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wishalkumar
Participant
June 24, 2019
Question

Please explain Temporal,spatial phase and Random seed in Wiggle Paths(After effects)

  • June 24, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 3267 views

I am trying to get a detailed explanation about these three options in wiggle paths(After effects). please explain these

1 reply

Andrew Yoole
Inspiring
June 24, 2019

Random number generators are not typically truly random.  They are a replicatable pattern of random numbers, which is a good thing for an AE designer, because it gives us the choice of random parameters working in sync or without sync across multiple elements.

Random seed is the starting point of a random number generator.  If you create two Wiggle Paths with matching parameters, that both have the Random Seed number of 1, they will look and animate identically - the "randomness" is the same on every frame.  But if one has a Random seed of 1, and the other has a random seed of any other number, the randomness will be out of sync and they will always look different. 

The only exception in AE is when Random Seed is set to 0.  AE starts at a truly random seed if the number is set to 0, which conveniently means that Wiggle Paths will never be identical by default - you have to manually set a matching random seed to synchronise them.

Wiggle generation in AE is actually just waveform generation - the creation of a waveform that defines changes in an applied parameter.  Phase is a defined point on a waveform, and on a sine wave is usually defined by an angle, rather than by a number. Here's a good description of what waves and phase are, and although it's describing audio properties, the theory is exactly the same for AE Wiggle paths.

Temporal Phase shifts the phase (position) of the waveform over time.  On a graph, that would mean moving the waveform left or right (X axis).

Spatial phase moves the waveform in space.  On a graph, that would shift the waveform up or down (Y axis).

In practical terms, these two phase parameters aren't really terribly useful for much more than randomising your wiggle path.

wishalkumar
Participant
June 24, 2019

thanks for putting great effort writing this long answer