HYPOLY Motion Graphics Work & Resources

Simple Camera Rig Script
The script will set up a simple camera rig in your composition with rotation and position controls located in one Control Null. The camera rig also works really well with Videocopilot’s Sure Target.
This is the first After Effects Script I have written, I hope to improve upon my scripting skills and aim to produce more useful scripts in the future. After watching a recent tutorial from Jerzy Drozda Jr over at maltaannon.com on simple camera rigging, I wanted to write a script that performed this process with just one click. The script will do the following:

  • Make a new camera
  • Makes a series of Nulls and parents them to a Control Null
  • Writes the required expressions needed for the camera and Nulls
  • Allow the user to control the camera via the Control Null
UPDATES

  • Fixed naming problem and add X&Y camera position control due to feedback request 25/01/10
  • Fixed parenting problem 03/12/09

Download | SimpleCameraRig (4.kb)

Jan 02, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Downloads with 5,479 views.
Tags: , ,

23 Responses


  1. Alex KuzelickiNo Gravatar

    Hey there,
    Thanks so much for making the Simple Camera Rig. Will definitely come in handy.
    One thing though. In your version “Pitch” and “Heading” are the opposite of Maltaannon’s version. His “Pitch” tilts forward and backwards whereas in your version that’s what “Heading” does. Similarly, his “Heading” rotates to the left and right whereas in your version that’s what “Pitch” does. I’ve tested it a few times and it always comes out that way.
    Is that something you’ve done on purpose or just an oversight?
    Regardless, thanks for your effort. It’s appreciated.
    Cheers,

    ALEX

    PS – Would love Slider controls for Move Left/Right and Move Up/Down. That would make this the most useful AE Camera Rig I’ve found! :)

    [Reply]

    ChinyNo Gravatar Reply:
    January 24th, 2010 at 11:25 pm

    Hey Alex,

    Thanks for letting me know, it was indeed an oversight on my behalf which I have now amended.
    And as a little added bonus I even added the functionality you asked for: A slider control to control the X and Y values of the Control Null.
    So just download the new script and fire away.

    Thanks for your feedback

    [Reply]

    Jan 23, 2010 @ 10:10 am


  2. Alex KuzelickiNo Gravatar

    Hey again,

    Thanks so much for updating your Simple Camera Rig. I LOVE it!
    Just makes life so much easier: click one button and I have a ready to go camera that does everything I need it to.
    You’re a legend :)
    Cheers,

    ALEX

    [Reply]

    Jan 25, 2010 @ 5:30 am


  3. Angella GriseNo Gravatar

    Great script!

    [Reply]

    Feb 01, 2010 @ 5:06 am


  4. ShayaanNo Gravatar

    Thanks a million dude for such a handy script,

    Sure You’re a legend.

    [Reply]

    Feb 05, 2010 @ 2:10 pm


  5. madnasNo Gravatar

    hello, is the download link for the script not working?i dont see any download button :(

    [Reply]

    Feb 19, 2010 @ 9:55 pm


  6. SeanNo Gravatar

    Hey Chiny

    not sure if its a browser issue but i cant see a download link?

    Cheers

    [Reply]

    Feb 20, 2010 @ 3:38 am


  7. hypolyNo Gravatar

    Sorry guys, download link should be fix now

    [Reply]

    Feb 20, 2010 @ 11:20 am


  8. This week in Motion Design 21/02/10 | Motion Design Love

    [...] great downloads and presets for After Effects and Cinema 4D, one of the good ones i a script to create and parent a camera in After Effects, definitely worth checking [...]

    Feb 21, 2010 @ 4:02 pm


  9. Matthew CarlinNo Gravatar

    Hey, was using your script today, and wanted to do a bezier curve on the camera move for the motion path but i couldn’t see it as the sliders on the null don’t show a motion path. How do you get round that? How would you do a curved move with it?

    [Reply]

    Feb 22, 2010 @ 9:33 pm


  10. Matthew CarlinNo Gravatar

    Actually, i think i might be missing a null? should the camera be parented to 1 or 2 nulls? Is the script cs4 only?

    [Reply]

    Feb 22, 2010 @ 10:11 pm


  11. hypolyNo Gravatar

    Hey Matt, I’m not sure how you’d get around the issue of the bezier curve of the camera move, as you mentioned slider values do not show a motion path.

    And as for the camera being parented, it should only be parented to CamBank which is then parented to CamHead and so on. As for the CS4 only part, I’m not entirely sure, I’ll have to get back to you that one I’m afraid. As I said in the description, this was my first attempt at scripting and I’m sure I’ve got a lot more to learn.

    [Reply]

    Feb 24, 2010 @ 10:14 pm


  12. Jay HNo Gravatar

    Thanks alot for this script

    [Reply]

    hypolyNo Gravatar Reply:
    March 24th, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    Hope you find it useful

    [Reply]

    Mar 07, 2010 @ 10:48 pm


  13. picpicNo Gravatar

    hello i tryed your script during two weeks it worked find ! but since yesterday it doesn’t work after tell me “impossible d’ajouter une propriete nommée Angle Control a ce PropertyGroup” “impossible to adding the Angle Control to this PropertyGroup” i really don’t understand why !

    if you any idee i really aprecciate it thanks

    [Reply]

    hypolyNo Gravatar Reply:
    April 29th, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    All I suggest, as it did work is look back on your files that did work and try and see what you are doing different this time round

    [Reply]

    pyNo Gravatar Reply:
    June 11th, 2010 at 8:15 pm

    the problem comes from localized versions of after effects.

    is it possible to explain how to translate the script?

    thank you anyway

    Pierre-Yves

    [Reply]

    Apr 28, 2010 @ 1:24 pm


  14. diwgoNo Gravatar

    IS this script still available

    [Reply]

    hypolyNo Gravatar Reply:
    June 9th, 2010 at 6:46 am

    Hello Diwago,
    Sorry about the download link not working, I have recently switched servers so everything is a little all over the place but I have sorted out the link now if you would like to download the script.
    Thanks for the support

    [Reply]

    Jun 09, 2010 @ 5:46 am


  15. diegoNo Gravatar

    hi I see on the tut that the script has an x pos and y pos but the script doesn’t have this when I run it. Is this for CS 4 AE or will it run on CS 3 & 4

    [Reply]

    HypolyNo Gravatar Reply:
    June 20th, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    I have only tested it on CS4 and CS5 and it seems to work on both of those. For the X and Y pos you can simple pick-whip the X and Y pos of the camera to two slider in the CamControl Null and it will do exactly the same process my script would have done.

    [Reply]

    Jun 19, 2010 @ 3:48 am


  16. MatikoNo Gravatar

    hi, thanks very much for your script but I suggest that you re-check it for X and Y pos or you show us how to pick-whip them because they appear red which means an expression has been put so altering them is not possible for me because am not that good in after effects.please help and continue posting alot of tutorials they are much helping

    [Reply]

    HypolyNo Gravatar Reply:
    July 30th, 2010 at 11:09 am

    Hi Matiko,
    Please download the script again has I have uploaded a newer version. Enjoy

    [Reply]

    Jul 11, 2010 @ 11:46 pm

23 Responses