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Importing illustrator into After Effects (crash)

Forum|Forum|9 years ago
January 28, 2017
3 replies
1918 views

Hello i'm importing a illustrator (cc17) file with 1000 layers all sequenced and separated into After Effects (cc17) and it crashes AE.

I've seen a way arround this with the script explode layers, but is taking to long since i've to run the script only at 50 at a time, when i try to do it in, 1000 groups in the shape layers it all so crashes AE.

My Mac is a

MacBook Pro

(Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)

2,7 GHz Intel Core i7

16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB

Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

I have another file with just 500 layers and doe the same.

Is it normal for this to happen?

Cheers

Correct answer Rick Gerard

I answered almost this exact same question earlier. 1000 Illustrator layers is going to overwhelm AE. That's all there is to it. The more complex the layer the more overwhelming. A 1000 layers sequenced is a 1000 frames. You need to break up your project into manageable sections or possibly find another approach. You can even cause a failure with one AI layer if there are enough vertex paths in the layer. I've seen that warning plenty of times in my career and there's always a way around the problem if you go back to illustrator and simplify the concept.

The only reason to convert AI layers to shapes is to use shape animators only available to shape layers through the little Add button at the top right corner of the column in the timeline. If you don't need to use any of those add on's then theres no reason to convert to shapes.

I seem to recall that the other question was about animating thousands of pieces of a map falling into position. If this is something similar there are zillions (ok, well maybe dozens) of easier ways to do that that don't involve thousands of layers.

S

scott_8261

Participant

Yes, it’s normal — After Effects often crashes with thousands of Illustrator layers because of memory limits. Try merging or precomposing layers before importing.
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W

williamharries456

Participant

Hey there,
Yes, what you’re experiencing is pretty normal given the size of your Illustrator file and your Mac’s specs. After Effects can struggle with huge files, especially ones with 500–1000 layers, and importing them all at once can easily crash AE on older hardware like your 2013 MacBook Pro.
The “Explode Shape Layers” script is a good workaround, but trying to run it on 1000 layers at once is too much. Your best approach is to split the Illustrator file into smaller chunks, maybe 100–200 layers at a time, and import them separately. Pre-composing where possible and simplifying complex vectors will also help a lot.
Another tip: consider converting some layers into pre-rendered assets or PNG sequences. That way, AE doesn’t have to calculate thousands of vector shapes in real time, which reduces the risk of crashing.
Just like organizing layers in AE, keeping your workflow organized is key in other areas too—like managing your vape stock or accessories in <a href="https://rpodstore.ae/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Relx Dubai</a> For example, websites like RPOD Store show how clean, structured layouts make navigation and management much easier.
In short: yes, it’s normal for AE to crash with huge Illustrator imports on older machines. Break your file into smaller chunks, simplify vectors, and pre-compose wherever you can, and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.
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R

Rick Gerard

Correct answer

Community Expert

I answered almost this exact same question earlier. 1000 Illustrator layers is going to overwhelm AE. That's all there is to it. The more complex the layer the more overwhelming. A 1000 layers sequenced is a 1000 frames. You need to break up your project into manageable sections or possibly find another approach. You can even cause a failure with one AI layer if there are enough vertex paths in the layer. I've seen that warning plenty of times in my career and there's always a way around the problem if you go back to illustrator and simplify the concept.

The only reason to convert AI layers to shapes is to use shape animators only available to shape layers through the little Add button at the top right corner of the column in the timeline. If you don't need to use any of those add on's then theres no reason to convert to shapes.

I seem to recall that the other question was about animating thousands of pieces of a map falling into position. If this is something similar there are zillions (ok, well maybe dozens) of easier ways to do that that don't involve thousands of layers.

R

roym99739868Author

Participant

I imagine that, just wanted to be certain that of it, that it was not because my laptop, thank you.

But converting AI layers into shapes to use shape animators is't the only reason, for me any way, it's a good way of loosing animation work if you miss place the AI file or you want to readjust a simple line.

Thanks again Rick.

R

Rick Gerard

Community Expert

If you are loosing files you must get your workflow in order. There's no reason to ever loose a file. Everything I do in on a redundant raid and I've been using the same job control numbering and filing system since 1969 when I started work on my first feature film. Never lost anything. Not even 5 frames trimmed from a work print and taped to the side of a moviola because the trimmed frames were numbered with a marker and the shots were all stacked in a tray with numbers.

Converting AI layers to shape layers has only a few gains but there are many losses. You can't do this with a shape layer:

That's what Ctrl/Cmnd - e (edit original) is for.

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