AE script to create solids and automatically parent them to a null.

Hello,

I'm quite new to expressions/scripting.
I'm trying to write an AE .jsx script to create a scene which automatically creates a comp, generates many solids and places them (by 3D rotations) around a central origin to create the population of people standing on a planet.
Also in the script I create a null at the centre of the planet.

My script works so far and generates all of the 3D layers, it also generates the Null and even a camera for the scene.

But I can't seem to write the script which automatically parents all of the solids to the null object. I.e. I'm dynamically generating the layers but unable to dynamically link them up to the null from within my .jsx code.

The problem is right at the end of the script, here...
// connect new solid to null at planet centre

Any help would be very gratefully received, with thanks, Chris

{

// Create script undo group

app.beginUndoGroup("Create Square");

// create project if necessary

var proj = app.project;
if(!proj) proj = app.newProject();

// create new comp named 'my comp'

var compW = 1920; // comp width
var compH = 1080; // comp height
var compL = 15; // comp length (seconds)
var compRate = 25; // comp frame rate
var compBG = [48/255,63/255,84/255] // comp background color



var myItemCollection = app.project.items;
var myComp = myItemCollection.addComp('my comp',compW,compH,1,compL,compRate);
myComp.bgColor = compBG;

//create camera
var w = myComp.width /2 ;
var h = myComp.height /2 ;
var newCamera = myComp.layers.addCamera("New Camera",[w,h]);
newCamera.position.setValue([w,h,-2500]);


//create null
var myNull = myComp.layers.addNull();
myNull.threeDLayer = true;


//set planet radius
var planetRadius=400;

// for loop to create multiple solids
var totalCount=50;
for (i=1; i<=totalCount; i++)
{

var randomnumber=Math.floor(Math.random()*361)

// create new solid named "my square"
var manXsize=20;
var manYsize=58;
var mySolid = myComp.layers.addSolid([1.0,1.0,0], "man"+i, manXsize, manYsize, 1, compL);
mySolid.threeDLayer = true;

// place anchor point at base of solid + planetRadius
mySolid.property("anchorPoint").setValue([manXsize/2,manYsize+planetRadius,0]);

// 3D rotations on the solids
mySolid.property("rotationY").setValue([randomnumber]);
mySolid.property("rotationZ").setValue([360*i/totalCount]);

// connect new solid to null at planet centre
myComp.layer(i).parent.setValue(myNull);






}
app.endUndoGroup();

}


Felip,

Thanks so much for your help.
This works for one layer!
I'd hoped that applying it from within my for loop might hook up all of my solids to the null as I generate them. I'm thinking it's probably just a case of me not addressing the layers properly (as .parent needs to be addressed to layers) so I'll keep trying more things...
I've just noticed that my when i=1 I get a man1 solid created but this is on layer 50 and this is the one that gets hooked up to the null. If I can figure out how these layer numbers are being attributed, I've a better chance of addressing them properly!


I much appreciate you putting me right on the syntax of layer.parent, thanks again.
Chris

It might seem counter intuitive but it's not:
layer 1 is the topmost layer of your comp.
After effects supposes that when you add a layer to a comp, it is on top,
You could just use this in the loop:

myComp.layer(1).parent = myNull;

Because the last layer you created will always be layer 1

However, even easier, Doesn't this just work?

mySolid.parent = myNull;