What It Does
Good Parents lets you control layer parenting with keyframes. Instead of manually changing parent assignments at specific frames, you apply an effect to your layer and set up multiple potential parents. You can then keyframe between them, switching parent relationships mid-animation. This works with regular layers, 3D layers, Element 3D objects, and ray-traced shapes.
Key Features
Keyframable parenting. The core feature: add keyframes for parent assignments just like any other property. Set a layer to follow one parent at frame 10, switch to a different parent at frame 30, and After Effects handles the transition.
Multiple parent support. Assign up to 32 potential parents per layer. You choose how many parents you need when applying the effect, though you can update that number later.
Enable/disable toggle. Each parent assignment has an enable checkbox. Turn it on or off via keyframe to attach or detach the layer without changing the selected parent. Useful for precise timing, like a hand grabbing an object at the exact moment you need it.
3D and advanced layer support. Works with 3D layers, Element 3D, and ray-traced shapes. Standard parenting in After Effects doesn’t always handle these well mid-animation, but Good Parents does.
Position preservation. When you switch parents, the child layer maintains its prior position until the new parent kicks in. No jarring jumps or resets.
Who It’s For
Riggers and character animators who need layers to follow different objects at different times (think hands picking up props or objects moving between vehicles). Also useful for motion graphics work where abstract shapes need to swap hierarchies mid-comp, or any project where traditional parenting is too rigid.
Pricing
Pricing is pay-what-you-want, with a suggested price of $29.99. You can set your own amount, making this effectively freemium. Bulk discounts apply if you purchase multiple licenses (10% off for 2, 15% off for 5, 20% off for 10). A trial version is available.
Limitations
You can’t copy Good Parents controls from one layer to another. If you copy layers with the effect between compositions, you’ll need to reassign parent layers. Non-uniform scaling may behave incorrectly due to an After Effects limitation.