Calculations in After Effect parameter input fields

After Effects should be able to do more calculations inside input fields.
E.g.: when typing *2, it multiplies the fields value with 2, but when typing *-2, the result is '-2'. It does not recognize that we want to multiply with a negative factor.

In this case:
75,5 * 2 = 151
75,5 * -2 = -2


What a pity.

c4d should show the name of a shader when editing it

Any idea which shader is edited here?

It is the ChanLum, but C4d does not tell that when it is open...
Maybe the panels title should call: Material Editor / ChanLum.

Thanks again,
Jan

C4d: Constrain viewport to film aspect ratio

When working with Maxon Cinema 4d, many times I adjust the size of the viewport (even while using Layouts). I would love to have a checkbox in eacht viewport to Constrain Viewport to Film Aspect Ratio, defined by Width and Height in Render Settings. So when your render settings are 16:9, checked viewports are 16:9, no matter what happens.

An idea for Cinema 4d: memory slots for light settings

I am working on a very complex tv-studio-vizualisation, and need to render a ton of stills, all with different light setups. I do this by switching objects Visible and Invisible and by tweaking parameters.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a sort of 'settings' recorder, just like a theatrical light mixer with automated faders!

In my dreams, this is a list with 'memory slots', where each slot records all current settings of lights and camera's (and in the future maybe all objects).

Maybe this should be an addition to the Camera Morph and Stage possibilities: let C4D morph everything!

In Maxon Cinema 4d, when the user ctrl-drags an object in the Object Manager, a copy is created with a '.1' suffix in the name.
But in the Material Manager, a ctrl-dragged copy, has exactly the same name as the original, which can be confusing.

My suggestion: be consistent and ad the suffix tot the copy of the Material as well.

After Effects, Proxy or Not? A better indicator.

Can you tell which of these two footage items is a proxy and which is the hi-res footage?

Wouldn't it be better to make the indicators a bit more expressive? Like this:

Give After Effects the same grouping possibilities as Photoshop

In Adobe After Effects, it is possible to make PreComps or use Parenting to set their relation. Pre Comps do not offer all functionailty, especially in 3D situations, and Parenting does not keep layers in sync.

A lot of times, I just want to stay layers together, in time and/or order. Wouldn't it be nice to have an advanced group option, to keep layers together (even in folders that can collapse and uncollapse?).

A better Symmetry Object for C4D please

Symmetry is rather selective in what it is mirroring. E.g. visible lights are ignored.
Please let Symmetry do what it promises, or let Cinema 4D warn if it does not.

And another issue:
When a Symmetry Object is made editable, I would expect two mirrored objects, but Symmetry combines the geometry an hierarchy to a useless result.

Selection tags for primitives

For Extruded objects C4D offers the selection tags: R1, R2,C1,C2. (Rounding and Caps)

It would be very usefull to have selection tags for other primitives.

e.g:

A sliced tube should have tags for the round parts, the caps, the roundings (if applicable) and the slice planes. (B,C1,C2,R1,R2,S1,S2)

If this is implemented, we should be able to make the colour scheme below, without making the primitve editable.

Premiere Pro: restore audio

Projects with a lot of camera footage, I like to prepare/edit in Adobe Premiere Pro, and than do the fx/finishing in Adobe After Effects. Because the montage of a leader/opening sequence can be very non-linear, combining footage of several sources and reels, it's easy to have audio overwritten during dragging in clips.

It should be no problem for Premiere to restore this audio at any moment, but the only solutions offered on the web are rather complicated.

Why not create a function titled 'Restore original audio', that places the audio that belongs to the video underneath, in sync and with the same in- and outpoints as the video?

Hierarchical switch for Sweep Nurbs

C4D's Extrude Nurbs has a 'hierarchical' switch to let the object use multiple splines. Why not introduce this switch in the Sweep Nurbs as well?

New features for Cinema 4D's Extrude-object

I have 3 requests for this object:

Symmetry

It would be very nice if we can choose an Anchor Point for the Extrude Object. Currently, it only extrudes in one direction, but often we want it to extrude symmetrically, while the path stayes centered.

So, in my fantasy, the new extrude object has a switch that let the user choose for either directional or symmetrical extrusion.

Custom bevel/roundings

Let the user point to a path that wil be used as rounding. I've seen this working in the obsolete Adobe-software called 'Dimensions', which was a 3d-vector design tool.

Hierarchical switched on by default

Most of the time, we want this on, not off.

Let us set proxies for multiple clips at once

When working with hi-res footage, we would like to create proxies for each of the clips. Unfortunately After Effects CC (October 2013) doesn't allow us to select multiple clips and then choose to make proxies.
Why not? I don't know. So let this be a feature request.

When is a Cinema 4D render ready?

With Teamrender it's harder to tell when rendering is done. Maybe a good moment to introduce a 'render-ready' signal (audio, graphic, e-mail, WhatsApp, SMS,...)

Picture viewer unable to load .c4d files

Hi, every now and then this annoying behaviour occurs:
The Picture Viewer is te active window (finished rendering), and I want to work on my next .c4d file. I choose 'Open...' en point at a .c4d-file. Now the Picture Viewer tries to load this and returns an error. Wouldn't it be more intelligent and user friendly to let C4D understand that this file is meant to be load in the main app? (and let it change focus to the viewports automatically...)

Thanks!
Jan

Let Ae remember Output settings per project

Each of my projects has its own output specifications. (ProRes4444 progressive, Avid DNxHD Upperfield, Lossless with alpha, etc)

It would be nice if AE could remember this for me. An entry in Project Settings will do.

Let AE define a default output path per project

I'm working on a lot of returning projects every day. And each time I have to set the 'Output To:' setting in the Render Queue.
Wouldn't it be nice if each Project (and maybe each comp) has it's own Output Path associated with it?

Let After Effects add folders to the Render Queue

It would be a time saver if Folders from the Project panel can be added to the Render Queue, and Render Settings/Output Module/OutputPath can be applied to a complete folder at once.

Footage Interpretation for multiple items + framerate

I would love to select multiple items and then interpret them all at once, in stead of selecting 1, interpret it, choose remember, then select the rest and choose apply.

And please add a framerate field to the interpretation panel.

It the selection is inconsistent, the panel can leave blanc the values that are ambivalent (just like in other software).

Unable to create font

After Effects says it cannot create a font - a misty problem that is encountered once in a while. Most of the time it means that the Verdana font is not installed (which AE needs for its GUI).

But I encountered this message while Verdana was active!
After a lot of switching and repairing of my font lists, I found out that missing footage was triggering this message.

Why doesn't Adobe get rid of this strange message 'Unable to create font'. Why should a video compositing app create fonts anyway?

Please let AE say: 'Missing footage on layer (index).' (once please...) or 'The Verdana font is not activated.'

Thanks,
Jan

Make a new Swatch, while no colour is active

For some reason, Adobe Illustrator CC does not allow to make a Swatch when selected object is not coloured. Why? I would love to make a Swatch anytime, and then pick it to colour my selection.

Maybe a countdown icon is more descriptive

Really nice that After Effects cc shows the number of the comp that is rendering. But, just like the progress bar, users are generally interested in the time left. So it should be in the format '5/9' orf '5 of 9', or the number should countdown to 0 (zero comps left to render)

Context senstive menu for layer styles

Since Layer styles were introduced, I am wondering why right clicking on it does not bring up a list of layer styles.

Why should we right click Layer styles to change any of these settings?

After Effects should be more flexible when footage is not found

These messages appear when I'm rendering (and overwriting) a C4d-animation that was placed in a Composition. AE should be a bit less radical, and just stop trying to reveal the footage (replace it by a placeholder) and let the user decide when to reload it. (normally when external rendering is done).

At the moment the only remedy is restarting, or waiting for the render to finish.

Btw: the terminology used gives a peak at the heart of AE's code. It calls this situation 'input contract violation'. The user is punished with a frozen app...

AE CC Should Snap to Invisible Grid

*******Enhancement / FMR*********
 Brief title for your desired feature:
AE CC Should Snap to Invisible Grid

 How would you like the feature to work?
Let us switch on View Grid and Snap to Grid independently

 Why is this feature important to you?
Because I don't need to see a grid, when it is snapping! Visible grids are for paper, pencil and rulers.

Let us click the chain-icon in Photoshop Image Size panel, to constrain and unconstrain proportions

In most apps the constrain proportions (aka constrain aspect ration...) setting can be activated and deactivated by clicking the small chain icon.

Please make this possible in Photoshop!

In the current version of Photoshop the user can only switch this feature by clicking the checkbox in the lower part of the panel.

Please let the computer compute: make all fields in Photoshop able to calculate

It would be very convenient if Adobe Photoshop could do simple calculations in it's input field. E.g type 768*2 in a field, and the software makes it 1536. Most other software does this, but PS lacks this user friendly way of inputting.

More flexible Swatches palette

I would love to have a Swatches palette that accepts Drag & Drop from whatever what other panel. E.g.: try to drag a gradient stop to the solid swatched tab - this won't work. Why not?

Why not apply a Blur Gallery effect to a layer mask?

When masking 3d-scenes, most of the time the mask must be sharp in some area's and blurry in others. It would be great to use the Blur Gallery for this purpose!

After Effects 3d Camera Tracker Scale Definition

The new After Effects (CS6) 3d Camera Tracker/Solver is very accurate! But it lacks a way to define the scale of the scene. My feature request would be: let us draw a line on top of the footage, and define it's real life length, so the tracker's feedback is in the right scale!

Why?
Because in vfx, scale is very important. E.g. when compositing a 3d model of a car on a road, it's good to know that the scale ratio's are the same. In the current situation, the road can be 12000 meters wide, and than it's not easy to make the car the right size.

We want virtual sliders througout the suite!

We want virutal sliders to change type size and leading!

Just like in Photoshop:  press CMD (Mac) and slide the mouse to increase/decrease size.

This should be enabled througout the suite!