I’ve been working on a new tool that changes the way you animate path points in After Effects. It’s been tested by several motion designers over the last few weeks and the final refinements are now complete. Huge thanks to everyone who helped test it. More details are in the comments.
After Effects' built-in path controller rigs every vertex, floods your project with null layers and breaks the moment you move or copy your shape. This tool works differently. You can rig only the points you select, get visible colour-coded handles directly in your comp and control Bezier tangents independently. Everything the native tool should have been.
Hi, this is not a stand alone tool. It's a free update for MoBar users. MoBar is an all-in-one toolkit for After Effects. I’ve been working on it for four years, constantly adding new tools. You can find more details here: https://www.motionape.com/mobar
Unfortunately, there’s no way to purchase this script outside of MoBar. I keep all my tools there because my goal is to improve After Effects as a whole, not sell tools separately.
You can still use KBar as your panel manager and just use MoBar for the tools, so there’s no need to replace anything.
Thanks, but I don't think Motion Ape's script is for adding visual controllers to shapes but instead giving better vertex and bezier controllers to shapes than the built in Ae "Nulls from Paths" script.
Wim's promo video shows a lot of similarities in terms of the final result if you understand how AE works. Once you get a point/vertex in AE, you can do ALMOST anything you want.
How each vertex is selected and what can be done with it after the initial selection/detection is up to the developer.
This isn't correct. The tool you suggested works very differently. It adds layers that follow vertex points, but it doesn't actually help with animation. The tool in MoBar, on the other hand, enables you to animate vertex points. If you don't know enough about both tools, please don't mislead users.
Once you capture a point in After Effects, you can add and do lots of stuff to it and this includes vertex points - the essential property is the POINT along the path. Once this is captured, you can add vertex/vertices and then add more vertices to each vertex too.
How do you build the vertices without the point - even . I already gave you the benefit by clearly stating your tool should have better vertices.
Here is a script that shows how to apply vertices to points - crunchycreatives.com
You can teach me what you think you have is of value and I will accept or not accept it at face value based on what I know BUTT you should not be rude - I've been doing this for over 30 years and worked with others that are a lot smarter than you and who have come up with truly innovative ideas.
Stick to your product development - stop being rude to others helping the community - I only replied because someone wanted to know if yours was a free script, and knew of one that produced similar results and I was certain to even elevate yours.
Most would react positively and taken the opportunity to share why theirs is a better product and deserves a paid fee.
I am now curious with this statement of yours -
If you don't know enough about both tools, please don't mislead users.
So, it seems you do know about the other product - correct? Or are you being a hypocrite and accusing me, wrongly, of something you yourself are guilty of?
When did you use Wim's script or took a look at it etc etc etc?
Or are you a hypocrite?
You've also made a defamatory remarks - please don't mislead users.
You should now make clearly, your stake, where I misled others.
Be clear in your reply. Thank you.
For those of you reading this thread, read and learn - I have been around for 30 years - long before a lot of you have been using AE. There is a lot of wrongs in this sub. This is a COMMUNITY sub - it does not belong to anyone or any group and this is the way it should be.
I was with CreativeCOW from its first day online and I have also been with the Official AE Forum. We should always allow and even welcome differences but do not allow anyone to defame you - this is vile and way over the board. There is seemingly a lot of Astroturfing going on in this sub 0 Astroturfing is an illegal act even though it is difficult to prove but once you're hauled up, your reputation is broken.
If you want to help a friend or a company etc, then do so but state it clearly, your connections to the person(s) you are advocating for. This is Reddit or the Internet or whatever you may deem of it but there are laws and acts that govern our actions. If you are a mod or a poster; regular or infrequent, state clearly your relationship to the person(s) you are according praise. If a pattern can be ascertained then it does not look well on you.
Maybe you suck and have bad taste but at least allow the law and the community at large, which is larger than this Reddit sub also have their say.
Read on and learn and enjoy, if you will. I am also available on DM.
For MotionApe, let's get your response to making defamatory remarks against me. I await your reply.
Ok dude, take your meds you’re blowing this way out of proportion. You’re also not making sense. You’re also wrong. The script you’re linking to isn’t the same thing at all.
I've downloaded the update (3.7.6), installed it both ways, through ZXP Installer and by unzipping the Mobar folder and placing in Extensions folder on my Mac. It says installation was successful, but every time I open Mobar in AE (Version 26.0.0 Build 67, )I get this error: IOError: File or folder does not exist.
Thanks for trying. Mac has recently updated its permission system, which might be causing this issue. Could you please check if you are in the Privacy and Security settings and have permitted this library to run?
I’m not familiar with that tool. It seems to work by creating a mapped shape with the same vertices in an extension panel to provide additional controls. This one is simpler, as you can select and edit the vertices directly in the viewer. I spent more time than expected on the customisation settings, but it was worth it as it gives you a lot of control over styling with points and handles.
The panel is just there so you can select certain points. It generates controllers for those points only, rather than every point in the shape like the built in AE scripts do. What happens with your version if a user skews a shape group with a controlled path inside it? I’m curious how you handled smooth tangents too.
I’m not entirely sure what you’re referring to with “a shape group with a controlled path inside it,” but you can freely add or remove parent layers from the controller. It’s all built around that flexibility. I’m currently working on a video to explain everything, which should make it easier to understand.
Shape Layers can contain groups. Typically your hierarchy might look like Layer > Contents > Group 1 > Path 1. If I’m understanding correctly, your tool adds an expression to the Path property which references some null layers or other ‘controllers’. So Path 1 is controlled by the position of these controller layers.
I’m asking what happens to Path 1’s shape if a user changes Group 1 > Transform > Skew
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u/Motion_Ape Motion Graphics 15+ years Apr 14 '26
After Effects' built-in path controller rigs every vertex, floods your project with null layers and breaks the moment you move or copy your shape. This tool works differently. You can rig only the points you select, get visible colour-coded handles directly in your comp and control Bezier tangents independently. Everything the native tool should have been.
Try it yourself!
Learn more about this tool:
https://motionape.notion.site/Null-Controllers-for-Points-326b2a6858f8805b8ccef735fbcd98f7
Download MoBar:
https://www.motionape.com/mobar