Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 339

AFTER EFFECTS CS3 333
User Guide
Original shape (top left), one instance of the Repeater operation applied (top right), and two instances of the Repeater operation applied
(bottom right)
If the original shape is numbered 0, the next copy is numbered 1, and so on, then the result of the Repeater is to apply
each transformation in the Transform property group n times to copy number n.
Consider the example of the Repeater applied to a shape with the Copies value set to 10 and the Position property in
the Transform property group for the Repeater set to (0.0, 8.0). The original shape remains in its original position,
(0.0, 0.0). The first copy appears at (0.0, 8.0), the second copy appears at (0.0, 16.0), the third copy appears at (0.0,
24.0), and so on until the ninth copy at (0.0, 72.0), for a total of ten shapes.
You can apply multiple instances of the Repeater within the same group. In other words, you can repeat the Repeater.
This is an easy way to create a grid of virtual copies of a single shape: just set the Position property for one instance
of the Repeater to modify the horizontal values, and another instance to modify vertical values.
The Offset property value is used to offset the transformations by a number of copies. For example, if the Copies
value is 10 and the Offset value is 3, then the original shape is transformed by 3 times the amount specified in the
Transform property group, and the last copy is transformed by 12 times the amount specified in the Transform
property group.
Animating the Offset property is a good way to easily create interesting results.
The Composite option determines whether copies are rendered above (in front of) or below (behind) the copies that
precede them.
Use the Start Opacity value to set the opacity of the original shape, and the End Opacity value to set the opacity for
the last copy. Opacity values for copies in between are interpolated.
If you place the Repeater after a path, above the fill and stroke property groups for a shape, then the set of virtual
copies is filled or stroked as a compound path. If you leave the Repeater below the fill and stroke, then each copy is
filled and stroked individually. The difference is most apparent with gradient fills and strokes.