I'm seeing an issue where when I hit pins to nulls the character crumples in on itself as the nulls pull together tightly instead of holding where the pins are. I can change them manually, but creates more work as you can probably imagine.
My guess is that layer is either scaled up or is parented to another layer when you run the script. Try unparenting it and scaling to 100% to see if that works.
I loooove the PuppetTools3 - i am working on serveral animation-Clips which would not have been possible without PT!
I just wanted to share an "glitch" I discovered lately:
the project was about 7 animation-clips that have the same structure - but a certain part was different in each of them. So we established a workflow where the illustrator will send me .PSD-Files for each character, so i can easily replace everything.
So one day it happened that there were 2 different "arms" for a character - and he didn't give them different names (both were named "ARM-LEFT") ... so when I added the second "ARM LEFT"-Layer to the already rigged character and tried to apply "Create IK" to it ... it broke. there was the IK-Null object, but it didn't do anything ... took me a while to figure out that there are already other null-objects with the exact same name (there a like 40 nullobjects for each character) ...
It's obvious that the tool will get confused - I just wanted to share in case someone else runs into the same troubles.. Always use unique names
Absolutely awesome script - bought it week ago and it has transformed my life! Should've bought it ages ago instead of always doing things the hard way.
Just a little question, I know this might not be possible, but is there way/has anyone figured out how to make a smooth transition between the two "FLIP IK" states? It's severely limiting, when I want to animate a character face on for example, and want their arms to lift up over their heads.
My current solution is to hope no one notices the jump, but it's obviously not ideal.
Thanks for the kind words and happy to hear the script is helping you out!
Good question, but at this time there's no way to smooth out IK changing direction. What I typically do is swap directions during a big move to try and hide it. Or if I really need to, make a few keyframes by hand to help bridge the switch over.
Love this script. I used this a while ago and loved it. I just downloaded v3.4 and nothing was happening when hitting the 'pins to nulls' button. I downloaded v3 and now seems to work fine. I'm on a Mac running 10.10.4 with AE CC2015. Thanks again for making this super simple.
That's weird—can you try running the v3.4 script on a different comp/file? If that doesn't work, feel free to send me the AE project and I'll try to figure out what's going on.
Love the script. Thank you. I've been using it for a while and it's my go-to rigging tool.
Unfortunately, Since I updated to El Capitan, I'm having the same problem as Juho.
Every time I relaunch AE the script doesn't work anymore (Hit 'pin to nulls' and nothing happens).
I'm getting it to work by:
- Quitting AE
- Uninstalling the script.
- Re-launching AE without the script.
- Quitting AE again.
- Re-installing the script.
- Re-Launching AE and it works again.
This happens every time AE is closed. I've decided to keep AE open all the time to avoid the re-install.
The glitch happens with all my projects (even the old ones where the script worked fine) on AE CC 2014 (13.2.0.49) and AE CC2015 (13.7), with all versions of the script (I am running 3.4 now, but have tried 3 as well).
Like I said, the problem started when I upgraded to El Capitan.
Let me know if you need any more info. Hopefully it's an easy fix.
Yeah, the script launches and it looks totally normal. The glitch happens with all my projects (even the old ones where the script worked fine) on AE CC 2014 (13.2.0.49) and AE CC2015 (13.7), with all versions of the script (I am running 3.4 now, but have tried 3 as well).
Here's a quick summary:
- Running AE CC 2014 (13.2.0.49). I just tested CC 2015 (13.7) and it works fine (didn't use to). Unfortunately I have to stick with 2014 for now.
- Puppet Tools 3.4 (Although it happens with 3 as well).
- No special characters. I've even tried it with the default Puppet Tool names.
- File is attached on an email. I can't seem to find a way to do it here. It's super simple (Just a layer shape with puppet pins, but the script won't work).
- The big change happened as soon as I upgrade to El Capitan. Everything worked fine in Yosemite.
I do have 2 versions of AE installed right now 2014 and 2015... Could it be a licence issue?
Yeah, the script launches and it looks totally normal. The glitch happens with all my projects (even the old ones where the script worked fine) on AE CC 2014 (13.2.0.49) and AE CC2015 (13.7), with all versions of the script (I am running 3.4 now, but have tried 3 as well).
Here's a quick summary:
- Running AE CC 2014 (13.2.0.49). I just tested CC 2015 (13.7) and it works fine (didn't use to). Unfortunately I have to stick with 2014 for now.
- Puppet Tools 3.4 (Although it happens with 3 as well).
- No special characters. I've even tried it with the default Puppet Tool names.
- File is attached on an email. I can't seem to find a way to do it here. It's super simple (Just a layer shape with puppet pins, but the script won't work).
- The big change happened as soon as I upgrade to El Capitan. Everything worked fine in Yosemite.
I do have 2 versions of AE installed right now 2014 and 2015... Could it be a licence issue?
Hopefully this helps!
Cheers,
Hector
Can you please make sure there are no other scripts docked or in your startup folder and restart AE and only run PuppetTools and let us know if you still have issues. Also to not bore everyone we should continue this in a support ticket.
Same problem. The script does not work in CC 2015. I opened CC 2014 and the script still works no problem. I hit the 'Pins to Null' button and nothing happens.
When I remove all my other scripts from the ScriptUI Panels folder it seems to work. Must be a conflict.
Hi Greg. I'm not new to AE, but I am to Puppet animation. I like what I see here, and I want to buy the tool for 8-10 licenses, but I need a tutorial that explains in better detail how to set up a model for animation using it.
That's great! If you're familiar with AE then learning the Puppet Tool will be a breeze. It's somewhere between warping a layer with control points and parenting hierarchies.
I don't have a character rigging tutorial, but there are a slew of great ones out there to get you started.
example:
My script expands the puppet tool's capabilities by automatically linking pins to controllers (null or solids) using expressions so that you can parent controllers together (e.g. leg to waist). It also features a super easy IK set up to make shapes automatically bend (e.g. shoulder, elbow, wrist).
If you have a specific question I'd be happy to help you out.
It’s a matter of preference. I like to think that Puppet Tools 3 streamlines the process of rigging and using IK with After Effects. The goal is to keep things simple with as little set up as possible.
Love the product, did a huge amount of the character animation in this video with it. Really fun to work with.
Unfortunately, I don't seem able to change the names of nulls created by the tool. Would be great to be able to rename a pin to "Front Right Hip" or whatever, instead of the long string automatically generated. When I try I get the error "Error at line 1 in property 'Position' of layer __ ("_____") in comp '_____'. Unterminated string constant., an expression was disabled as a result of an error."
Thanks for the feedback about layer naming. Because everything is glued together with expressions, changing a layer name afterward will break them. Let me think about how to streamline the naming options up front.
Ever since I updated my OS (I think) I've been getting this error when I attempt to Pin to Nulls:
Error at line 1 in property "Position' of layer X ('___') in comp '____'. Unterminated string constant., an expression was disabled as a result of an error.
At first I thought I thought this was happening only when I tried to rename the pins, but it appears to be happening whether or I do or not. Any thoughts as to how to fix this?
Hm, tough to tell what’s causing it, but I’m positive it’s not related to an OS update. Open a support ticket and send me an example project file so I can investigate.
Is there another more step-by-step video for this? Do I need to name my pins/nulls? And when I try to open the egg walker file it says it was created in a more recent version - is there a version for cs6. I think it would help to have this file. Can I download it anywhere? Many thanks!
I brought this in the hope that IK won't pop when the arm/forearm are fully stretched, but it still does, just like DUIK. I'm using two shapes, so no puppet pins involved. When making the motion, the frame just before arm or leg is fully stretched, the spatial difference is much bigger than expected. This creates an undesired, noticeable popping when viewing the entire motion. Is there any way around this except meticulously nudging the motion path to avoid fully stretched arms and legs?
Is there another more step-by-step video for this? Do I need to name my pins/nulls? And when I try to open the egg walker file it says it was created in a more recent version - is there a version for cs6. I think it would help to have this file. Can I download it anywhere? Many thanks!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for the note. There isn't a step by step video for this script, but there is a basic walkthrough for it you can watch here:
You have the option to customize the name of your pins/nulls, but you can also leave the default and be ready to go. It's up to you.
The egg walker rig was made in AE CC, so it probably won't open in CS6. There should be an XML file in there you could try and import, but I'm not sure it'll read in CS6.
If you run into trouble along the way feel to open a support ticket. I'd be happy to walk you through anything you have a question about.
I brought this in the hope that IK won't pop when the arm/forearm are fully stretched, but it still does, just like DUIK. I'm using two shapes, so no puppet pins involved. When making the motion, the frame just before arm or leg is fully stretched, the spatial difference is much bigger than expected. This creates an undesired, noticeable popping when viewing the entire motion. Is there any way around this except meticulously nudging the motion path to avoid fully stretched arms and legs?
Hi Alex,
Can you share a screenshot of what's happening? Maybe I can help you find a solution.
Love Puppet Tools as I had abandoned the old way of doing it in After Effects.
Is there a way to parent layers that have the tool applied?
For example - it's great to pin the arms and legs and use IK on them, but I want the character's body to be the parent layer so that when I move the body the appendages all come with. Can't seem to find a way to make this happen.
Or do I have to recomp the animated arms and legs and then parent that composition to the body?
Love Puppet Tools as I had abandoned the old way of doing it in After Effects.
Is there a way to parent layers that have the tool applied?
For example - it's great to pin the arms and legs and use IK on them, but I want the character's body to be the parent layer so that when I move the body the appendages all come with. Can't seem to find a way to make this happen.
Or do I have to recomp the animated arms and legs and then parent that composition to the body?
Thanks
Jacquie
Hey Jacquie!
Happy to hear Puppet Tools is helping you. If I'm following your question you're looking for a way to connect an arm (rigged with IK) to the rest of your character.
Good news, that is very do-able.
Basically what you'll want to do is parent the shoulder of your arm to a point on the torso—I'd suggest the neck.
Rig The Arm
If you're using IK, rig it so that when you move the wrist the arm bends. The shoulder shouldn't move.
Rig The Torso
Assuming your character is a normal biped, you'll want a controller for the waist, mid-torso, and neck (where the head will connect).
Parent The Arm To The Torso
Select the Shoulder controller. Parent it to the Neck controller of your torso.
From there you'd probably parent the Neck controller to the mid-torso and mid-torso to the waist.
If everything went as planned the waist should move the whole torso, including the arm. And if you rotate the waist the torso will bend taking the arm with it.
Depending on where the arms on your character fall, you could try parenting the shoulder to other controllers (mid-torso) or even make custom placed controllers on the torso to connect to.
I know this is a wall of text, but let me know if you run into trouble.
That helps a lot with rigging the entire character.
But what if I want to move my character across the screen (whether it's jumping or flying or whatever)? If I wasn't using Puppet Tools I would parent everything to the body and keyframe the body's position, then animate arms, legs, etc. to suit the movement.
But once I pin the body or any of the other layers, it seems I can no longer reposition the layer nor parent anything to it.
Am I missing something? I know animation well but I'm a bit of an After Effects junior
That helps a lot with rigging the entire character.
But what if I want to move my character across the screen (whether it's jumping or flying or whatever)? If I wasn't using Puppet Tools I would parent everything to the body and keyframe the body's position, then animate arms, legs, etc. to suit the movement.
But once I pin the body or any of the other layers, it seems I can no longer reposition the layer nor parent anything to it.
Am I missing something? I know animation well but I'm a bit of an After Effects junior
Thanks for your help
Jacquie
You can still do that, but you'll want to animate the controllers (nulls) instead of the artwork layer. If you're comfortable uploading it here, I'd be happy to take a look at your file and help if I can.
Hello there. For some reason my puppet nulls are created a good distance away from the puppet points. What can i be doing wrong ?
Hi Umer,
Can you share a screenshot with me so I can see what's going on? My guess is that the scale of one of your layers is not 100% or it's parented to another layer before you run the script.
Hello there. For some reason my puppet nulls are created a good distance away from the puppet points. What can i be doing wrong ?
Hi Umer,
Can you share a screenshot with me so I can see what's going on? My guess is that the scale of one of your layers is not 100% or it's parented to another layer before you run the script.
Thanks Greg . I imported illustrator files and collapsed transformations and yes they were parented too. Undoing that solved that issue. I am working on After effects cc 2017, ver 14.1.0.57 and the pins to nulls functionality is not working. ( No warning / popup appears as to what is wrong) . I cannot make a master null too which is a big bummer because i cannot move my whole character this way. ( I ve to use Puppet Rig script from kurzemnieks to create the nulls and then use puppet tools to create IK).
What can be the reason? Am i not bringing in the files right?
Hello there. For some reason my puppet nulls are created a good distance away from the puppet points. What can i be doing wrong ?
Hi Umer,
Can you share a screenshot with me so I can see what's going on? My guess is that the scale of one of your layers is not 100% or it's parented to another layer before you run the script.
Thanks Greg . I imported illustrator files and collapsed transformations and yes they were parented too. Undoing that solved that issue. I am working on After effects cc 2017, ver 14.1.0.57 and the pins to nulls functionality is not working. ( No warning / popup appears as to what is wrong) . I cannot make a master null too which is a big bummer because i cannot move my whole character this way. ( I ve to use Puppet Rig script from kurzemnieks to create the nulls and then use puppet tools to create IK).
What can be the reason? Am i not bringing in the files right?
Umer,
Try deleting the puppet effect on the layer and re-pinning it again. If that doesn't work, try importing that artwork into a new file and see if that works.
If neither of those fix what's happening then open a support ticket and we can investigate further.
i ve opened a support ticket. How long before i will hear from you?
I responded to your ticket on March 13, but never heard back. I've re-opened the ticket and responded again. Give it a look and let me know if you need any help.
Question. Scaling up or down a character through master null is affecting the pinned area ( makes it small or large ) . is there any way to avoid that? Btw this does not happen when scaling the composition.
Always use unique names
I´ve tried this in different comps & projects.
I´m using AE CC2015 13.5.0.347 - where should I send the file?
When I remove all my other scripts from the ScriptUI Panels folder it seems to work. Must be a conflict.
Can this please be updated for AE CC 2015?
Think it would possible for you to post a Non-CC version of the EggWalker.aep projects included with the latest version?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Any thoughts on how to solve this?
Ever since I updated my OS (I think) I've been getting this error when I attempt to Pin to Nulls:
At first I thought I thought this was happening only when I tried to rename the pins, but it appears to be happening whether or I do or not. Any thoughts as to how to fix this?