallet. Cheers.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    The problem has been solved programmatically. The code just needs a little bit of cleanup and optimization. Stay tuned for v1.02 :)
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    As promised v1.02 is out:

    - added option to prevent circuit lines from crossing (finally!)
    - you can now adjust the outer as well as the inner color of the capacitors

    Enjoy!

  • Hans Christian FürstenheimHans Christian Fürstenheim
    Theodoros Tziatzios said:
    As promised v1.02 is out:

    - added option to prevent circuit lines from crossing (finally!)
    - you can now adjust the outer as well as the inner color of the capacitors

    Enjoy!

    Congratulations ;-). Good job. 
  • Kert GartnerKert Gartner
    How are you getting the tapered lines with the glow on the tip in the tutorial video? Did you replace the lines with 3D stroke or something?
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Kert Gartner said:
    How are you getting the tapered lines with the glow on the tip in the tutorial video? Did you replace the lines with 3D stroke or something?

    Hello Kert,

    For the tapered lines:
    1. Create your circuit (check the "Put circuit parts on separate layers" in the settings tab)
    2. Once created, select the layer for the circuit lines and adjust the "[ LINES ]: trim End" effect control (e.g. to 20) to shorten the lines, so you can create the animation.
    3. Create your lines animation by setting keyframes for the "[ LINES ]: trim Offset".
    4. Add the "Echo" effect on the circuit lines layer (Effect -> Time -> Echo)

    You can try the following settings for the Echo Effect - feel free to experiment yourself:
    • Echo Time: -0,100
    • Number of Echoes: 6
    • Starting Intensity: 1,00
    • Decay: 0,70
    • Echo Operator: Composite in Front


    For the glowing tip:
    1. Duplicate the circuit lines layer (for the above example, don't forget to remove the echo effect)
    2. Shorten the circuit lines length by adjusting the "[ LINES ]: trim End" effect control to very low values
    3. Add a "Glow" effect (Effect -> Stylize -> Glow)

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers!
  • Tobias VogelTobias Vogel
    Completely agree with Miika Turunen, I would definitely buy this script if it was possible to use a custom shape for the center-chip/cpu cutout!
  • Kert GartnerKert Gartner
    +1 for the custom chip/cutout idea! That would be fantastic. Also thanks for the ideas for the glowing lines! That makes total sense.
  • Lambros KazanLambros Kazan
    Great tool! Not only a huge time saver for someone trying to create circuits in AE from scratch, 
    but also a great inspiration for creativity. It is simple to use and the possibilities are endless..... 
    By the way, thank you for sharing the tip about glowing effect... 

    I highly recommend it!
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Thank you Lambros for your kind words! Hope you make something great with this tool!

    Lambros Kazan said:
    Great tool! Not only a huge time saver for someone trying to create circuits in AE from scratch, 
    but also a great inspiration for creativity. It is simple to use and the possibilities are endless..... 
    By the way, thank you for sharing the tip about glowing effect... 

    I highly recommend it!

  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    Version 1.3 is out!

    Added: new circuit generation mode using masks (that everybody was asking for!)
    Added: ability to set min and max number of line vertices for each circuit line
    Added: After Effects Info Panel now shows detailed info of the circuit generation process in real-time

    Fixed: code optimizations - overall faster circuit generation
    Fixed: rounding of line corners and trimming, now works properly

    Enjoy!
  • Kert GartnerKert Gartner
    I'm making some pretty massive grids (208x50) and it's taking many hours to calculate the circuits. I'm making some grid guides, and i'm finding that after closing/opening AE, I can no longer use an existing grid guide to make new circuits. Using the same settings in the script, and selecting the "Create Circuit by using mask" doesn't do anything. Is there any way to get around this or is this a bug?
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Hi Kert,

    A 208x50 grid! Talking about stretching circuitfx to unknown territories :)

    Sorry about that. Would you be so kind as to open a support ticket in order to investigate further?

    Thank you.
  • Kert GartnerKert Gartner
    Theodoros Tziatzios said:
    Sorry about that. Would you be so kind as to open a support ticket in order to investigate further?
    Done! I was able to replicate the bug with a simple project using an 8x8 grid so hopefully it's easy to track down.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    Version 1.31 is out!

    Fixed: “Using Masks” mode now properly works even after you close and re-open a project
    Optimized: faster creation of grid guide layer

    Enjoy!
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    Version 1.40 is out!

    This new version brings mostly user requested features and code optimizations.

    • Added: size of the grid dots of the guide layer, is now always the same, no matter the size of the grid or the size of the comp. Also, an effect control slider has been added to further adjust the size if needed
    • Added: added generation orientation direction and strength options
    • Fixed: pasting masks on the guide layer now positions them correctly, rather than putting them on the top left corner (0,0)
    • Optimized: the "Avoid crossing of circuit lines" option is now checked by default on tool startup
    • Optimized: circles size, circles stroke width, lines width as well as chips, capacitors and resistors initial size in now relative to the size of the grid
    • Optimized: optimization of the circuit generation algorithm with noticeable speed improvements on all modes

    Enjoy!

  • William McCartyWilliam McCarty
    Hi.  I love the script!  I'm looking to use it in Element 3D.  On the product page, it appears that you have generated a 3D scene using Circuit FX.  Can you share how it was done?  Was it done in Element 3D?
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    William McCarty said:
    Hi.  I love the script!  I'm looking to use it in Element 3D.  On the product page, it appears that you have generated a 3D scene using Grid FX.  Can you share how it was done?  Was it done in Element 3D?

    Hello William,

    The 3D image you see at the bottom  of the product page was created with the default "Ray-traced 3D" renderer of After Effects (Composition Settings -> 3D Renderer). It was not created with Element 3D.

    The way to recreate it is very simple:
    • You generate your circuit with the "Put circuit parts on separate layers" option checked.
    • You then enable the 3D switch in each circuit layer and extrude them to your liking.
    • On that particular image, the "capacitors" layer was extruded quite a lot and the "lines" layer was extruded just a bit. Also it helps to create a camera with Depth of Field enabled and 1-2 point lights with "Casts Shadows" turned on.

    Of course on newer versions of After Effects you can also use the Cinema 4D renderer for faster results.

    I think Element3D works only with masks and not shapes, thus you won't be able to use it effectively. (at least...for now... :) )

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers!

  • Christian GerbrandtChristian Gerbrandt
    Hi,

    nice work on the Script, bought it already.
    Currently working on a short 10 sec intro where I'm trying to mimic a PCB with activity, like a flow on the lines, with a big glow at the circle ends, ideally running in a loop.
    Playing around with Echo and Glow effects, trim End and Offset.
    But so far the results are not satisfying.
    It is either just running slow, and most of the rime not able to run in a loop.
    Any good hints on which settings/value to use to get this going?

    Thanks,
    Christian
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Currently working on a short 10 sec intro where I'm trying to mimic a PCB with activity, like a flow on the lines, with a big glow at the circle ends, ideally running in a loop.

    It is either just running slow, and most of the rime not able to run in a loop.
    Any good hints on which settings/value to use to get this going?
    Hello Christian,

    In order to make a perfect loop at animating the circuit lines, you must set the first keyframe on the "[ LINES ]: trim Offset" to "0" and then a second keyframe to 1x + 0, (that's a 360 degrees revolution on the angle effect control).

    If you want to make it faster, you can set it to make more revolutions (for example 5x+0 degrees) or shorten the distance between the first and second keyframe.

    Unfortunately, there is no distinction between "Start Circles" and "End Circles" and the effect controls affect all the circles present in the composition. In order to make only the "End Circles" glow you must manually separate the circles layer (to "start" and "end" circles respectively) and apply the glow effect accordingly. It might be a lot a manual work for now, but it is a great idea for the next update :)

    Please check the attached after effects example project.

    Cheers!
    zip
    zip
    circtuiFX_example.zip
    15K
  • Christian GerbrandtChristian Gerbrandt
    Thanks for the hints.
    I ended up with just doing the lines.
    If you are interested to see the results, here is a video where the Plugin is being used for the intro/background/outro.

    https://media.ccc.de/v/gpn18-1-what-to-hack
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Christian Gerbrandt said:
    Thanks for the hints.
    I ended up with just doing the lines.
    If you are interested to see the results, here is a video where the Plugin is being used for the intro/background/outro.

    https://media.ccc.de/v/gpn18-1-what-to-hack

    Hello Christian,

    That's a nice and surely the most appropriate background for this kind of presentation!

    Thanks for sharing!

  • Apostolis AlexiouApostolis Alexiou
    Hi Theodoro,
    When i try to run the cirquitfx script, i am taking back an error "TypeError: undefined is not an object"  and then when i click OK this message appears "Unable to execute script at line 1. undefined is not an object.
    Please help to install.
    Thanks
  • Christian SchinkelChristian Schinkel
    I have the same problem as Apostolis. This is with AE CC2019. Thank you for taking notice.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Dear Christian and Apostolis,

    circuitFX v1.52 has been released, which -among others- fixes the problem you described.

    Cheers


  • Christian SchinkelChristian Schinkel
    Theodoros Tziatzios said:
    Dear Christian and Apostolis,

    circuitFX v1.52 has been released, which -among others- fixes the problem you described.

    Cheers


    Thank you very much!
  • Mark ChadwickMark Chadwick
    I'm glad to see that you added the option for lines not to cross. I will look at purchasing if I have an upcoming project for it. Thanks for listening to the comments!
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Mark Chadwick said:
    I'm glad to see that you added the option for lines not to cross. I will look at purchasing if I have an upcoming project for it. Thanks for listening to the comments!
    Hello Mark,

    Thank you for your nice comment :)

    Yes, that was the first update that we did on circuitFX, more than two years ago!

    Since then, a lot has changed, the code has been vastly improved and many many features have been added.
    You should check the latest version of circtuiFX (v1.70) which is a lot of fun to experiment with.

    Cheers!

  • Jake StolleryJake Stollery
    Love it! Is there a way to change the circles at the end of the circuits to a custom shape? :D X
  • Jared YearsleyJared Yearsley
    Hi, i noticed if grid is larger than 20x20, 'Center Out' will not be centred in the comp. Is there a way to fix that?
    Also, capacitors aren't appearing when choosing the option to seperate on to seperate layers.
    Center Out.png
    944 x 952 - 122K
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Jared Yearsley said:
    Hi, i noticed if grid is larger than 20x20, 'Center Out' will not be centred in the comp. Is there a way to fix that?
    Also, capacitors aren't appearing when choosing the option to seperate on to seperate layers.
    Hello Jared,

    The center-out circuit will be perfectly centered, if the grid and radius values will allow for a perfect division. 

    Try increasing/decreasing the grid value by 1 or the radius by a few %.

    As for the capacitors, I will investigate and get back on that soon.

    Cheers.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Jake Stollery said:
    Love it! Is there a way to change the circles at the end of the circuits to a custom shape? :D X
    Hello Jake,

    That's an interesting request. What other shapes other than circles, would you suggest?
  • Chris MarriottChris Marriott
    Theodoros Tziatzios said:
    Jake Stollery said:
    Love it! Is there a way to change the circles at the end of the circuits to a custom shape? :D X
    Hello Jake,

    That's an interesting request. What other shapes other than circles, would you suggest?
    Just tagging on to this an idea.. What about if you create a Shape layer with your design. Could Circuit FX reference that image, and then use the Shape? This way unlimited shapes would be possible. Just a thought :) 
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    Chris Marriott said:
    Theodoros Tziatzios said:
    Jake Stollery said:
    Love it! Is there a way to change the circles at the end of the circuits to a custom shape? :D X
    Hello Jake,

    That's an interesting request. What other shapes other than circles, would you suggest?
    Just tagging on to this an idea.. What about if you create a Shape layer with your design. Could Circuit FX reference that image, and then use the Shape? This way unlimited shapes would be possible. Just a thought :) 

    Hey Chris,

    Yes, that would be great implementation but I can already see some problems here. If the custom shape is going to be complicated (with many vertices) or with grouping and merging operations inside of them that would cause a lot of issues.

    It would be better if circuitFX has precise control on what is going to be created.

    For the time being, I would recommend maybe a cross shape, a box shape...simple predefined stuff.

    Cheers.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    v1.74 has arrived!

    • Fixed: a bug where capacitors weren't generated in the "Center-out" mode and when "Put circuit parts on separate layers" was enabled
      (shout out to Jared Yearsley for pointing out the bug)
    • Optimized: more efficient generation of chips/capacitors/resistors in all modes
    • Optimized: better labeling, coloring, naming, numbering and handling of generated layers
    • Optimized: when the number of chips, capacitors or resistors is automatically reduced by circuitFX (due to small grid sizes or very large numbers
                        of chips/capacitors/resistors) the user is informed with a detailed message on why and what was changed
    Enjoy!
  • Hisham ZireeniHisham Zireeni
    when convert Text to mask, CircuitFx does not recognize it as a mask to draw circuits inside or ourside. it has to be drawn by hand which makes the task harder. is there a way or a plan to do that in a very simple was like create a mask and done ?
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios
    Hello Hisham,

    There is no need to re-draw the masks by hand.

    When you convert a text to masks (with the "Create Masks From Text" commmand) After Effects sets the mode of all the created masks to "Difference".

    circuitFX can only recognize masks that are either set to "Add" or "Subtract". (at least for now)

    So, after you make the conversion, you just set all the masks to Add.
    Additionally, in letters such as "B" or "d" that require two (or more) masks, you will have to set one of the masks (of each such letter) to subtract and put it above the first one.

    Hope this helps.
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    v1.84 has been released!

    • Optimized: even faster circuit generating algorithm
    • Optimized: better timing calculations of the progress bar
    • Optimized: updated the licensing framework
    • Added: load/save settings capability. You can now save/load circuitFX's panel settings to/from a simple .JSON file.

    This is another free update!

    Enjoy!
  • Theodoros TziatziosTheodoros Tziatzios

    v1.90 has been released!



    We’re excited to bring you the latest update to circuitFX, packed with new features and improvements!

    You can now lock in a static seed value with our new seed field, allowing you to generate the exact same circuit each time (as long as all other settings are the same).

    We've also optimized the pre-calculation functions, making your circuit generation faster than ever! Plus, the load/save settings dialogs are now more informative. We've squashed a few bugs, too, including issues with the "mask offset" and "minimum number of vertices" in certain modes, and we've smoothed out some UI button glitches.

    Enjoy this free update of the smoother, more powerful circuitFX!
Add a Comment