Michel Pensas has released a script that will allow you to gain more control over After Effects Shapes and Mask. Called simply Shapes and Masks, the script displays a palette with controls that allowing to create different basic shapes.
Shapes and Masks offers a plethora of options and setting for creating and adjusting path shapes in After Effects, all in one handy panel that can be docked right into the After Effects interface.
Check out the after effects Shapes and Mask script at over at AEscripts set as a Pay-What-You-Want type deal.
…Shapes and Masks gives you more control to create shapes and masks. Also has option to transform mask paths and export mask data to a text file…
It is complementary to functions already included in After Effects for this task by providing additional shapes and settings. The options to set the mask parameters are also included in the script. Besides the creation of shapes this script includes some useful tools for masks transformations. The creation and transformation of masks can be applied either on the current layer or on a new layer, solid or shape layer.
Shapes and masks allows you to create:
- Circle
- Polygon
- Rectangle with variable rounded corners
- Spiral (Archimedean and Logarithmic)
- Star
Shape and mask paths transformations:
- Modify rotation and scale, with the possibility to apply it on the current mask path or on a duplication.
- Horizontal axis symmetry, flips the mask symmetrically at its center on the horizontal axis.
- Vertical axis symmetry, flips the mask symmetrically at its center on the vertical axis.
- Reverse mask path, reversing the direction of the mask path without changing the values of the vertices and tangents.
- Curve to vertices, allow you to convert “subdivide” a curve into vertices with chosen spacing.
- Display mask data and save them in a .txt file.