This is a custom preset that takes the basic After Effects ellipse tool a step further.
With a variety of possible set ups this custom preset can be very useful for HUD’s and other on screen graphics. Designs such as the one in the image can be achieved with just a few clicks. The file also comes with a help file and source file for you to have a look at. It would be nice to turn this into a plugin one day rather then a custom preset but time will tell…
Download the Ellipse Tool Plus: Ellipse-Tool-Plus (16kb)
Great… Thank you
Hope you find it useful
WOW very cool man… Thanks a Lot!!!
Hi,
I just want to ask if I’m doing/understanding something wrong.
I’ve edited the presset effects xml file.
I’ve dropped the preset file into the presets folder.
I’m creating a new shape layer and adding the Ellipse tool.
And nothing happens – the layer is empty, only the effect controls are present, the contents of the shape layer are empty.
Maybe this works only with the project file that is in the download?
I’m using CS4 on a mac.
Thanks for help,
Michal
Hi Michal.
Yes you are correct, when the preset is applied to a shape layer nothing will happen because if you look through the downloaded file there are actually a series of ellipse’s inside the one shape layer that are controlled by the preset through expressions. Unfortunately there is no way to get the preset to actually load the series of ellipses necessary for the preset to work on its own. I hope that makes sense.
This is why I mentioned I would really like to turn this in to a plugin rather then a preset as this situation would not occur. I’ll hopefully get round to producing a plugin in some day but to be honest it will be my first plugin Iv ever made so could take some time. Perhaps producing a script to do it would be a process in-between?
For now I am afraid you will either have to use the downloaded scene file in your projects or alternatively load the preset and then manually link the preset to a series of ellipses through expressions.
I hope that helps clear up a few things.
Thanks for the support.
Hey,
No problem. I can keep the template project you’ve provided, and import it into another project as a precomp and then tweak the ellipses myself. This is still a huge timesaver.
Thanks for the cool stuff
It is really impressive.
Cheers,
Michal
Awesome job hypoly! I was hoping for such a preset/plugin for a long time. I am going to test the preset right away – thanks for your efforts
Be interested in what you come up with illd
Very nice.
Thanks for doing this.
I’m going to be looking for a way to use this in upcoming projects.
Best,
J
Thanks James,
Hope you manage to find some use for it, be great to see what you produce using it.
is there a version that will work on CS3? I am stuck using that at work!
Blah! Please help.
Thanks
Hi, I’ve added the source code to the bottom of the preseteffects file. but I am still seeing that the effect is missing. should I copy and paste all that in the Ellipse_Tool_Plus_Source, or do I need to add or leave something out? Do I need to edit it at all, or just copy and paste??
Thanks for the hard work
Even though it says its missing it should still work fine though. Its just some after effect annoyance. It should just be a copy and paste though as I wrote in the instructions. Hope you get it sorted out.
Thanks for the comment
This may help as well:
http://aeportal.blogspot.com/2011/03/pseudo-or-custom-effects-in-after.html