This laboratory post covers my experimentation with mimicking the physics systems of more advanced rigging software like Spine2D and Live2D. While After Effects is capable of rigging complex characters, it lacks a true real-time physics system. While we certainly can’t achieve real-time rendering inside of After Effects, we can try to mimic physics systems using advanced expressions & scripting.

Where After Effects lacks the ability to truly specialize in a certain area, it somewhat makes up for this with the power of expressions and scripting. On top of this, the ability of rigging inside of After Effects is determined mainly on the older, “legacy” engine, as it gives more control for where the pin/bones influence, allowing for more precise control, which I also experimented with this month.

Timeline: 1 Week (February 2024)

(breakdown pictured below)