Ae Liquid Glass

AE Liquid Glass — built-in effects only

Port of the reference recipe (no plugins) onto the ae_* surface, re-verified against the video's on-screen panels (screen values beat narration where they differed). Reference build: 3840×2160 @25 fps, pill 755×469, Roundness 368 — all px values are 4K; halve them for 1080p. Parametric: pill = W×H rounded rect (roundness ≥ H/2 = capsule).

Target look (what "correct" is): bright thin arcs on the TOP-LEFT and BOTTOM-RIGHT rims only; a whisper-subtle light-gray inner rim (NOT a dark outline); background visibly BENDS in a band along the top and bottom edges and is soft-blurred + slightly magnified (×1.1) across the interior; a soft shadow floats below. If you see a dark rim, or the interior distorts uniformly with no edge band — a step below went wrong (see the checklist at the end).

THE default path: one call

Two modes — pick by what exists:

• An element already exists (navbar, button, badge, logo, TEXT — any layer with alpha) → ae_build_liquid_glass({compositionName, sourceLayerName:"<that layer>"}). Its duplicate becomes an alpha-clipped adjustment carrying the whole stack (no mattes, follows ANY geometry), the refraction rim derives from its own alpha, and a <name> Controller null exposes LIVE sliders (Refraction 50 / Frost 12 / Glass Opacity 100 / Magnify 120) — tweak look by setting slider values, no rebuild. hideSource:false keeps the original visible under the glass; rimWidth (20) sets the bend band.
• Building the glass from scratch over a background → pill mode below.

1. Background = ONE layer: if it's several layers (video + text + fills), ae_precompose_layers them into a single BG precomp first (stays live-editable inside).
2. ae_build_liquid_glass({compositionName, backgroundLayerName:"BG", width, height, centerX, centerY}) — builds the ENTIRE rig below in one deterministic ExtendScript run: real strokes, layer-reference params set by index, pill-tracked refraction-map precomp, CTRL null. Call it BY NAME even if it's not in your visible tool list (the roster is platform-cached). Optional knobs: tintColor/tintOpacity, refraction (−60 subtle…−160 heavy), frost (20/40/60), magnify (105–115), shapeType:"ellipse", shadow:false, name prefix for multiple glasses. refractionMode:"radial" (default) bends the background at ALL edges via two orthogonal ring maps — the surface-normal behavior of real glass (per published liquid-glass optics analysis: displacement follows the bezel normal, refraction concentrated in the rim, specular ≈ −60°); "vertical" reproduces the tutorial's top/bottom-only look.
3. Read the returned report — every line is a set-value read-back; any FAILED/NOT FOUND names the exact broken step (popup enums like sweep Shape=Smooth and Luminance are the usual suspects — fix that one thing via ae_modify_effect_properties/ae_set_effect_expression).
4. ae_export_frame and CHECK against the target look (above) + the checklist (below). Animate by keyframing ONLY the <name> CTRL null's Position/Scale.
5. Finish it — package the rig, repair the references packaging breaks, and verify the result in AE. See Finish the build below; a correct frame at the build position is not a finished component, and this step is not optional.

The manual recipe below is the FALLBACK (tool unavailable / partial repair) and the reference for what the tool builds.

Prerequisite (manual path)

The glass refracts ONE layer. If the background is several layers (video + text + fills), ae_precompose_layers them into a single BG precomp first — it becomes the Bump Map source and stays live-editable inside.

The stack (top → bottom; build in this order, then reorder once)

Every pill layer is ae_add_shape_layer({shapeType:"rectangle", size:[W,H], roundness: H/2, position:[x,y]}) at the SAME size/position as Main (there is no duplicate-layer tool — create each; identical geometry is what keeps the rig aligned).

Build steps (values = the recipe's, verified from the tutorial)

1. Main — white pill, then hide it (ae_modify_layer has no visibility param — leave it under the stack and matte-reference it; if a visible ghost shows, set its Opacity 0). Never put effects on Main: it is the geometry/matte source only.
2. Edge Shine — pill, fill BLACK, blend add (ae_set_blending_mode). Apply CC Light Sweep twice (ae_apply_effect, raw matchName):
   • Sweep A: Direction −64° (top-left rim), Shape Smooth, Width 120, Sweep Intensity 0, Edge Intensity 60, Edge Thickness 0.8, Light Color white.
   • Sweep B: same but Direction +118° (bottom-right rim).
   • Glue each Center to the guide: ae_set_effect_expression({effectName:"CC Light Sweep", propName:"Center", expression:'L=thisComp.layer("Main"); L.toComp(L.anchorPoint)'}). (The video pick-whips plain Main.position — that works there because ITS rig links, never parents. OUR rig parents Main to CTRL, which makes position layer-local — toComp is the parent-proof equivalent, same value in the unparented case.)
3. Edge Darkness — the color is BRIGHT light-gray #EAEAEA = {r:0.92,g:0.92,b:0.92} (the video overlays "bright" on screen; the narration's "dark tone" is wrong — at Multiply a light gray darkens the rim by only ~8%, which is the whole point). A dark fill here produces a heavy dark outline — the #1 way this build goes wrong. Pill with that fill, ADBE Gaussian Blur 2 Blurriness 15, blend multiply. Ring it: build ED-hole (same pill + ADBE Simple Choker* Choke Matte +3), then ae_set_track_matte({layerName:"Edge Darkness", matteLayerName:"ED-hole", type:"alphaInverted"}). (The original is a 5 px CENTERED stroke clipped by the Main matte → only its inner ~2.5 px shows; hence choke 3, not 5–6.)
4. Shadow — pill below Main, ADBE Drop Shadow: Opacity 30%, Direction 180°, Distance 30, Softness 80, Shadow Only ON → only the soft floor shadow renders. (The original casts from a 10 px stroke ring, not a filled slab — a filled pill throws a slightly fuller shadow; if it reads heavy, drop Opacity to ~20–25%.)
5. Refraction Map (the displacement source) — pill, fill gray {r:0.46,g:0.46,b:0.46} (#767676); ae_apply_gradient({stops:[{r:0,g:0,b:0},{r:1,g:1,b:1}], type:"linear"}) then pin the ramp to the PILL, not the comp: set Start of Ramp = [cx, cy − H/2] and End of Ramp = [cx, cy + H/2] via ae_modify_effect_properties — the gradient must run black→white across the pill's own height (verified on-screen: ring top is BLACK, ring bottom WHITE, centre neutral). A comp-wide default ramp leaves the ring mid-gray → near-zero displacement → "no refraction". Then ADBE Gaussian Blur 2 Blurriness 30; ring it like step 3 with RM-hole at Choke Matte +35 (the original is a 70 px CENTERED gradient stroke, matte-clipped to its inner half). Hide the result (Opacity 0 — it must not render).
6. Effects — ae_add_adjustment_layer, position it just above Shadow, ae_set_track_matte(type:"alpha", matteLayerName:"Main"), then stack IN THIS ORDER:
   • CC Glass*: Surface → Bump Map = the BG precomp layer, Property Lightness, Softness 50, Height stays default 25, Displacement 100; Light → Intensity 65, Height 60; Shading → Ambient 70, Diffuse 60 (Specular/Roughness/Metal stay default).
   • CC Lens*: Center — same toComp expression as step 2; Size — expression s=thisComp.layer("Main").content("Rectangle 1").content("Rectangle Path 1").size; Math.max(s[0],s[1])*0.025 multiplier is 0.025 — CC Lens Size is in its OWN units, not px (default 18.5; the final on-screen value is 18.9 for a 755×469 pill). A mid-video panel briefly shows a manual probe of ~500 — that state is REPLACED by the expression; do not scale k to "cover the corners" in pixels. Tune k only 0.02–0.04. Convergence 80.
   • ADBE Displacement Map*: Displacement Map Layer = Refraction Map, source Effects & Masks, Max Horizontal 0, Max Vertical −110 → the refracting rim. (Original panel: Use For Vertical = Luminance; with a grayscale map the default Green channel is numerically identical — leave the enum alone if setting it fails.)
   • Transform (ADBE Geometry2): Anchor Point AND Position — the toComp expression from step 2; Scale 110 → subtle magnification of what's behind the glass.
   • ADBE Gaussian Blur 2: Blurriness 40, added LAST (after Transform) — the frosted backdrop blur that blends the distortion. Effect ORDER in this stack matters: Glass → Lens → Displacement → Transform → Blur.
7. Color (optional tint) — pill just above Main, fill white (the recipe's default; any brand color works), Opacity ~40%, no matte — this is what sells "frosted" on dark backgrounds.
8. Order + animation — ae_reorder_layers to the stack above; ae_add_null_layer CTRL; parent Main, Edge Shine, Edge Darkness, Color, Refraction Map, RM/ED holes, Shadow, Effects to it (ae_modify_layer parentLayerName). Animate ONLY the null: Position / Scale keyframes (ae_set_keyframes) + easy ease. The toComp expressions keep sweeps/lens/transform glued.
   • Corner-morph animation (animating Roundness over time) is NOT MCP-reachable (shape-path properties can't be keyframed through the tools) — set Roundness at build time; a morphing variant is an author-in-AE note for the user.
9. Verify visually — ae_export_frame mid-animation (~0.5 s in): the rim must show BOTH sweeps, the ring refraction must bend the background at the edges, and the interior must be blurred + slightly magnified. No refraction → check step 6's Displacement Map layer reference and that Refraction Map sits at the same position/size as Main.

Look levers (what to change per brief)

• Frost amount = final Gaussian Blur (20 subtle / 40 recipe / 60 heavy).
• Backdrop saturation — real glass materials BOOST saturation behind them (~130%); the tool does this by default (saturation param; 100 = off). Without it frosted glass reads gray/dead.
• Refraction strength = Max Vertical Displacement (−60 subtle … −160 heavy) + ring thickness (RM-hole choke 20–45).
• Glass "thickness" = CC Lens Convergence (60–95) + Transform Scale (105–115).
• Rim light = Edge Intensity (40–80) / Width (80–160); flip Directions for a different key light. Keep BOTH sweeps — single-rim glass reads as plastic.
• Dark UI: on light backgrounds drop Edge Darkness opacity to ~50%; on dark backgrounds raise the tint layer instead.

Finish the build: package, reconnect, verify (mandatory)

A rig that renders correctly once is not the deliverable. The deliverable is a component that keeps working after it is moved, duplicated, nested and put over different content. Do not report the glass done until the four gates below pass. This is where ae-clean-rig's editable-rig requirements and its delivery checks apply to this rig specifically; the doctrine there governs, this section is only how it lands here.

1. Package it as one named unit

• Precompose the whole stack — Main, the Effects adjustment, the Refraction Map, the tint and shadow layers — into one semantic precomp named for what the component is. Keep the source element editable inside it: text stays a text layer, an icon stays its own layer.
• Keep the <name> CTRL null inside the package and expose Refraction, Frost, Glass Opacity and Magnify on the parent instance through Essential Properties, so the look is adjustable from outside without opening the precomp.
• The background stays OUTSIDE the package. A glass component that carries its own background is a picture of glass, and it cannot be placed over anything else.

2. Packaging breaks two things — repair both on purpose

Both are silent. Neither shows up as an error, and both survive a build-time frame check, so repair them as part of packaging rather than waiting for the look to fail.

• Layer-reference params are index-based. CC Glass Bump Map and the ADBE Displacement Map layer are set by integer index. Precomposing, reordering, duplicating or importing shifts every index in the comp, so those references quietly point at the wrong layer or at none. After any structural move, set them again and read them back with ae_list_effects; a swallowed set still reports success.
• thisComp.layer("Main") and toComp() resolve against the containing comp. Nesting the rig changes what thisComp refers to and which comp space toComp maps into, so the sweep centres, the lens centre and the Transform anchor drift off the pill. Move the whole rig together as one unit, then re-render and confirm the rims still sit on the edges.

3. Connect a new background

The rig refracts ONE layer, so putting it over different content is a reconnection, not a rebuild.

• Replace the contents of the BG precomp, or re-point the Bump Map at the new background layer. If the new background is several layers, ae_precompose_layers them into one first.
• Re-point the Refraction Map source and re-pin its ramp to the pill's current position and size, or the bend band will sit where the old pill was.
• Needing a rebuild to change what is behind the glass means the rig was not packaged. Fix the packaging rather than rebuilding.

4. Verify in AE, on the composition, after the change

The build-time report and a preview frame prove only that the rig assembled. Export frames from the actual composition after each change and read them:

• one frame over the NEW background — confirm the rim band bends that background, not a remembered one;
• one frame with the CTRL null moved to a different position — confirm the sweeps, lens and magnification travel with it and nothing clips at the pill edge;
• one frame after a real content edit inside the package, such as a longer word or a different icon — confirm the alpha-derived refraction follows the new shape.

A tool call that returned success is not evidence, and a rig that only holds at its original position and its original background has not met this gate.

"Doesn't look right" checklist (symptom → the step that went wrong)

NEEDS-LIVE-VERIFY (undocumented contracts — check on first run, don't assume)

• Layer-reference effect params (CC Glass Bump Map, ADBE Displacement Map layer) via ae_modify_effect_properties — pass the target layer's INDEX (integer). If the set is silently swallowed, read back with ae_list_effects/ae_get_layer_info and report the gap.
• Enum params as integers (Property=Lightness, Behavior=Effects & Masks).
• ADBE Simple Choker matchName; CC Lens/CC Glass presence (Cycore ships with AE, same family as CC Light Sweep which is already proven on this server).