Wave Path
A free After Effects script that makes a moving wave path with pinning.
Free product downloads
To download freebies you need to join our mailing list:
If you already joined, check your email. You'll need to enable cookies and open the access link in this browser.
Installation
Installation instructions are here,
Usage
Run the script and it'll make a new shape layer with a simple, wavy path in it with the following controls:
No. of waves
The number of complete waves from one end of the path to the other. This doesn't have to be whole numbers.
Length
The total length between one end of the path to the other, in pixels
Height
The height of each wave, in pixels
Speed
The number of complete wave cycles, per second.
Offset
An amount to offset the wave cycles. You can use this to control where the wave peaks occur along it's length. Or, with Speed set to zero, animate the Offset value for greater control of the wave's progression over time.
Resolution
The total number of points used in the path (higher numbers can impact performance).
Pinning
Pin Amount is the degree of pinning (100% will mean the tip of the path is fixed in place whilst 0% would mean no pinning occurs). Pin Length is the proportion of the total path length over which the pinning falls off.
Tips
You can often use quite low resolution settings to speed things up because Wave Path uses Round Corners to smooth out it’s appearance.
Mix in a Zig Zag or Wiggle Paths operator for extra wiggliness.
Want to attach another layer to the end of the wave path? Try this expression on that layer’s Position property:
myWavePathLayer = thisComp.layer("Shape Layer 1"); // This needs to be your Wave Path layer
myWavePathLayer.toComp([0,0]) + myWavePathLayer.content("Path 1").path.pointOnPath(1)
Version History
2.0.1 - December 7th 2022
Updated expression
2.0 - December 7th 2022
Initial release as script.
Expression syntax updated to provide compatibility with legacy extendscript
1.0 - August 9th 2022
Initial release as animation preset