How to "lock" Wave Warp?

[NovemberNocturne]

Hello! I've got a project where I have multiple individual compositions that I am now combining into one, with the originals pre-composed. They were originally made on square compositions and centered, but now that I am combining them the precompositions are in different positions on the new composition. This seems to be causing an issue with the wave warp effect I applied to one of the precomps initially.

I have attached an image showing the original precomp, which is centered, and the precomp with the new position, at the bottom of the composition. Turbulence Displace and Wave Warp are applied to the wave shapes. When I moved the precomp to the new position the waves got really big. I'm looking for a way to make the original application of the effect consistent when I move the precomp around the composition.

I hope this makes sense!

[Mrtn Ritter · Accepted solution]

Check the layer settings for continuous rasterization. It should be off, so that the content of the precomp is like it is. If the setting is on, effects and dimensions are kind of "passed through" and your effect is recalculated based on the new comp.

Pay attention if your precomp is scaled above 100%, when switching off CR. You'll see a drop in quality, because vecotr data from the shape layers arnt't passed through anymore. In this case, enlarge the precomp (use the script in file > script menu, it will take care of all layers and positions) and kepp CR off, or switch on CR and offset the effect in the precomp, until it looks good in the main comp.

*Martin

[NovemberNocturne]

Thank you, that did the trick!  My understnding of it was that it sharpned vector images so I'd thought it needed to be on in all the comps as well as layers. Now I know this is not the case. 😄

[Mrtn Ritter]

If you have a vector at scale 100%, there is hardly a difference between CR on and off.

Try it yourself (and please correct me if I'm wrong!), but I think there is just a minor change in the subsampling. Nothing you'll notice at the full image.

*Martin

[thepixelsmith]

That button is only called continuously rasterize when it is clicked on for an imported vector layer. When applied to a composition it's actually is called Collapse Transformations and has the funciton that Martin described, it changes the order in which effects and properties in nested compositons are calculated.

[Mrtn Ritter]

They should call it "pass through", since it would apply to both: you expose the underlying data to the current comp.

*Martin

[thepixelsmith]

"Pass Through" isn't actually what Continousuly Rasterize or Collapse Transformations actually does though.

When a vector layer is on the Timeline it is rasterized (converted to pixels) in the first frame it appears on the Timeline. This is why when you scale th elayer up it pixelates. Continously Rassterize changes when a vector layer is rasterized so now instead of in the first frame, it is reaterized at teh beginning of each frame it appears in. This actually is more processor intensive and can slow down your previews. 

Collapse Transformations is a very different commad. The various features of after Effects have a rendering order for example MET (Masks, Effects, Transformations); that is to say Masks render before Effects, Effects render before Transformations, etc. And this order is alocalized to teh Comp level. Collapse transformations changes that render order to make it no longer limited to the comp level. This allows you to do some interesting things, especially with nested 3D layers.

[Mrtn Ritter]

Thanks for the detailed explaination!

I never wondered what is going on internal, just realized that this switch expose underlaying data. I understood a comp/layer with CR/CT deactivated as "flatten", like final rendered footage, whilst with this option activated, the source data is still available.

"Pass through" is unsuitable, you are right! 😉

*Martin