What It Does
Pinna converts path points to nulls with precise control over which points get converted. Unlike After Effects’ built-in “Create Nulls From Paths,” you can select specific points, add or delete nulls freely, and fix misalignments between nulls and path points. The plugin creates three types of nulls: controller nulls for manipulating paths, nulls that follow path points, and nulls that trace paths.
Key Features
Points Follow Nulls. Create controller nulls that let you manipulate path points directly. Handles are built into masks rather than requiring extra layers, so the handle follows the null’s rotation. You can bake null animation back to the path for any movement that paths can reproduce.
Nulls Follow Points. Generate nulls that track path point positions and angles. Useful when you need reference objects that stay locked to animated paths.
Trace Path. Create nulls that follow the path itself, with angles matching the path direction. You can spawn new path points at these null positions.
Alignment and Transforms. The plugin includes anchor point-based alignment tools for positioning nulls. You can fix group transform misalignments with expressions, reset group transforms to defaults, and resize nulls (up to 100) while preserving parent-child relationships. Null size changes don’t affect animation.
Path Aligner. A bundled script that aligns selected path points in multiple configurations. Works independently of the null creation features.
Who It’s For
Motion designers working with shape layers who need finer control than the standard Create Nulls From Paths tool. Particularly useful for rigging character faces, creating complex text rigs, or building controllable graphic elements where you need to manipulate specific path points without affecting the entire shape.
Pricing
Pay what you want. There’s a suggested price of $24.99 for the Single User License, but the plugin uses a name-your-own-price model. Previous PathAligner buyers from Gumroad can upgrade for $12.50 (50% discount). Fully functional trial with no feature restrictions.