Do I install each tool separately?
Install Motion Dock once. Its picker contains the included tools and Essentials. Adding one to your layout gives it a slot in the dock. It does not download another extension.
What happened to the standalone After Effects extensions?
Their tools now live in Motion Dock. The standalone After Effects extensions receive no further updates. Use the dock for current versions, and use each tool’s own docs to learn it.
What about Petals in Illustrator?
It stays a separate extension. Motion Dock runs in After Effects only. See Petals’ docs for its Illustrator workflow.
Do I have to keep every tool visible?
You decide which tools to put in a layout. Keep a small set, start from a starter or build different arrangements for different work. Removing a slot does not remove the tool from the picker.
Are layouts and panels the same thing?
A panel is an After Effects window that you can dock or float. Each panel has three numbered layouts, with one visible at a time. You can open up to five panels. Multiple panels explains their shared settings and independent canvases.
Does a layout travel with my After Effects project?
The dock stores layouts in its local saved data. A saved project’s file path remembers which layout number to show on each panel. That does not embed the arrangement in the project file. See Switch layouts and remember projects.
Is there a Save button for the dock?
Layout edits and settings save as you change them. Leave layout mode to return to using the tools. The After Effects project still uses After Effects’ own save command.
Can I start over without resetting tool settings?
Use Clear layout for the active layout in layout mode, then confirm Clear. It removes the layout’s slots and keeps tool settings. Choose a new starter or build a new arrangement. The other two layouts stay in place.
Does the dock update every tool at once?
Tools ship with the dock’s installed version. Use the dock’s update notice to install the release. You can read What’s New before updating.