Essential Properties on precomp are not applied after frame 0 when time remapping enabled on precomp

[Vincent Hardy]

I am attaching a simple test that shows the problem I am running into, with a precomp, CompA, and a comp using it, CompB.

In CompA, I have two frames. Each of the frame shows the content of a separate shape layer. Both shape layers use a color that is defined as an essential graphics property for CompA.

In CompB, I have 25 frames. It includes CompA with a time remap and two hold keyframes. One shows frame 0 of CompA for 12 frames of CompB, and frame 1 of CompA for the remainder of CompB.

So far so good, this works as expected.

Now, I am trying to animate the master property (named "masterColor") of CompA in CompB. If I set masterColor from CompB (under the 'Essential Properties' under the CompA layer), then I get the expected result, and the color is applied to the CompA content.

However, if I try to animate masterColor, for example putting a different color at frame 12, then no animation of the color happens. The color of CompA remains the same as on frame 0. If I then change the color at frame 0 again, then it applies to frames 0 to 11 only, and frames 12 to the end have the previous color value of frame 0.

I have CompA set to "Contiuously rasterize" in its layer in CompB.

This feels like a rendering cache bug or configuration issue. Would love if someone is able to make the little attached file work as intended or confirm this is a bug.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Rick Gerard]

The problem with your comp is just a workflow issue. The color change is not showing up because your nested comp (Comp A) is only two frames long, and time remapping only shows you the first two frames. That is why there is no transition between colors.

Change Comp A's duration to the same duration as Comp B's, animate the change in shape layers, and remove time remapping to Layer 1 in Comp B, and the problem will disappear.

[Vincent Hardy]

Hi Rick, thanks for the response. The example I provided was to illustrate the question have, not to show what I am trying to accomplish with time remapping and essential properties. My question is whether or not I should be able to hold a frame from a pre-comp, modify the essential property, and see the effect of the modified essential property while holding the frame. Does that make sense?

As it stands, and as my example was trying to show, that does not seem to be possible. 

To illustrate my question hopefully better, I have attached an example where I have a pre-comp that is 1 frame long (because that is all that is needed to hold a frame as in my question) and represents a clock with two essential properties: background color and handle angle. The hypothetical example is that it would allow parent comps to use the clock's design and time, possibly animating the handle's angle by modifying the essential properties.

What I see is that as soon as the first and only frame from the pre-comp is used once in the parent comp, then it is not recomputed if the parent modifies the essential properties on that pre-comp. Is that the expected behavior? I was hoping that I could modify the essential properties on the pre-comp and see it reflected, no matter what the frame would be.

For reference, I attaching this example and reference image that shows what I was hoping for / expecting and illustrates my question. I am happy to provide the AfterEffects file that created this image, but I am not able to update my original post or attach a new example to this response.

Note that I am not trying to figure out how to make a clock work, it is just an illustration: I am trying to understand if an essential property can be changed on a child comp and have this reflected in all frames, including those that have been shown before the essential property is changed.