the plugin was not exactly designed to work this way.
However you can do it like so:
1_you can animate "Repetition" (number of brushes) AND "End point" accordingly. (or start point, both...)
For example, if you have 10 brushes and the end point set to 50%, then animate to have 20 brushes and end point at 100%, you'll see the 10 first brushes stay in place and the 10 more appearing along the path one by one...
2_you can also animate the reveal of the brush in a precomp, and use this precomp as a brush. If you play with the "Time sampling" you can get what you expect. This method allows you to animate the reveal the way you want. In my opinion, this is the most flexible way.
Is there a way to have full random for time sampling but have it not animated? I'm animating a stream if binary (1's and 0's) along a mask. The brush I have set to a composition with two frames, an image of 1 & 0. Full random works well to make the stream random between the two, but I can't figure out how to have the brush not flash between the two frames. Essentially I need a full random still frame option under time sampling.
Based on the trial, this seems like a really powerful and useful plugin. However, not having the ability to step-animate the number of brush instances along the path (without changing the spacing between instances) is a huge hinderance. This should function similar to how you keyframe the number of copies in a shape-layer repeater. Only then will this replicate the same power of Photoshop custom brushes and brush strokes (which, to Adobe's discredit, is unthinkable as to why that's not available in AE v12).
in fact, you can animate the number of brush instances AND the proportion of the path they align on (with Start, End, and Offset properties). So, animating both gives you a full control.
If it's not exactly what you meant, feel free to explain me a bit further, it could be useful for a future update (and for other users).
Really awesome plugin, I'm wondering how the twisting effect in the Squash and Stretch demo (at 0:25 with the pin up girl) is achieved. It looks very 3D, but try as I might, I've been unable to reproduce the effect. The closest I've gotten is using Mask Avenger's 3D expression, and rotating the created null, but this rotates the whole image uniformly, and onle works along the mask, not around. Can you shed any light on how that effect was done?
For the pin-up, it's only 2D rotation. I think the 3D look comes from the mix between rotation and Squash & Stretch, so, sorry, no big secret to reveal... Or may be, just like me, you've been watching Betty Page's pictures with Red and Green 3D glasses too much when younger, and now you see her in volume everywhere ;-)
I think I could track the bug. The 'problem' now is I can reproduce it only from your project. If I redo the exact same project on my side, I don't see it...
Can you open a support ticket so we can try to find a solution?
What am I doing wrong. I draw a mask path on a solid. Then I drew a shape layer (star). I applied Mask Brush to layer and the stars do not follow the path...in fact they aren't on it at all. Thanks for your help. I am excited about using this, but clearly don't know how. Thanks.
from what you describe, if you use a shape layer (here, the star), you have to draw it in the center of the composition. Cos' a shape layer is treated by AE like a composition's size layer.
Hope it solves your issue. If not, just send me your project and I'll take a look at it.
Is there any way only draw a single brush instance on a path? The lowest value I can set is 2 repetitions, which actually gives me 3 brush instances on my path. I would actually like to be able to set it all the way down to 0 instances, and then increase that to a single instance with keyframing.
1. That is the best opening demo I've seen on this site. Love the music and build up (something not common to product demos) 2. I can't wait until I get paid next week and can grab this Fucking brilliant.
1. A new Time Sampling method: Loop with random start frame
2. Motion blur on brush strokes animated by offset parameter
Thanks again for the great plugin!
Elaborating on #1: An example use case would be where I want a lot of brush strokes of walking characters. I want them all walking along the same path, but I don't want them all walking in perfect synchronization. If each brush stroke started at a random point in the loop and continued animating from there, they would all appear to be different. Another example would be animated smoke sprites along a curve. Anything with animation where the individual brush strokes shouldn't have a uniform appearance.
the new Time sampling method is a good idea, and to be honest, I'm already working on the motion blur for the brushes (but it seems it'll be a long work...)
Yeah, yeah. I don't need your plugin (yet?); I came here to say that I like your style! This looks awesome. And in combination with that music it's dope!
for "charcoal" like brushes, I just used photoshop standard brushes (I converted them to .png first)
To be honest, I wanted to give them with the plugin, but they're Adobe's property...
You can either use an app to convert it, or from Photoshop just stamp the brush in a transparent layer and save it as PSD or PNG. You can also find a whole lot of free brushes online, already converted...
Quick question, that I'll see if I can describe here:
•I'm using Mask Brush Fill, and I'd like to fill a mask with a random assortment of objects that don't change.
•I placed all of those objects in sequence as the layer Mask Brush Fill pulls from.
•Problem: I tried to use the setting "Time sampling: Random still frame," but that caused it to use multiple copies of just one frame of the sequence, so my mask was filled with only one object. "Full random" almost works, except that I'd like it not to change over time. Is there a way to get it to use each frame placed randomly, but not animated?
The time-remap bug Hans noticed has been fixed, and I finally could add the "Loop (random start)" Time sampling that David's been asking for (for quite a while now!).
I have noticed that when using the mask brush 3D with the camera that when I rotate the camera around 360 the objects dont actually pass over one another. They always remain facing the camera and they always remain in the same position in 3D space ie. the rear ones stay at the rear and the front ones stay at the front. Its kind of an illusion of 3D but not really 3D. If it was really 3d then they would pass over one another in space but they never do so the illusion is ruined. Please correct if Im wrong here. Am I missing something or perhaps its a setting?
I attached my file.
1. That is the best opening demo I've seen on this site. Love the music and build up (something not common to product demos)
2. I can't wait until I get paid next week and can grab this Fucking brilliant.
Thank you for fixing the repetition bug!
I have two feature requests:
1. A new Time Sampling method: Loop with random start frame
2. Motion blur on brush strokes animated by offset parameter
Thanks again for the great plugin!
Elaborating on #1: An example use case would be where I want a lot of brush strokes of walking characters. I want them all walking along the same path, but I don't want them all walking in perfect synchronization. If each brush stroke started at a random point in the loop and continued animating from there, they would all appear to be different. Another example would be animated smoke sprites along a curve. Anything with animation where the individual brush strokes shouldn't have a uniform appearance.