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Nan Feng
Participating Frequently
November 9, 2020
Question

About After Effects Plugin ！

  • November 9, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 828 views

Hi, dear After Effects development team, I would like an AECS4 SDK and AECS5.5 SDK. In addition, I want to find out. Whether the string of the plug-in interface can be optimized in the SDK. For example: Boris's sapphire package plug-in. As well as the red giant universe, Ah Jin. Many strings are not searchable. Does this make any special optimizations? I would like to ask how does After Effects recognize the parameter string of the plug-in interface? In addition. How to save the .aep project file of After Effects. I want to develop a version conversion plug-in for .aep file upgrade and downgrade.

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2 replies

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Community Expert
shachar carmiCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 9, 2020

1. i happend to find the cs6 and cs5.5 sdks laying around. there you go:
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/a4b31795a35137857186b32a4c3f340f20201109111132/b9af7b6507d6e16b17aff02d72b2dbb520201109111205/a8ccbc
the link will only be up for a week, so get it while it's hot...

2. you set the plug-in's name and directory in which it will appear in the effects menu via the resource file in your vs or xcode project. notice that the project needs to be cleaned and re-built before the change will take effect.
a plug-in's name and parameter's names can also be changed dymanically using the dynamic string suite, if that's what you need.

3. AE doesn't recognize parameters by name. it only regignizes them by the identifiers passed when declaring the param during PARAM_SETUP. the common practice is to enumerate the parametes in the _DISK_ID enum, and keeping that value fixed between versions. that way a param's index in the effect can change between versions but the _DISK_ID value remains the same. chaniging the param name has no effect on it's identifications.

3. to export a project into some intermediate format, take a look at the "projdumper" sample project. it does exactly that. after exporting a project to your own custom format, you can re-import it into an earlier version of AE using the reverse process. (it's a ton of work to do, BTW)
as far as i know, modern AE versions can save the project with one backversion compatibility. i don't know how far back you want to support, but erhaps a chain of one-backstep operations can save you a alot of trouble...

N
Nan FengAuthor
Participating Frequently
November 9, 2020

1. Hi, thank you very much. In addition, I would like to ask, how is the SDK of AECS5.5 different from that of AECS4? Can I develop CS4 and plug-ins based on the functions provided by the SDK in CS5.5? If not. Or if it is convenient for you, can you help me find the SDK of CS4?

 

2. In the screenshot, the “Center” in the center of the canvas corresponds to the parameter string in the plug-in interface on the left. What function does this function implement?

 

3. In the screenshot, the custom button "H.U.D" above the plug-in parameters at the top left. Click events draw some controls on the canvas. And the corresponding control corresponds to the parameter string of the plug-in interface on the left. What function does this function achieve?

 

4. As you can see. The plug-in interface string on the left, such as: "center", "Rotation", "Border", etc. The string of Boris's "Sapphire" plug-in parameter interface. As mentioned earlier. Search through the hexadecimal editor (such as: 010 editor, UE editor, etc.). It is not searchable. I want to know why this is? Is the reason for the compiler? Or is the string in the plug-in parameter interface treated very specifically?

 

5. Is it possible to develop such parameter strings that hijack the interface of a specific plug-in and then inject strings in other languages?

A
AnmolM
Inspiring
November 9, 2020

I had tried to find the CS6 SDK and I could not. I believe AE does not offer any SDKs prior to CC anymore. If you do find those older SDKs please let me know as I'd love to test my plugins for CS6 as well.

N
Nan FengAuthor
Participating Frequently
November 9, 2020

i happend to find the cs6 and cs5.5 sdks laying around. there you go:
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/a4b31795a35137857186b32a4c3f340f20201109111132/b9af7b6507d6e16b17af...
the link will only be up for a week, so get it while it's hot...

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