Motion paths are not applied to objects

Symptoms

If one or more of these match what you are seeing, you are on the right page.

• •The element sits at the start of the path and never moves
• •Position keyframes stopped working after attaching
• •The element follows the path but faces the wrong way
• •The element starts partway along the path

Causes and fixes

Ordered from most to least likely. Work down the list — each cause is paired with what to do about it.

1. 1

   Progress has not been keyframed.

   Keyframe Progress from 0 at the start to 1 at the end. This is the value that drives motion along the path once attached.

2. 2

   The element is still expected to use X/Y position.

   Attachment replaces coordinate animation with path progress. Existing position keyframes no longer drive the element — detach from the path if you want them back.

3. 3

   Auto-Orient is off or misaligned.

   Turn on Auto-Orient so the element rotates to match its direction of travel. If the element’s front is not aligned with the default orientation, add an Orient Offset.

4. 4

   Offset is shifting the start position.

   Offset moves the starting point along the path independently of Progress. Reset it to zero to start at the path origin.

5. 5

   The path itself is the wrong shape.

   The motion path is a live vector path — edit its anchor points and curves and the trajectory updates in real time, even during playback.

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