HelixAE¶
HelixAE is a Prism pipeline plugin for Adobe After Effects. It connects AE directly to your Prism project, letting you track footage versions, import renders, manage compositions, and send shots to the render queue — all without leaving After Effects.
Opening the Panel¶
HelixAE lives inside After Effects as a CEP panel. To open it:
- In After Effects, go to Window in the top menu
- Find HelixAE in the list
- Dock it wherever you like — most artists keep it on the side
The CEP Panel¶
The panel is your main control hub. It contains the following buttons:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save Version | Save the current AE project as a new Prism version |
| Save Comment... | Save a new version with an extended comment/note |
| Project Browser... | Open the Prism project browser |
| Footage Tracker... | Open the Footage Tracker dialog |
| Import Media... | Open the Import dialog to bring in renders |
| Check Issues | Quickly check for footage problems (outdated versions, FPS/frame range mismatches) |
| Prism Settings... | Open Prism settings |
| Render... | Open the Render dialog to queue a shot for rendering |
Typical Artist Workflow¶
- Open AE and the HelixAE panel
- Use Footage Tracker to check if your renders are up to date
- Use Import Media to pull in new renders
- Work on your comp
- Use Render to add your shot to the render queue
- Use Save Version to save your progress