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Question

Dots to follow paths on a map - Use After Effects or Animate?

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
September 29, 2017
4 replies
10051 views

I have a map in the background and want dots from all the states to follow paths to, say, California. I tried AE using particle generators and not enough control. I want the dots to be different colors for the states. Then I tried a null object with a whippic from the dot. But not sure how to make the dots keep flowing on the same path and how to group the path and the dot. So was wondering if I should be using Animate instead. Then I want a little image where all the dots have congregated to, to blow up big and then the background fade away. Please help, I have done many tutorials. I just want advise for the best app to use for that purpose so I dont spend the next month learning the wrong app.

thanks!

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R

Rick Gerard

Community Expert

You just start another path, copy it, and pasted to the position property of a second ball. As long as the first vertex is lined up with the first or ne everything will match up.

If the ball ends up at the wrong end of the path use the key frame assistant to time reverse the key frames.

tonofpixelsAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thank you for your patience with me. This will be huge so I just wanted to make sure I am doing it the most efficient way.

I have flopped the keyframes as you mentioned, I understand that part.

When you say "start another path, copy it" Am I to make a copy of just the path and paste it in the same layer, or am I copying the whole layer and having 2 or 3 layers that say "Texas", for example, for all the balls coming from Texas? Or on layer that is called Texas with 3 paths on it? thank you, thank you.

P.M.B

Legend

Holy Cow.

You gettin paid for this, Rick?

~Gutterfish

angie_taylor

Legend

If sounds like you need to persevere with a particle effect if you want a series of bouncing balls. I recommend that you use Particular in After Effects. You will need to look at tutorials regarding Flow paths. These will allow you to Control the areas that the balls travel along.

R

Rick Gerard

Community Expert

Unless I am completely misunderstanding your design idea I would use a shape layer path with only stroke applied. You can set the end caps to round, enable dashes and even adjust the gaps. You can make the lines appear to be drawn on with trim paths and you can make the dots march with offset.

The other option is a text layer with type on a path and punctuation. Adjust the kerning and baseline and you should have something you can use. You can also animate the offset the margins in the Path Options and you can make the line appear to be drawn on by adding an opacity text animator.

Text on a path gives you more shape options for your dots.

I hope this helps.

tonofpixelsAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thanks for your reply, but this does not apply to my question. I don't want a line or dotty lines.

R

Rick Gerard

Community Expert

Int he first example you set keyframes for the offset in the Path1>Stroke>Dashes>Offset to make the dots move along the line and you set keyframes for Trim Paths to make the line of dots draw on.

In the second example you set keyframes for Text>Source Text>Path Options for margin to make the line move and you set keyframes for Text>Animator 1>First Margin to make the line draw on..

Both these techniques are really basic first grade level After Effects Skills. If you recreated the settings in my screenshots and fiddled with any of the controls you would see the lines move, but you need to know where the ADD button is to add Trim Paths or Text Animators.

You keep changing ships. If you want to draw a dotted line using a shape layer then:

Select the pen tool (keyboard shortcut g) and make sure fill is turned off and stroke is set to 20 or so pixels
Click and drag to make curves and click to draw exactly like you do in Illustrator
When the line is done press the U key twice to reveal the modified properties of the layer and you will see Path1 and Stroke 1
Click the twirly right next to Stroke to close up stroke then click it again and you will see the rest of the stroke options
Change the But Cap to round
Click the plus sign to the right of Dashes twice to add a dash and a gap
Adjust the dash to zero and the gap to a value that gives you the kind of line you want
Adjust the offset to make the dots move along the line. Set keyframes to keep them moving
Find the ADD button in the Switches Column of the timeline to the right of Contents
Click the Add button and add trim paths
Spin down trim paths and add keyframes to the Start or the End to reveal the line
Experiment with the offset to see what that does - it can make gaps in the trim paths move along the path

If that doesn't help you get started then use the Search Help field to find some tutorials and check out the help files.

Mylenium

Legend

Create paths using shape layers or masks and use strokes or dingbat fonts on them. then you can have all the kinds of regulalrly spaced dotty lines you want/ need. The transition will simply have to be a separate animation. Nobody would make things endlessly complicated by trying to do everything with the same layers and compositions.

Mylenium

tonofpixelsAuthor

Participating Frequently

Which app should I use? My question has to do with which app and how to animate the dots on the paths and group the layers together.

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