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Create Nulls for Positional Properties and Paths

Learn to create Nulls for controlling positional properties and paths, simplifying animation with enhanced control and efficiency.

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Using Nulls to control the positional properties and movement of objects makes your work in After Effects easier, especially when you have many layers or complicated animations. It lets you control any point within a layer as if the point were an independent layer, which has many potential benefits.

It's different from parenting, which connects layers and affects all transformations (Position, Scale, Rotation). Null controllers created via Null Controllers for Position Points and Null Controllers for Path Points only link the position, allowing layers to scale and rotate independently.

Create Null controllers for Positional properties

With Nulls Controllers for Positional Properties, you can quickly create controller Nulls from any positional point, allowing you to animate that point as its own layer. This lets you isolate and control the movement of a specific point (such as a Position or an Anchor Point within a Shape, object, or layer) independently from other elements of the same layer.

  1. Set up your composition and layers according to your needs.

  2. Select the layer in which you want to create Null controllers for positional points.

    When you select just the layer and use the Null Controllers for Positional Points command, the Position property of the selected layer(s) is linked to controller Nulls. 

    A shape layer is selected and from the context menu of Create, the Null Controllers for Positional Points is selected.
    Select the layer so that the Position property of the selected layer will be linked to controller Nulls.

    To link any other positional property, such as Anchor Point, the property must be selected in the timeline.

    In the Timeline panel, properties of a Shape layer is expanded and Anchor Point is selected. The Create menu is open and Null Controllers for Positional Points is highlighted.
    An example where the Anchor Point is selected in the timeline to be linked to a controller Null.

  3. Do any one of the following to create a Null layer for positional points:

    • Layer > Create > Null Controllers for Positional Points.
    • Animation > Keyframe Assistant > Null Controllers for Positional Points.
    • Right-click the positional property of the layer in the Timeline or Properties panel > Keyframe Assistant > Null Controllers for Positional Points.
    Note:
    • Make sure that your project is set to use the JavaScript Expression engine. You can set it by going to Project Settings > Expressions > Expressions Engine > JavaScript.
    • Ensure that you don't have any layers with duplicated names in your composition.
  4. A Null layer is created, named after the layer it's linked to and the property it controls. The label color is also duplicated for easier differentiation and location.

    A new null layer is created with the same name and indicating which property is linked.
    A Null layer is created, named and colored to match the linked layer and property.

  5. Once done, you can start using the Null controllers to adjust the linked Position property.

Here are some helpful points:

  • At any point, you can use the Effects Controls panel to see or modify the Layer Control that determines the controlling layer for the linked positional property. Use this to link positional points to other existing layers.
The Effects Controls panel is open and the Layer Control is open and you can use the Layer dropdown menu to link positional points to other existing layers.
Use the Effects Controls panel to view or adjust the Layer Control for the linked positional property.

  • When you separate the dimensions of a layer's Position (splitting the X, Y, and Z axes into individual properties) after linking the Position to a controller Null, the Null won't control them anymore unless they are explicitly re-linked. Re-link the separated Position properties back to the Null by right-clicking and reapplying the linking command.
The Null Controllers for Positional Points are selected from the menu options of the separated dimension's property.
After separating a layer's Position dimensions (X, Y, Z) into individual properties, re-link them to the controller Null.

  • When you create a Null controller, it matches the layer's dimensionality: 2D for 2D layers and 3D for 3D layers. Changing a 3D Null to 2D keeps linked 3D layers in their visual 2D positions. This allows easy linking of 3D layers to 2D space and linking 2D layers to 3D space.

Possible use cases

Work in 3D space

  • Effect Points: Link effect points (e.g., gradient points, lens flares) to 3D Nulls for dynamic control in 3D space.

Applications with effects

  • Beam Effect: Link multiple beams to Nulls to create complex patterns and animations.
  • CC Glue Gun Effect: Link the CC Glue Gun effect to a Null for more control over the animation, allowing dynamic variation of stroke width.
  • CC Particle World: Emit particles from a motion path controlled by a Null, combining different particle systems using the same Null point.

Puppet Pins and Rigging

  • Link Puppet Pins to controller Nulls for simple rigging and easier animation. Create simple forward kinematic rigs by parenting the resulting Nulls to one another. For Advanced Puppet Pins, the additional Rotation and Scale properties of the Pins are also linked to the controller Null, allowing for even more sophisticated rigs.

3D Applications

  • Camera Point of Interest: Use a Null to control the Camera's Point of Interest, allowing it to follow specific layers. Parent the resulting controller Null to different layers for dynamic camera movements.
  • Point Light: Link a Lens Flare to a Point Light to simulate making the light visible.

Shape Layers and Gradients

  • Shape Groups: Control the Position of Shape groups using Null controllers without pulling them out of the Shape layer.
  • Gradients: Link gradient points to other layers for dynamic control.
Note:

When linking points inside a Shape layer to Null controllers, modifying the Skew value of the containing Shape group or making the Scale non-uniform (i.e. unlinked) will likely cause the point to appear offset from the Null. This applies both to Nulls for positional points and for Path points.

Create Nulls from Shape Paths and Mask Paths

Generating Nulls from Path points allows you to have finer control over complex Path animations or attach other layers to your Paths easily. 

The expression links from the Path points to any connected Null can compensate for basic transforms inside nested Shape groups, so Nulls can accurately control or link to Path points even when the Shape group transforms are offset or animated.

The three commands to create Nulls from Shape and Mask paths were originally made available via the Create Nulls from Paths.jsx ScriptUI panel in the Window menu. They have been updated and made available as menu commands.

Here are the three available commands for creating Nulls based on the points of a Shape or Mask Path property:

  • Null Controllers for Path Points: Create Null controllers for each point of a selected Path or Mask Path property. Each Null controls the location of one point (vertex) on the Path, but Layer Control expression controls allow points to be linked to other layers.
  • Nulls Following Path Points: This creates a Null layer for each point of the selected Path properties. Rather than controlling the point, each Null will follow the respective Path point. This allow parenting of other layers to an animated Path by parenting them to a linked Null.
  • Null Tracing Along Path: Creates a Null that traces along the selected Path property, reorienting itself to match the curve of the Path and matches any animation of the Path. A controller effect will be added to the Null layer to adjust its progress along the path and if it should loop back to the path's start when it reaches the end.

Join the discussion on creating Nulls for positional properties and paths in the After Effects (Beta) community.

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