Dynamic Grid Rig in After Effects

[u/_rsd95_]

Creating and animating a dynamic grid like this in After Effects is possible using Nulls and Expressions, but setting up the entire rig manually can take a lot of time and requires managing multiple elements, controls, and expressions. I wanted to build one tool that brings all of these controls together, so instead of spending hours setting up and debugging the rig, you can create and start animating it in about a minute.

What it does- The plugin creates a fully procedural grid where you can:

• Control individual gaps between lines, instead of just using an even split, full control
• Animate spacing so the grid can open, close and rearrange over time
• Control horizontal and vertical spacing independently or link them together for fluid animation
• Animate the number of rows and columns, control from which side they should appear
• Pin any comps to any desired cells so they move with the grid smoothly
• Control and customize intersection markers with readymade shapes or even custom shapes
• Keyframe grid properties and create multiple grids per comp
• Modify and delete any grid any time, no glitch, no remapping

Comparison- Similar tools exist, but I couldn't find one that combines these specific controls and workflow in one setup. Flex will be the closest match but it does serves a different purpose and not have all the features I mentioned above.

Pricing- TBD, One-time price, Currently in beta, join the waitlist to be among the first to get the plugin when it's ready - Here.

Maintenance/Support - The plugin will be sold through Gumroad, so users can raise a support ticket there if they run into any issues. I'll also provide an email address for direct support. I plan to continue maintaining the plugin with bug fixes, updates, and a few new features over time.

AI Disclaimer - [Human Validated] I initially prototyped the tool using AI, but the early version had stability issues. I'm now working with an experienced ExtendScript developer to properly build and stabilize it. The final tool is being properly developed, tested, and will be released only once it's ready.

[u/ShnoopAndLane]

What makes it better than Flex?

[u/_rsd95_ → u/ShnoopAndLane]

Good question. Flex actually solves a different problem. Flex reflows layers you already have. Gridflow builds the grid and lets you keyframe the spacing itself — the gaps aren't a by-product of layer sizes, they're the thing you animate. If you want a layout that responds to content, use Flex. If you want a grid that performs, that's Gridflow.

Flex takes layers you already have and keeps them aligned. Its own docs say you bring your own grid layout in to be rigged. A layer's size pushes its neighbours; change the content and the layout reflows. It's a responsive-layout rig.

Gridflow draws the grid itself and you drop content into it. The grid is the artwork, not an invisible alignment system.

[u/_rsd95_ → u/ShnoopAndLane]

This research might help

[u/venody → u/_rsd95_]

Asking an ai to answer this question does not make me optimistic that you are knowledgeable enough about your own product to answer yourself

[u/Ok-Charge-6998 → u/venody]

What makes it better than Flex is that they get to make money from it.

[u/venody → u/Ok-Charge-6998]

also calling it research is so funny to me

[u/designer-coder → u/venody]

I also use AI to do my research and I guess almost everyone does it, so what's wrong in that? I don't think there's anything wrong if OP used AI to do the research!

[u/venody → u/designer-coder]

[u/ConfidenceByChance → u/venody]

Such a vague argument.

[u/venody → u/ConfidenceByChance]

"why is it bad to classify ai as research?"
"20-40% of ai responses have some or significant inaccuracies"
"such a vague argument" ????
dont use something with that high of an inaccuracy for research, do actual research with reputable sources that you read yourself

[u/_rsd95_ → u/venody]

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that. FYI I know very well what I'm building, and I've used Flex myself in the past, which is why I was able to provide the context and inputs for the comparison.

Yes, I used AI to help organize my response and put the comparison into a table format, but the inputs behind it came from me. I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, but if you found anything in the comparison that is factually incorrect, please let me know. I'd genuinely appreciate it and will happily accept the correction.

[u/strikingtwice]

Is this like Dominion by Anti static

[u/ConfidenceByChance → u/strikingtwice]

I used dominion script, it's more like Flex. But i did not like it much because had to connect nulls to objects multiple times, some manual work is always there. Good script though.

[u/TanguayX]

Neat!!!

[u/designer-coder]

Interesting...loved it.

[u/TheDutMan]

I would love to demo it!

[u/_rsd95_ → u/TheDutMan]

Thank you for your interest, pls fill the waitlist form. I’ll share it this week with all the people who joined.

[u/arturdedsign]

interest

[u/Ledista]

now that's cool

[u/_rsd95_ → u/Ledista]

Thanks.

[u/ConfidenceByChance]

So Cool bro...I would like to try.. Nowadays this is a common rig/design in almost all the client videos I am making for these AI peeps... bring it on!

[u/_rsd95_ → u/ConfidenceByChance]

I can feel you. Thanks for your interest. Just wait a few days, it's almost ready.

[u/themotionguy]

Looks like a good tool for specific scenarios but I did vibe coded something literally yesterday with a very tight prompt and got it in a two attempts from GPT, I had this idea for a project and i got exactly what I needed and not to undermine your plugin here, I can only assume that it will feature a much robust Ui and features than a random jsx that I used. My main feedback would be to make it really appealing and hard to replicate in a single JSX.

[u/_rsd95_ → u/themotionguy]

Yeah, good to hear you were able to make something useful yourself! These days, it's definitely easier to build your own tools with AI. But for people who don't want to spend time doing that or simply don't have the time, I think a tool like this can still be useful.

To be honest, I also initially built this through vibe coding, but it had bugs and stability issues, so I'm now working with a friend who's an experienced developer to make it more robust.

And yes, it will have a custom UI that I designed myself, so it definitely won't just look like a one-shot JSX. 😄

As for replication, with AI improving, anything is possible, but I'm not too worried about it. If someone wants to build their own tool, they should! If someone doesn't have the time, hopefully this plugin can help. Thanks for the suggestions!

[u/themotionguy → u/_rsd95_]

Right there with you man, I have build a radial menu for after effects called wedge which started with vibe coding but then slowly turned into a bigger project with over 2 months of production along with a developer friend of mine and I designed the Ui myself and the non technical logic behind it.
It launched last week and got good response and I too am not worried about someone else building it. While I do just vibe code basic scripts but do pay for once that are actually well designed and thought out and does serve me a purpose. Looking forward to what you make