What It Does
Swiss Knife bundles 20 specialized tools into four functional groups. The parallax tools create depth effects with 2D or 3D layers. The interaction tools let you tie animations to property values, marker positions, or layer distances. The placeholder tools streamline repetitive editing tasks like compositing, cropping, and source swapping. The support tools handle layer reordering, expression baking, and uniform resizing.
Each tool works independently, but they combine into thousands of possible setups. You might use Parallax 3D to distribute layers across Z-space, then Interactor to make them respond to a control layer’s position, then Bake to optimize the resulting expressions into keyframes.
Key Features
Parallax 2D fakes depth using 2D layers when you want to avoid 3D workflows. Parallax 3D distributes layers across true Z-space with adjustable near and far distances. Extruder generates extrusions from placeholder shapes. Stack arranges layers in linear grids across 2D or 3D space.
Dependence links any animation to any other property, creating custom property relationships. Interactor bases animations on distance between layers, useful for responsive motion. Animarker controls animations using composition markers, turning timeline markers into control points. Offset applies the same parameter changes with a time delay across selected layers. Revolver links multiple objects’ rotation to a single control layer.
Placeholder converts shape layers or images into placeholders for footage stacks, simplifying replacement workflows. Piner positions layers at path vertices. Switcher precomposes selected layers, crops to the largest layer, and enables Time Remap. Alpha Matte duplicates the top layer as an alpha matte for all selected layers below it. Slideshow generates a basic slideshow inside a precomp.
Reorder reverses layer order. Bake converts expressions into optimized keyframes, reducing CPU overhead. Tangents creates position paths with proper motion arcs. Resize scales all selected layers to uniform dimensions. Slice divides layers into segments through a dedicated menu. Swap replaces layer sources in one click.
Who It’s For
Motion designers building layered compositions with complex parallax or responsive animations. Character animators who need to link rigs to property-driven controls. Template creators who want to streamline placeholder workflows and batch operations.
Useful when you’re setting up UI animations that respond to control layers, building 2.5D scenes with depth effects, or optimizing projects by baking expressions before delivery. The Animarker tool fits video editors syncing animations to narrative beats marked on the timeline.
Pricing
Single purchase at $40. Special upgrade pricing available for users of previous versions (login to view eligibility). Compatible with After Effects CS6 through 2026.