ScienceFX v1.0 — Installation Guide (Windows) ============================================= Publisher: Analemma Labs Platform: Windows (Windows only in this release) Components: ScienceFX (effect) + ScienceFX Audio Companion (AEGP companion) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Package contents ------------------- The release package contains two plug-ins and the documentation: - ScienceFX.aex — the main After Effects effect. - ScienceFXAudioCompanion.aex — the separate AEGP companion that bakes the audio envelope onto the Beat Driver. It is required for the Audio Reactor to work in Driver mode. - README_INSTALL.md — this document. - EULA.txt — the end-user license agreement. - THIRDPARTYNOTICES.txt — notices regarding third-party references and trademarks. - CHANGELOG.txt — release notes. - Docs/ folder — User Guide, Quick Start and Audio Reactor Guide. Important: both .aex files must be copied. If you install only ScienceFX.aex, the effect works, but the Audio Reactor in Driver mode will not have the companion to generate the keyframes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Step-by-step installation ---------------------------- 1. Quit After Effects completely before copying the files. 2. Open the After Effects plug-ins folder on Windows. The typical path is: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects \Support Files\Plug-ins\ You can create a dedicated subfolder inside it (e.g. Plug-ins\ScienceFX\) to keep things organized: After Effects also scans subfolders. 3. Copy both files ScienceFX.aex and ScienceFXAudioCompanion.aex into the Plug-ins folder (or the subfolder you created). 4. Restart After Effects. The plug-ins are loaded at startup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Where to find ScienceFX after installation --------------------------------------------- The ScienceFX effect Select a layer, open the Effects & Presets panel and search for "ScienceFX", then drag the effect onto the layer. Alternatively, you will find it in the Effect menu, within the category assigned at installation time. Apply it to a layer to start working. The Companion command The companion is not an effect: it is a menu command. You will find it in the After Effects Animation menu, as: - ScienceFX: Bake Audio Reactor Envelope (Balanced profile, default) - ScienceFX: Bake Audio Reactor Envelope - Punchy - ScienceFX: Bake Audio Reactor Envelope - Smooth - ScienceFX: Bake Audio Reactor Envelope - Minimal Keys If the companion is installed correctly, these commands appear in the Animation menu after a restart. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Platform note ---------------- ScienceFX v1.0 is Windows only. In this release, no macOS build is available. Rendering is procedural and CPU-based: it does not require and does not use GPU acceleration. Color depths of 8, 16 and 32 bits per channel (bpc) are supported, including 32-bpc float mode. ScienceFX v1.0 is compatible with Adobe After Effects 2022 and later on Windows. Internal tests were performed with After Effects 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026 on Windows 10 and Windows 11. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Troubleshooting (basic) -------------------------- The companion command does not appear in the Animation menu - Check that you copied ScienceFXAudioCompanion.aex (not just the effect) into the Plug-ins folder. - Restart After Effects completely: AEGP companions register only at startup. - Make sure you used the Plug-ins folder of the After Effects version you are actually launching. The ScienceFX effect does not apply or does not appear in the effects list - Make sure ScienceFX.aex is in the correct Plug-ins folder. - Restart After Effects. - Check that you did not leave the file inside an unextracted .zip archive. After Effects does not see the plug-ins at all - Confirm that the file extension is .aex (not .aex.txt or similar after extraction). - On Windows, at first launch the system may flag a file downloaded from the internet: if necessary, unblock the file from its properties (right-click → Properties → "Unblock") before copying it. - Check that you have write permissions on the Plug-ins folder (you may need to run File Explorer as administrator to copy into Program Files). The color looks different in a 32-bpc project - ScienceFX is compatible with 8/16/32 bpc. In 32-bpc float, color values can exceed 0–1 (HDR): this is expected behavior. Check the project depth settings in File > Project Settings. High CPU and RAM during preview or rendering - This is normal and expected behavior. ScienceFX generates the graphics procedurally on the CPU: during preview and render, CPU/RAM usage is high. At idle, however, CPU usage returns to a low level. This is not a malfunction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Support ---------- For technical assistance with ScienceFX, contact Analemma Labs at support@analemmalabs.com, indicating your After Effects version, Windows version, ScienceFX version and a brief description of the issue.