ae-visual-workflowlisted

# After Effects via ae-mcp: visual protocol ## Rule number one: never build blind The ae-mcp server has two verification tools. Use them ALWAYS, from the first minute: - `get_comp_report {compName}`: real state of a comp: layers with geometry (`sourceRectAtTime`), text with fonts and whether they are installed, ALL expressions and keyframes, animated values sampled at the comp markers. Call it before touching anything and after every batch of changes. Do not trust that your write worked: verify it here. - `render_frame {compName, time, fileName}`: renders a frame to PNG in `~/Desktop/ae_probe/`. After every visual change, render 1-2 key frames, bring them over with device_stage_files and LOOK at them. A render takes ~100 ms: there is no excuse for iterating blind. Standard loop: `get_comp_report` → change → `render_frame` → look → correct → repeat. Ten cycles is normal and cheap. ## Empirical probe calibration To place/time 3D elements (crawls, zooms, cameras), do NOT compute the projection: measure it. 1. Freeze the animated property to a constant via expression (e.g. `[0,1000,0]` on Anchor Point). 2. `render_frame` and measure in the PNG where the content lands. 3. Repeat with a second value. Two points give you the local mapping (near screen center it is roughly linear; it compresses toward the horizon). 4. Derive the constants and write the final expression. Composition markers are the sync interface: put a marker (with a comment) on every k