Claude and After Effects prompt sequence for building a 3D Plexus radial network animation: After Effects launch video

Originally posted by @johncodunayo on X · posted Sep 22, 2026 · curated by MotionHunt, updated Oct 15, 2026

In short

The thread shares five prompts the author used to have Claude, driving After Effects through computer use, build a 3D radial Plexus scene for SaaS-style teaser videos. The prompts cover project setup, a planning step, staggered line drawing, a 19-point spherical network with a slider, and a transform rig. The author does not state the video's length.

Prompt

Reconstructed

Prompt 0: Setup

Approach: Computer Use - from now, henceforth.
Setup: After Effects is open on Screen 2. 
Goal: Configure the project and create 4 working comps, named Scene 1 through Scene 4, before anything is built. All 4 comps use the settings below.
Project settings:
- Color depth: 16 bpc
- Linear blending on
Comp settings:
- Resolution: 2880x1620, square pixels
- Frame rate: 30fps
- Background: warm
Don't ask any questions. Build.

Prompt 1: Plan the radial scene

Setup: Same project and comp. Plexus installed. Reference: Sketch 
Goal: A radial plexus matching the sketch. All vertices start at a single centre point and spread outward in 3D. Lines grow from the centre to each endpoint. Each endpoint carries a different image. Camera with depth of field.
Reading the sketch:
- The circle is the origin. Every line starts there, none connect to each other.
- Line lengths and angles vary on purpose. Keep that irregularity, don't make it a perfect starburst.
- The sketch is 2D, but the build is 3D. Some lines should push toward and away from camera, not just across the frame.
Current state: Nothing built for this scene yet.
Constraints:
- Do not touch the project. Planning only, no computer use.
Approach: Consider the best possible way of achieving this. It should be able to be edited realtime as well. Prioritize using plexus 
Output: A recommended approach with reasons. I'll approve before you build.

Prompt 2: Animate Scene 1 line connections

Setup: Switch to the Scene 1 comp. Park the Scene 2 plan, we'll return to it.
Goal: Lines animate their connections, drawing from one vertex to the next. Multiple lines draw at once in a staggered rhythm, not strictly one after another.
Current state: Network already built. Vertices and camera in place. Lines render as static, permanently connected geometry.
Constraints:
- Continue from my existing build. Don't rebuild or replace anything.
- Stagger must be per-connection, offset by vertex index. No single global keyframe driving all lines.
Approach: Use the Lines Renderer's progressive draw controls. If it can't stagger natively, tell me and propose an expression-driven alternative before building it.
Output: Build it with computer use. Tell me which parameters and expressions you used.

Prompt 3: Scene 2, build the base

Setup: Back to the Scene 2 comp. Other layers switched off so you can work faster.
Goal: The centre origin and lines radiating outward in 3D. That's it.
Current state: Plan from Prompt 1 approved.
Constraints:
- No endpoint images, no camera moves, no depth of field this pass.
- Vertices must be spread in Z, not scattered on a flat plane facing camera.
Approach: Build with the architecture from Prompt 1. Use computer use.
Output: Show me a frame when done, from an angle that proves the Z depth.

Prompt 4: Scale to 19 points with a count controller

Setup: Scene 2 comp, base build in place.
Goal: 19 total points, evenly spread in 3D around the centre, with a slider that controls how many are visible.
Current state: Centre plus original points built.
Constraints:
- Add 10 more points. Even spherical distribution, no clustering, no flat placement.
- All point layers stay in the comp permanently. Nothing gets deleted.
Approach:
- Create a null called CONTROLLER.
- Add a Slider Control named "Point Count", range 0 to 19.
- Drive each point's opacity with an expression: if layer index > slider value, opacity 0, otherwise 100.
Output: Build the points and verify spacing first, then wire the controller. Give me the expression you used.

Prompt 5: Centre sphere and global transform rig

Setup: Scene 2 comp, 19 points with count controller working.
Goal:
1. Centre point renders as a plain sphere, different from the textured outer points.
2. One control that rotates and moves the whole structure as a single unit.
Current state: Centre uses the same textured point style as the rest.
Constraints:
- Rotation and position must move the whole system without changing point positions relative to each other.
- No keyframes. I want manual control.
Approach:
- Centre: if the Points Renderer only allows one global point type, split the centre into its own Plexus object or renderer so it can be styled separately.
- Transform: use a Plexus Transform Effector on all vertices, or a parent null for the whole system. Pick whichever keeps the structure rigid.
- Expose X, Y, Z rotation and X, Y, Z position on the CONTROLLER null.
Output: Build it, then tell me which method you chose and why.

How it was made

The author states Claude worked through computer use in After Effects, with the Plexus plugin for the 3D point and line network. The project is set to 16 bpc with linear blending, and comps are 2880x1620, square pixels, 30fps. Point visibility is meant to be driven by a Slider Control named "Point Count" through an opacity expression on a CONTROLLER null. The author did not share the render method, build time, or cost. Video links appear after Prompts 2, 4 and 5, with differing AI-share claims, and the thread does not say which prompt each video came from.