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Advanced Lightning is a plugin for After Effects that is meant to generate realistic lightning. It is the sucessor to

Advanced Lightning 2

Advanced Lightning can be used to make very realistic lightning.

lightning, although the latter is not completely useless in all situations.

Advanced Lightning

Advanced Lightning

Usage[]

Generally, Advanced Lightning is only useful for visual effects, as nearly any other practical usage is inefficient and can likely be substituted, such as in title introductions.

Properties[]

Lightning Type

  • Direction: Lightning is directed in a predefined location. It does not stop at the Direction position.
  • Strike: Lightning is directed in a predefined location. The lightning ends at Direction position.
  • Breaking: Creates a rapid, broken, spread-out bolt.
  • Bouncey: Emits the lightning very close to the Origin. Keeps the lightning very close together, in a fuzzball-like shape.
  • -Line Break-
  • Omni: Lightning is emitted downward from the Origin. Outer Radius modifies a linear wipe on the lightning.
  • Anywhere: Lightning is emitted literally everywhere downward. Outer Radius performs the same as Omni.
  • Vertical: Only uses one location; the Origin.
  • Two-Way Strike: Works exactly the same as Strike, except has two strikes combined.

Origin: XY value that affects the position of where the lightning is emitted from.

Direction: XY value that affects the position in which the lightning emits toward. Also affects the ending position for Strike and Two-Way Strike.

Outer Radius: Exclusive to Omni and Anywhere. Affects a simple vertical wipe.

Conductivity State: Changes the seed of the lightning. Can be animated to simulate lightning movement.

Core Settings

  • Core Radius: Changes the size of the core of the lightning.
  • Core Opacity: Changes the opacity of the core.
  • Core Color: Changes the color of the core.

Glow Settings

  • Glow Radius: Changes the size of the glow emitted from the core.
  • Glow Opacity: Changes the opacity of the glow.
  • Glow Color: Changes the color of the glow.

'Alpha Obstacle:' (Under Research) Changes alpha of certain forks in the lightning. Appears to be useless.

Turbulence: Modifies forking seed. Another way to animate lightning.

Forking: Percentage of 1-100% affecting how much the lightning forks.

Decay: Changes how much the lightning decays from the core. A higher value decreases the spread of forks.

Checkbox - Decay Main Core: Affects as to whether the main core should decay or not.

Checkbox - Composite on Original: Affects as to whether the effect should add transparency or keep the background the layer currently has.



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