Table of Contents
Aescripts AEPathfinder
AEPathfinder is an After Effects extension developed to mimic Adobe Illustrator’s legendary “Pathfinder” tool.
In Illustrator, the Pathfinder panel allows you to perform Boolean operations (addition, subtraction, intersection, exclusion) on vector shapes with just one click. AEPathfinder brings that exact experience to After Effects. Instead of struggling with the “Add” and “Subtract” properties in the Merge Paths group of Shape Layers, you now have an intuitive control panel to trim shapes instantly.
The core difference is that AEPathfinder actually recalculates anchor points and Bézier curves to create a complete new path, rather than just creating a simulated visual effect.
AEPathfinder changes that. It enables true shape-layer processing, allowing you to combine, split, trim, and animate vector shapes across single or multiple layer. See more Aescripts AE GPT
Features
- Tools AE Never Had
- AE’s built-in tools allow shape merging but lack options for dividing, trimming, cropping, or outlining vector shapes.AEPathfinder introduces these as one-click operations.
- Fast & Flexible
- No more manually copying paths. Select a layer or multiple shape layers, apply an operation, and get an instant, editable result.
- Non-Destructive Workflow and no expressions used.
- AEPathfinder generates new shape layers, allowing you to experiment freely without modifying the originals. Or keep CTRL/CMD during the process to delete the sources layers [works also with SHIFT or ALT]
- New Possibilities for Motion Design!
- From splitting shapes to masking and animated reveals, AEPathfinder expands how designers can manipulate vector-based motion graphics.
- The tool’s intelligence lies in its dual functionality:
- Select a single layer, and you get direct access to After Effects’ built-in merging options.
- Select multiple shape layers, and AEPathfinder creates a new shape layer while preserving your sources.
- After processing, designers can use the “split shapes” feature to separate results into individual elements for animation.
- AEPathfinder UI
- Common uses:
- When creating UI animations, designers can quickly process menu icons or buttons into separate elements for smooth state transitions.
- For logo reveals, complex vector marks can be divided and processed while maintaining mathematical precision, ready for animation.
- AEPathfinder fills an essential gap in After Effects’ vector workflow.
- Split paths for dynamic reveals, outline shapes for precise stroke animations, and explode or merge layers.
- Basic Boolean Operations
- AEPathfinder provides four familiar main function buttons:
- Union: Combines all selected shapes into a single surrounding shape.
- Subtract: Uses the top shape to cut the bottom shape (creates a hole).
- Intersect: Retains only the overlapping area between shapes.
- Exclude: Retains all shapes but removes the overlapping area (the opposite of Intersect).
- Three Smart Workflow Modes
- Beyond just cutting and merging, AEPathfinder allows you to choose how the output appears:
- Duplicate (Default): Creates a new Shape Layer containing the cut and merge result, keeping the original layers so you can go back and edit if needed (Non-destructive workflow).
- Replace: Directly replaces the selected layers with the new result. This mode helps to clean up the project neatly (Destructive workflow).
- Property: Apply changes directly to the Path property of a single layer without creating a new layer.
- Supports Convert Stroke to Fill
- Another extremely useful feature is the ability to convert strokes into fills. This is incredibly helpful when designing icons or logos with strokes, but need animations that freely change the thickness of the strokes, something the Stroke Width property cannot do.
- Fix Open Paths
- When drawing quickly, designers often forget to close the path. This causes errors when coloring. AEPathfinder has an algorithm that automatically detects and smoothly connects the endpoints.
System requirements
- Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7/8/10/11
- Processor: Pentium IV and above
- RAM: 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
- Free hard disk space: 200 MB or more
- After Effects CS6 or higher
Aescripts AEPathfinder Free Download
AEPathfinder v1.0.7
AEPathfinder v1.0.06
Adobe Full
