fNav+ documentation

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Compatibility status

Install on macOS

1. Unzip the fNav+ download.
2. Open Terminal, drag macos/install.sh into it, and press Return.
3. Approve the password prompt if macOS asks.
4. Quit and relaunch After Effects.

The installer places the universal FnavHud.plugin inside the IVGD plug-in folder for every After Effects app found under /Applications.

Install on Windows

1. Unzip the fNav+ download.
2. Double-click windows\install.bat.
3. Approve the administrator prompt.
4. Quit and relaunch After Effects.

First jump

1. Open a composition.
2. Choose Window > fNav+.
3. Type 50 and press Enter.

With no active comp, the single menu command opens Settings instead so activation remains reachable.

Enter destinations

fNav+ opens in direct-entry state. Typing a digit starts a new destination; no cursor is preselected.

Frames mode

Timecode mode

Bare digits group in pairs from the right, like an NLE. Explicit colons are also accepted.

Space starts or restarts an absolute entry. Every result clamps to the first or last valid comp frame.

Expression math

Licensed expression math supports +, -, *, and / with multiplication/division precedence.

Relative

Start with an operator. From frame 100, +2*20 lands on 140; *2+10 lands on 210.

Standalone

Start with a number. 50*3 lands on frame 150 and 2+3*4 lands on 14.

Timecode operands

In Timecode mode the first standalone operand uses NLE-style timecode; later operands are frame counts. At 30 fps, 1010*2 treats 1010 as 310 frames and lands on 620.

Edit, step, and scrub

Digit overwrite

Press Left or Right once to select the rightmost digit. Move across digits with Left/Right; separators are skipped and the cursor never wraps. Typing overwrites the selected digit. Backspace zeroes it and moves left.

Place-value step

Up/Down changes the selected digit by its actual place value. A hundreds digit steps by 100 frames; a timecode seconds digit steps by that seconds place at the comp's nominal rate. Carry and borrowing happen naturally.

Modifier step

Fixed steps work without a selected digit. Priority is Command/Control, then Alt/Option, then Shift.

Live scrub contract

• Up/Down moves the CTI while the HUD remains open.
• Enter keeps the scrubbed position and closes.
• Escape restores the session start and closes.
• Escape without scrubbing simply closes.

Frames and timecode accuracy

Tab converts the current value between Frames and Timecode without changing the playhead or project settings. The choice persists between sessions.

• Uses the active composition frame rate.
• Supports integer and fractional rates.
• Honors the project drop-frame preference for 29.97/59.94 families.
• Honors comp display-start timecode.
• Honors zero-based, one-based, and timecode-conversion frame numbering.
• Shows the active FPS in Timecode mode.

Internally, navigation stays in zero-based true frames. Display offsets are applied only while parsing and formatting.

Settings

Open Settings from the gear in the lower-right of the HUD.

License

Shows Development build, Licensed, Trial, Trial expired, or License required. The single menu entry is preserved; activation and license management live here.

Tint

Licensed users can recolor the display, border, logo, cursor, and status details as one accent system.

Summon shortcut

Record a modified global shortcut. A modifier is mandatory. Escape cancels capture; Delete/Backspace clears it. If the OS refuses the shortcut, choose another combination.

Size and position

Scale the HUD from 50% to 150%. Drag the HUD body to move it. Both persist, and an off-screen saved position falls back to a connected display.

Step frames

Licensed users can set the three fixed modifier amounts. The minimum is one frame.

Trial and licensing

The public build is designed for a seven-day trial measured in whole vendor-SDK day buckets.

A forbidden operator is blocked as a complete attempted expression, preventing an accidental direct jump. Backspace or navigation cancels the attempt.

Keyboard reference

Troubleshooting

Missing from Window

Confirm FnavHud.plugin or FnavHud.aex is inside an After Effects plug-in folder, then quit and relaunch AE. On macOS manual installs, clear the quarantine attribute.

Settings opens instead of the HUD

Open or activate a composition. The navigator needs an active comp to read current time, duration, FPS, and display settings.

The destination looks different

Check whether the HUD is in Timecode mode, remember NLE-style right grouping, and check FPS, drop-frame, display-start, and frame-numbering preferences. Destinations also clamp to the comp.

Up/Down moved before Enter

That is live scrub. Press Escape to restore the frame where the session began or Enter to keep the move.

Uninstall

Quit After Effects, then remove FnavHud.plugin (macOS) or FnavHud.aex (Windows) from every AE version where it was installed.