The script will set up a simple camera rig in your composition, it also works with Videocopilot’s Sure Target plugin.
This is the first After Effects Script I have written, and 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)
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!
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
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
Great script!
Thanks a million dude for such a handy script,
Sure You’re a legend.
hello, is the download link for the script not working?i dont see any download button
Hey Chiny
not sure if its a browser issue but i cant see a download link?
Cheers
Sorry guys, download link should be fix now
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?
Actually, i think i might be missing a null? should the camera be parented to 1 or 2 nulls? Is the script cs4 only?
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.
Thanks alot for this script
Hope you find it useful
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
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
the problem comes from localized versions of after effects.
is it possible to explain how to translate the script?
thank you anyway
Pierre-Yves
IS this script still available
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
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
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.
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
Hi Matiko,
Please download the script again has I have uploaded a newer version. Enjoy
Hi James..
Thanks for all your work on this..very useful and time saving…Good work…!!
Max
Hopefully put a few more useful scripts soon. Thanks
hi dude
thx a lot
Hi James ! Thanks a lot for all your work.
I just tryied your rig but it seems it doesn’t works with french version.
I can’t find out the solution but it says that it is at the line 52 “undefined is not an object”
I’ll try to find out and give you some feedback.
Thanks (one more time ; ) )
fugoo
I’ve just found the solution :
the problem was AE ran in French so the script couldn’t run.
1 : You have to force AE to open in english (CS5) :
create an empty text file called : ae_force_english.TXT
in the folder MAcHD/User/home/documents/
2 : Open your project use the script it must work, save it
3 : rename the ae_force_english.TXT text file
4 : Open AE in french (or other language) open your project :
- There is notifications telling expressions are bad (syntax error), just correct them by translating the words (slider=curseur, layer=calque, etc…) or use the script TransalateExpression.jsx (can be found on aescript.com)
5 : save your script and your project
6 : that’s done
The cool thing is it must be the same way for any script wich have this kind of problem
French :
J’ai trouvé une solution de bricolage (sous CS5) :
1 : créer un fichier texte vide ae_force_english.TXT sous MacHD/Utilisateur/maison/documents/ cela force le démarrage de AE en anglais (donc l’expression sera bonne)
2 : appliquer votre script et enregistrer votre projet avec le script qui fonctionne
3 : redémarrer AE en prenant soin de renommer le fichier ae_force_english.TXT
4 : ouvrir le projet, une série d’avertissements concernant l’expression vous annonce qu’elle est désactivée faute d’erreurs de synthaxes ;
remplacer alors les noms de paramètres anglais par leurs équivalents en français (Slider = Curseur, Layer=Calque, etc…) ou utiliser le script TransalteExpression.jsx dispo sur le site AEscript sur chaque ligne d’expressions (on ne peut pas le faire dès le départ puisque le script se bloque vers la ligne 52 et qu’il ne créer pas les expressions dans le Null cameracontrol et la camera…)
5 : enregistrer votre projet et le script traduit
Voilà !
en espérant que ça serve à quelqu’un, en plus cette méthode doit être valable pour n’importe quel script ; )
Thanks a lot for putting in the effort to make it for for the French version Fugoo. Really appreciated!
You’re welcome, it’s a very little contribution and really nothing compared to all I can learn here (or elsewhere in the worldwide motion community).
Happy you appreciate this !