As a result of After Effects scripting and expression language limitations, it is impossible to access the gradient color properties using After Effects Expressions. To work around the limitation Extrudalizer utilizes the following approach: a solid color fill is placed on a Front/Back or Side faces of the Extrudalized shape, then a standard Black to White gradient is placed over it and with ability to control its opacity, start/end points, rotation and in some instances its length. To change the color of the gradient, change the fill color of the relevant face.

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" /> In the event you absolutely must have a custom multicolor gradient on one or more of the Extrudalized faces - you can still add one manually. Simply twirl open ---EXTRUDALIZER--- shape group, find the side you need and manually add a gradient and set it up as needed.

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Extrudalizer offers a number of ways to control and animate the gradients. If you have toggled the Front/Back Gradient selector in the Pre-Extrudalize Options, a gradient will be added to the Front and the Back face of the Extrudalized Layer. The layer controller will have an Appearance Section where you will be able to control several options to customize the look.

In order to set up the start and end points of your gradients, it is advised to place the Extrudalized shape rotation to [0, 0, 0] this way you will ensure the accurate arrangement of the gradient. You can manually input the [x, y] coordinates or use the reticle icon to visually place the start/end points of the gradient.

Appearance Section, Front & Back subsection of the Extrudalizer Layer Controller

One of the limitations of having the gradient start/end points have only 2D coordinates is the lack of control during the animation of the Extrudalized shapes in 3D. As a consequence of this the gradient direction may shift when rotation parameters of the Extrudalized shape are animated. To work around this limitation you can use the Front gradient direction and Back gradient direction options in the Appearance section of the the Extrudalizer effect controller. These angle controllers will rotate the gradient around the midpoint of the Front/Back faces and you can keyframe it to offset the shift.

Appearance Section, Sides subsection of the Extrudalizer Layer Controller

If you have toggled the Lambert/Gradient Shader selector in the Pre-Extrudalize Options, a gradient will be added to each of the sides of the Extrudalized shape.

In the Sides section of the Appearance controls, you can adjust the color of the Sides gradient by changing the Side Color.

By default, the start/end point of the each side face gradient starts in the middle of the back edge of the side face and ends in the middle of the front edge of the side face. Using the Sides gradient Length control you can shift the start/end points to go beyond the edges, thereby creating a smoother gradient. Additionally, using the Sides gradient direction angle control you can rotate the gradient around the center of each face.