How to align 18 layers with gradient as a clock AFTER they have been created?

[Defineyourgoal]

Hi, 

Question 1: What's is the rotation-center called in Illustrator and how can I change it on multiple layers as in Ae? An anchor point in After Effects affects, for example, the rotation but in Illustrator an anchor point changes the path. 

Question 2: How do I align layers with a gradient to a circular path? I want to learn how to create the attached image (courtesy of the video "CNN // Colorscope: Pink"). I have tried the blend option and then replace the spine yet the "anchor point" (which is then not called an anchor point" is in the middle - resulting the layers go straight up instead of being rotated 360degress/nr of layers. Although, even if this does work, I still need to import the layers to Ae and have the anchor points in the bottom of each layer so I can animate the rotation like that.

I know I can create a layer, enter the degree of the rotion, hit copy, and then duplicate until the full clock-look is made. The problem here is that I cannot add the gradient as in the image + when importing to Ae, all the anchor points need to be manually changed to the center. A script like "move anchor point" in ae doesn't work. 

 All the best

/Pär

[ceyhun_akgun]

The color wheel is not produced with a special system. After the wheel was produced, its colors were changed randomly.

By using the ROTATE TOOL tool in Illustrator, the desired point of each collective or individual object can be made the center point.

[Defineyourgoal]

Ok, so two things occurs:

1. How do I apply the gradient shown in the picture after I have created all the layers? Is it possible to apply gradient to all layers like a circle instead of a straight line (for example left to right)?

2. Using the rotation tool on all layers only lets med rotate the layers as a group (they are not grouped). Once I have set the desired point on a layer, I want it to stay there. Once I change back from the rotation tool to the selection tool, the desired point is back in the center again. 

/Pär

[Jacob Bugge]

Pär,

In addition to what Ceyhun said, I believe the actual rotation and size change was made with Effect>Distort&Transform>Transform, based upon the vertical rectangle at the front (with a height to width ratio between 7 and 7.5) to create 9 copies of decreasing size behind it (a total of 10), and using the following settings:

Horizontal/Vertical Scale: 97.5% (or close to that)

Rotation:  -18 degrees

Copies: 9

Distort&Transform = Förvräng och omforma (I think)

[Defineyourgoal]

Thanks, 

So when I import the ai file to ae, creates vector shapes, and then "explode" the layer into single layers - the gradient will not stay. 

So perhaps the gradient needs to be applied afterwards in ae as well as using some fancy expression in ae to fix the anchor points. A question for the ae forum I believe.

/Pär

[Jacob Bugge]

Pär,

Just to make sure, you did Expand Appearance to get separate rectangles?

[Defineyourgoal]

Ah, yes! In ai, expand, then make all the layers as single layers. Import in ae and voilà - the gradient is there. Thanks.

Focusing on the gradient, I'm still figuring out how to apply a gradient as the above picture to all of my layers. Now it's just the same gradient on a layer that's then rotated.

[Jacob Bugge]

Pär,

The colour transitions have certain similarities and a certain degree of consistent change: they generally go from darker to paler along each (from what starts at the bottom of the foremost rectangle), and overall the individual rectangles go from darker to paler as well.

But most of them have much more complicated transitions than a simple gradient, more like freeform gradients or meshes.

So you can start with a relatively straightforward colour transition applied to the original rectangle, then apply the transform effect on that and expand, and then edit the other rectangles.