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Claude and After Effects prompt sequence for building a 3D Plexus radial network animation
Prompt from @johncodunayo on X · ♥ 174
OtherAfter EffectsClaude Computer UsePlexus3DExplainer
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Reference prompt
Reconstructed
Prompt 0: Setup
Approach: Computer Use - from now, henceforth.
Setup: After Effects is open on Screen 2.
Goal: Configure the project and create 4 working comps, named Scene 1 through Scene 4, before anything is built. All 4 comps use the settings below.
Project settings:
- Color depth: 16 bpc
- Linear blending on
Comp settings:
- Resolution: 2880x1620, square pixels
- Frame rate: 30fps
- Background: warm
Don't ask any questions. Build.
Prompt 1: Plan the radial scene
Setup: Same project and comp. Plexus installed. Reference: Sketch
Goal: A radial plexus matching the sketch. All vertices start at a single centre point and spread outward in 3D. Lines grow from the centre to each endpoint. Each endpoint carries a different image. Camera with depth of field.
Reading the sketch:
- The circle is the origin. Every line starts there, none connect to each other.
- Line lengths and angles vary on purpose. Keep that irregularity, don't make it a perfect starburst.
- The sketch is 2D, but the build is 3D. Some lines should push toward and away from camera, not just across the frame.
Current state: Nothing built for this scene yet.
Constraints:
- Do not touch the project. Planning only, no computer use.
Approach: Consider the best possible way of achieving this. It should be able to be edited realtime as well. Prioritize using plexus
Output: A recommended approach with reasons. I'll approve before you build.
Prompt 2: Animate Scene 1 line connections
Setup: Switch to the Scene 1 comp. Park the Scene 2 plan, we'll return to it.
Goal: Lines animate their connections, drawing from one vertex to the next. Multiple lines draw at once in a staggered rhythm, not strictly one after another.
Current state: Network already built. Vertices and camera in place. Lines render as static, permanently connected geometry.
Constraints:
- Continue from my existing build. Don't rebuild or replace anything.
- Stagger must be per-connection, offset by vertex index. No single global keyframe driving all lines.
Approach: Use the Lines Renderer's progressive draw controls. If it can't stagger natively, tell me and propose an expression-driven alternative before building it.
Output: Build it with computer use. Tell me which parameters and expressions you used.
Prompt 3: Scene 2, build the base
Setup: Back to the Scene 2 comp. Other layers switched off so you can work faster.
Goal: The centre origin and lines radiating outward in 3D. That's it.
Current state: Plan from Prompt 1 approved.
Constraints:
- No endpoint images, no camera moves, no depth of field this pass.
- Vertices must be spread in Z, not scattered on a flat plane facing camera.
Approach: Build with the architecture from Prompt 1. Use computer use.
Output: Show me a frame when done, from an angle that proves the Z depth.
Prompt 4: Scale to 19 points with a count controller
Setup: Scene 2 comp, base build in place.
Goal: 19 total points, evenly spread in 3D around the centre, with a slider that controls how many are visible.
Current state: Centre plus original points built.
Constraints:
- Add 10 more points. Even spherical distribution, no clustering, no flat placement.
- All point layers stay in the comp permanently. Nothing gets deleted.
Approach:
- Create a null called CONTROLLER.
- Add a Slider Control named "Point Count", range 0 to 19.
- Drive each point's opacity with an expression: if layer index > slider value, opacity 0, otherwise 100.
Output: Build the points and verify spacing first, then wire the controller. Give me the expression you used.
Prompt 5: Centre sphere and global transform rig
Setup: Scene 2 comp, 19 points with count controller working.
Goal:
1. Centre point renders as a plain sphere, different from the textured outer points.
2. One control that rotates and moves the whole structure as a single unit.
Current state: Centre uses the same textured point style as the rest.
Constraints:
- Rotation and position must move the whole system without changing point positions relative to each other.
- No keyframes. I want manual control.
Approach:
- Centre: if the Points Renderer only allows one global point type, split the centre into its own Plexus object or renderer so it can be styled separately.
- Transform: use a Plexus Transform Effector on all vertices, or a parent null for the whole system. Pick whichever keeps the structure rigid.
- Expose X, Y, Z rotation and X, Y, Z position on the CONTROLLER null.
Output: Build it, then tell me which method you chose and why.Customize this prompt for my productOnly your product name is required. Nothing is uploaded.