AE SDK wrapper

Question

Hi
I've just been working on a project writing AE plugins - mostly fairly basic things like drawing and animating geometric shapes. This has been my first foray into After Effects plugins. However in doing so I must confess to finding the API painful and the documentation impenetrable. It has taken me the best part of a year working on-and-off on this project to feel comfortable writing basic plugins - and I never even got as far as smart plugins.
Anyway, along the way I've begun to write a series of C++ wrappers around the API to manage resources, things like an multi-d array class to correctly handle AE memory management, some transformation code using the after effect matrix structure and the beginnings of a World class for managing AE_Worlds and doing drawing etc. I was wondering if there was any demand for this kind of thing in the community and if it was worth me developing further? The kind of thing I'm imagining is a more object oriented and easier to use interface to the SDK, with better resource management - to save the memory leaks. I know the code I've written already has massively speeded up my plugin development and reduced bugs. Maybe it would be some help to others.
In the end though, I'm self employed so it boils down to would anyone be interested enough in a "nice" API interface to buy it and make it worth my time developing. I wondered if anyone here had any thoughts or even might be interested in a finshed product?
Phil

Answer 1

well, here are my 2 cents about this issue.
any modernisation of the AE API would be a welcome change. i of course am
using my own libs made over time.
will there be a demand for a payed AE super lib? i'll try to break it down,
to the best of my knowledge.
from what i gathered from my years at the forum, there are 3 demographics
here.
i'd say the breakdown is like so (based on intuition, not research):
1. 30% are complete noobs, with very little or no programming experience,
usually AE artists with an idea they'd like to fiddle with.
noobs are less likely to buy a library, as they have little prospect of
what their product will become. it's more of an intellectual challenge for
them, and actually using a crude c code is easier for a noob than learning
c++ concepts. however, noobs can evolve into semi-pros.
common problems noobs hit:
a. adding new params (to be set at 3 different places).
b. allocation and deallocation of objects.
c. image processing, not via a suite.
d. a dire need for better sample projects.
2. 50% are semi pro programmers with AE experience, and a better grip of
what their idea entails, and what it's worth.
semi-pros may buy a library, if they had failed at solving a certain
problem by themselves and the price is right. i'd imagine most semi-pros
develop on their spare time and make a living elsewhere, so they'd rather
spend more time than spend money. (again, until they hit a wall or come to
a realization that it's better to buy a lib)
common problems semi-pros hit:
a. combination of AEGP style project operations in an EFFECT plug-in.
b. custom UIs.
c. an even bigger dire need for better sample projects than that of a noob.
3. 20% are professional programmers, with little or no AE experience,
executing a commissioned work by a 3rd party.
commissioned pros on the other hand, they have a budget and a schedule.
they're used to using off the self libraries and consider it a shortcut.
surprisingly enough, even seasoned pros run into walls with AE's API. so
they're rather a sure sell. (given they know of your library, and it offers
a solution to the problem they've hit)
common problems pros hit:
a. wasting time learning the API nuances and subtleties. (and there are
many)
b. realizing what the API limitations are.
c. overcoming API limitations. (doing stuff against AE's will)
all 3 demographics would LOVE to have more sample projects, and better
sample project.
my guess is, that if your library is of good enough quality, has
interesting enough sample projects, and will be brought to the attention of
the developer, you'll see some sells.
there's a world surge of AE development. for the last 2 years i saw the
demand increase x2 each year. i don't know when that surge will peak, but
it's there.
i also don't know how to estimate the market size. in this forum there are
about 20 active users, so i'm guessing there are a mere few hundreds AE SDK
developers out there at best. is the library development worth while?
depends entirely on your costs of development, and whether such tools
evolve from your actual project's work or are you developing the library as
a project on it's own merit.
these have been my 2 cents.
please take everything here as my personal opinion and not as a fact.
having said that, i hope it helped.