Limb Types

In the New Limb panel's Type dropdown you'll see six types of limb: Path, Taper, Circles, Shape, Precomp and Puppet.

The first four of these are all built with Shape Layers (denoted by a ★ symbol).

Path Limbs

Path Limb examples

A Path Limb is a simple, expression-driven path with a stroke, and it's very responsive. It has a Curvature property, which makes it perfect for Rubberhose style animation, or simple designs with a continuous bend through the joint. The Stroke properties of a path indicator will be transferred into a Path limb.

Path limbs are unusual in that their appearance is not controlled by properties for color, size etc. Instead, you can modify the stroke directly either by twirling down the layer in the timeline or using the Properties panel. The Stroke Width will still automatically adapt if the character is scaled. Folks often like to add more Strokes with Trim Paths or other effects, and keeping the base stroke simple makes this easier.

You can rig artwork into a Path limb, but it will not follow along or distort with the curvature. If you need artwork to stay rigid but follow the curve, try parenting it to a Locator. If you need artwork to distort with the curve, try a Puppet Limb.

Taper Limbs

Taper Limb examples

Taper Limbs are formed from tapering lozenge shapes that rotate perfectly at the joints. Each of the two sections of a taper is split into two colors, and the splits can be 'rounded' to give a sense of faux-3D perspective. If you use Circle indicators, their colors and sizes will be transferred into a Taper.

You can rig artwork into a Taper limb, but a Circle limb might be better…

Circle Limbs

Circle Limb examples. Some were inspired by Gaspart and Marylou Faure.

Circle Limbs are designed specifically for rigging your own vector artwork into. They have circles at the joints which always rotate perfectly, whilst the artwork you rig in-between them will stretch and compress when the limb changes length. Circle limbs run faster than Tapers. The sizes and colors of circle indicators will be passed into a Circle limb.

Shape Limbs

Shape Limbs are for when you want only your own shape layer artwork (they're essentially Circle limbs without the circles).

Precomp Limbs

Precomp Limb examples.

Precomp limbs are built inside a precomp instead of a shape layer, and you can rig any kind of artwork into a precomp limb, including raster layers.

You can do whatever you like to artwork layers inside a Precomp limb - add more layers, apply effects or expressions to them, add their properties to Essential Graphics, precompose them… anything After Effects can do, you can do. Just make sure that any artwork layers are parented to either the Upper Art Parent or Lower Art Parent.

Precomp limbs are always set to continuously rasterize, and they need to stay like that to work properly.

Resetting Precomp Limb Pivot Points

Inside a precomp limb, the Upper Art Parent, Lower Art Parent and End layers are the limb's pivot points - where you placed your indicators when you made the limb. If you un-parent artwork from these layers, it won't move with the limb until you re-parent it back again.

To adjust the pivot points, you can use After Effects' Anchor Point Tool to move the Anchor Points of the pivot layers without moving the layers themselves. Then, you must then click the Reset button, which tells Limber to reset everything based on the new pivots: you'll see the pivots re-center around the Anchor Points that you moved.

In the video below, when the limb is moved, the artwork sticks out awkwardly. Inside the limb layer precomp, I re-position the Lower Art Parent and End layer's Anchor Points. Then I click Reset, and back in the main comp, everything works better.

Use the Reset button if you change the pivots in a precomp limb.

Resetting Precomp Limb Durations

If a Precomp Limb ends up with a shorter duration than the comp it's in, you'll often want to extend it. Select one or more Precomp limb layers in the timeline, hold Option / Alt and click the Reset button. Limber will extend the duration of the limbs, and layers inside them, to match the duration of the longest comp in which they are used.

You can also select limb comps in the Limber Limbs folder in the Project Panel, and Option / Alt + Reset their durations from there.

Puppet Limbs

Puppet Limb examples

Puppet limbs are a layer that you've added three puppet pins to, which Limber then links up to it's controllers when you click OK.

To make a puppet limb, you'll need to place the pins in the right order - from the hip outwards (or just click and drag to re-order them in the timeline). We recommend using a straight or near-straight pose in your source artwork if possible.

Puppet limb-itations

Puppet limbs have some limitations due to the nature of the puppet tool itself. They cannot use Indicators, you can’t add more artwork into them, and you cannot make a puppet limb from continuously rasterized layers, including shape layers (precomp it first). Locators won't always ‘stick’ to Puppet limbs as they do with other limb types - adding Starch Pins can sometimes help.