The Tools bar's Snapping options menu (#265) offered per-feature
toggles (Edges, Corners, Centers, Anchor Points, Mask and Shape Path
Points) that After Effects' Snapping menu doesn't have. It now has the
two After Effects has:
- Snap Edges Extended (as before).
- Snap to Features in Collapsed Compositions and Text Layers: the
visible layers inside a precomp layer with Collapse Transformations
on are snap targets too, mapped into the outer comp (points always,
edge lines while the precomp layer is unrotated); a snap highlights
the precomp layer. Nested collapsed precomps are followed eight deep.
Every layer feature snaps again (corners, edge midpoints, centre,
anchor point, mask and shape path points); the snapping engine itself
is unchanged. `view.snappingOptions` takes `edgesExtended` and
`collapsedFeatures` (and `toggle` of either); the old keys are refused.
Test: collapsed_precomp_features_snap (fails before: no such option),
snapping_options_command_sets_and_toggles (the per-feature keys are
refused), snapping_options_pick_the_targets (AE behaviour kept: edges
extended or not, hidden layers, guides only), and the Snapping menu UI
test (only the two options are listed).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Dragging a layer already snapped its feature nearest the pointer to
other layers' edges, corners, centres, anchor points and path points
and to the comp's edges and centre, and Cmd/Ctrl held during the drag
already turned snapping on or off against the checkbox. What was
missing were After Effects' Snapping options beside the Tools bar's
checkbox. The new menu turns Snap Edges Extended off (a layer's edges
then snap only along the layer, not across the comp) and each feature
family (edges, corners, centres, anchor points, mask and shape path
points) on or off, for the dragged layer's snap features and for the
targets alike. Agents set them with view.snappingOptions.
Layers whose eye is off (or that a solo hides) are no longer snap
targets, mask and shape path points of the dragged layer snap too, and
while snapping is on the feature that snaps is boxed during the drag.
Test: layer_drag_snaps_to_other_layers_edges_ctrl_toggles_and_options_apply
(UI), snapping_options_pick_the_targets and
snapping_options_command_sets_and_toggles (engine).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The Tools bar had Fill and Stroke swatches and a Stroke Width, kept in
the interface only, so agents couldn't set them and new shapes could
only be a solid fill with a solid stroke. As in After Effects:
- With a shape layer selected and a shape tool or the Pen active, Tool
Creates Shape / Tool Creates Mask choose whether drawing adds shapes
to the layer or masks on it (Fill and Stroke hide while drawing
masks).
- Clicking the word "Fill" or "Stroke" opens Fill Options / Stroke
Options: None, Solid Color, Linear Gradient or Radial Gradient, the
blend mode and the opacity. The swatches show the kind; Alt-click
steps through the kinds.
- New shapes and Pen paths are painted with them: a Gradient Fill or
Gradient Stroke across the shape for the gradient kinds.
The options are engine state (EditorState.shape_tool) set with the new
shape.toolOptions command; shape.newShape and shape.newPath use them
unless given paint parameters (which now include fillType, fillBlend,
fillOpacity and their stroke twins; layer.newShape takes them too). A
Pen path without paint parameters now takes the Tools bar's stroke
(none by default) instead of a fixed 2 px white one. layer.addMask also
draws rounded rectangle, polygon and star masks, so every shape tool
makes a mask on a selected footage or solid layer (rounded rectangles,
polygons and stars made a new shape layer).
Test: shape_tool_options_paint_new_shapes,
masks_of_every_shape_tool_kind,
tool_creates_mask_draws_a_mask_on_the_selected_shape_layer,
fill_options_paint_the_next_shape.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
With a shape layer selected, the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse,
Polygon and Star tools made a new shape layer for every shape. After
Effects draws into the selected shape layer instead: the shape becomes a
new group on top of its Contents ("Rectangle 2", ...), placed by the
group's Transform. The new shape.newShape command does that (in the
layer's space, so a moved or scaled layer still gets the shape where it
was drawn), and makes a new shape layer only when no unlocked shape
layer is selected. The viewer's shape tools use it; masks on other
selected layers are unchanged. layer.newShape and the Pen's
shape.newPath share its layer and Contents helpers.
Test: shape_tools_draw_into_the_selected_shape_layer,
shape_tool_draws_into_the_selected_shape_layer.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Shapes (SHP-2): Stroke Taper (pixels/percent start/end length, width, ease) and
Wave (amount, pixels/cycles, wavelength, phase) rendered as a variable-width
outline; Dash 2/Gap 2/Dash 3/Gap 3 (shape.dashes.add/remove, timeline +/-
buttons); radial gradient Highlight Length/Angle as a focal gradient.
Masks (MSK-1): mask feather points on the Mask Path (mask.featherPoint.*,
Mask Feather tool add/drag), per-point signed radius and tension, rendered
from the signed distance to the path; carried through vertex edits.
Motion blur (LYR-10): Adaptive Sample Limit comp setting; 2D layers take one
sample per pixel of shutter travel between Samples Per Frame and the limit.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Composition viewer interaction parity with After Effects:
- Snapping (View > Snapping, the Tools bar checkbox, Cmd/Ctrl inverts while
dragging): layer edges, centres and anchor points, mask and shape-path
vertices, comp edges/centre, guides (Snap to Guides) and grid (Snap to
Grid), with highlighted target box / line / cross feedback. Pure maths in
engine::viewer (nearest target within tolerance, priority ties).
- Rulers (Cmd+R) with live pointer markers and a draggable zero point;
guides dragged out of the rulers, moved in the viewer, dragged off to
remove (view.moveGuide / view.removeGuide), lock respected; proportional
grid.
- Show Channel (RGB/Red/Green/Blue/Alpha/RGB Straight, Colorize), exposure
(+/- stops in linear light, reset), Take Snapshot (Shift+F5) with a stored
render and Show Snapshot (F5 held / button held), Fast Previews (Off,
Adaptive Resolution, Draft, Fast Draft, Wireframe), Resolution > Custom.
- Region of interest: drawn in the viewer; RenderOpts.roi renders only that
rectangle (crop of the full render, tested), Crop Comp to ROI uses it.
- Bottom bar in AE 2026 order ("136.1 %", "(Full)").
- Shape Pen (SHP-1): Pen on a shape layer / nothing selected draws Shape n
groups (Path 1, Stroke 1, Fill 1) via shape.newPath; the G slot cycles
Add / Delete / Convert Vertex and Mask Feather; mask.* vertex commands
work on shape paths; mask.insertVertex / mask.convertVertex; marquee
vertex selection, Alt-drag/click converts, double-click free transform
box (path.freeTransform on masks and shape paths).
- Motion paths (ANM-3): keyframe dots and spatial tangent handles, dragging
keys (keys.set) and tangents (keys.setSpatialTangents), parented layers.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
