In need of a global time

Question

Hi
I start by making a 1000 frame long comp called "WheelLoop" in which I add a 30 frame Animated file sequence of a 360 degree wheel turn.
I then add a loopOut Cycle expression to the footage layer so that the wheel keeps turing over and over again for the entire 1000 frames.
Next I precomp the WheelLoopComp into a new 1000 frame long comp called "Wheelspin"
From now on I can controll the exact point of the wheel turn in time via a TimeRemap on the WheelSpin comp.
E.g. If I set the time remap to 30 frames the wheel has turned once, and at 120 fr. it has turned four times.
Next I go on with my comp work and end up having burring this WheelSpin comp way down in precomps with all sorts of starting point offsets to the.
now when I am stading in the TopLevelComp at frame 120 I can no longer be sure that the wheel has turned four times, cause of all the layer starting points offsets.
What I would like is to go down the line into the WheelSpin comp and have the TimeRemap refer to the "Global time" (or Top Comp Time) regardless of any offsets up the line in the different layes that holds the WheelSpin Comp.
The result should be so that when I tell the WheelSpin Comps TimeRemap to be at frame 120 from the TopLevel Comp, the Wheel should have turned exactly four times regarless if some of the Comp thats holds it might have a different starting points.
To do this I feel I need a Global time.
E.g. go into the TimeRemap of the WheelSpin Comp and add an expression " comp("TopLevel").time "
Is this in anyway possible?
Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Try replacing your loopOut() time remapping expression with this one:
period = key(numKeys).time - key(1).time;
time%period
Dan