<p>Assuming the same thing happens in each window...
Make the action that will be inside the first window in its own comp.
Then duplicate the comp 19 times, and use something like the brilliant <a href="http://aescripts.com/pt_shiftlayers/" rel="nofollow">pt_shiftlayers script</a> to stagger each of the layers half second after the previous one.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-10T11:43:20.973Z
another trick to sequence layers a custom amount is to hit "[" with them all selected to line them up to the same start point, then set their end point to the amount of offset you want between each one (move the playhead to that point and hit alt/option-"]"). Then from the menu or right-click choose Animation>Animation Assistant>Sequence Layers. Choose no overlap and they will sequence one after another. Now go to the end of the comp and hit "]" to extend them all to the end again. Sounds complicated but only involves three or four keystrokes and a couple of mouse clicks.
stib
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-09T21:05:56.120Z
2014-10-09T21:05:56.120Z
tomh
<p>I have a comp with 20 windows (for a building), that I want to animate in a cascading manner (i.e. windows 1 though 20) with half a second in between each window animates in.</p>

<p>Is there a way for me to define the animation once (i.e. scale from 0 to 100 and increase opacity from 0 to 100), then to apply it to all shapes with a defined space between each animation starting?</p>

<p>Thanks,
Andy.</p>

<after-effects><animation><after-effects-expressions>
Defining animation once, then repeating across a selection of shapes in a cascading manner?
Andy Cheeseman
# Defining animation once, then repeating across a selection of shapes in a cascading manner?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-09)

I have a comp with 20 windows (for a building), that I want to animate in a cascading manner (i.e. windows 1 though 20) with half a second in between each window animates in.

Is there a way for me to define the animation once (i.e. scale from 0 to 100 and increase opacity from 0 to 100), then to apply it to all shapes with a defined space between each animation starting?

Thanks,
Andy.

**Tags:** after-effects, animation, after-effects-expressions


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-10-09. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Assuming the same thing happens in each window...
Make the action that will be inside the first window in its own comp.
Then duplicate the comp 19 times, and use something like the brilliant [pt\_shiftlayers script](http://aescripts.com/pt_shiftlayers/) to stagger each of the layers half second after the previous one.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: another trick to sequence layers a custom amount is to hit "[" with them all selected to line them up to the same start point, then set their end point to the amount of offset you want between each one (move the playhead to that point and hit alt/option-"]"). Then from the menu or right-click choose Animation>Animation Assistant>Sequence Layers. Choose no overlap and they will sequence one after another. Now go to the end of the comp and hit "]" to extend them all to the end again. Sounds complicated but only involves three or four keystrokes and a couple of mouse clicks.  

---

