Copy link to clipboard
Copied
I have a layer that is time remapped. On another property of that layer, I have an expression that needs to catch the value of sourceText of a text layer at the current timecode of the comp. This second layer is not time remapped.
Somehow, the time remap of the first layer seems to mess up the value of the sourceText of the second layer. If I pick whip it, it catches the value at the time of the time remap, not the current time of the comp.
What I’m thinking is I should be able to solve this with a valueAtTime, like
thisComp.layer(“text layer).text.sourceText.valueAtTime(time);
but somehow I can’t get it right.
Am I making sense? Is there an easy solution?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
I can't replicate your result. If I add a slider to the time remapped layer and add this expression:
time
it just progresses along with the comp time, as you'd expect. Also picking up the source text from a non-time-remapped text layer gives the same result-- it retrieves the current value based on comp. There must be something peculiar about your setup. Can you post a screen capture?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Thank you for your quick response. I'll do some troubleshooting on my own now that I know my results are not as expected. I'll let you know and/or a screen capture of my setup if I don't succeed.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Now I've boiled it down to this very simple setup and I still have the same problem. The Precomp comp contains a single text layer ("H1") that should do nothing but to render the value of the H1 Essential Property in blue text. As you see in my attached screen capture, it doesn't reflect the value of the red "Text" layer at current comp time in my Main comp.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
I realise that I left out the information that the property of the time remapped layer actually was an essential property. Didn't think that would matter. Maybe it does?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
So the source of the essential property is inside time remapped precomp?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
In my real project it's more complicated, but yes a super simple Precomp with an essential property like this now that I've boiled it down.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
And it has an expression referencing the time in the main comp, is that correct? If so, I don't know if there's a solution. You would have to somehow unwind the time remapping. It makes my head hurt.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Agreee with Dan. Your approach is simply unsuitable. As soon as you mess with time-remapping and pre-comps anything becomes an unpredictable mess as there is indeed no good way to un-warp time with a simple function and things become even messier the deeper the nesting goes. To that point you have to make up your mind what you actually want. It certainly would be possible to control things inside the pre-comp with valueAtTime() and manipulating time-remapping on individual layers using a remotely linked slider in the parent comp or whatever, but time-remapping the entire comp and trying to figure out how to undo it for some elements is a guaranteed way into disaster.
Mylenium