# Motion Path for Figma — Choose Where a Loop Starts (and Preview Your Real Object)
_July 29, 2026 · 3 min read · by Systergon_
> A small Motion Path update sparked by a Community review. Every path — closed loops and open curves alike — now has a draggable start dot (plus a Start point control) so you choose exactly where the object departs, with a live readout of its canvas X/Y, distance from the path start and end, and heading. And the preview can draw your actual layer riding the path at true size, not a placeholder marker. Still native Figma Motion keyframes.
Tags: Figma, Motion, Plugin, Update
URL: https://systergon.com/blog/motion-path-figma-start-point-object-preview
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[Install Motion Path — it’s free →](https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1654530170219655744) [See the product page](https://systergon.com/products/figma-plugins/motion-path)

A Community reviewer left a note that was equal parts kind and sharp: _“Very good plugin — but why can’t I select the start point when the path is an ellipse?”_ They were right. This small update fixes exactly that, and ships a preview upgrade that came out of the same conversation.

## Choose where the motion begins

A closed loop is the hard case. A circle or an ellipse is one continuous rim with no natural “first” point, so Motion Path used to drop you at a fixed spot (three o’clock, if you’re curious) with no way to move it. Now every closed path shows a **start dot** right on the preview. Drag it around the loop to set exactly where your object departs — or type an exact percentage in the new **Start point** control. The shape stays the same; only where the motion begins changes.

![An object orbiting an ellipse, departing from a blue start dot, with a live readout of the point's canvas position, loop percentage and angle](https://systergon.com/blog/motion-path-figma-start-point-object-preview/images/start-point.svg)

It works on **open paths** too — a line, an arc, a signature. There the start dot slides _along_ the path, so the object can set off partway instead of always from the very first point.

![On an open curve, a start dot placed partway along, the object departing from it to the end, with a readout of distance from the start and end](https://systergon.com/blog/motion-path-figma-start-point-object-preview/images/open-start.svg)

Grab the dot and a **live readout** follows it — the exact canvas **X / Y** under the point, how far it sits from the path’s **start and end**, the percentage along, and the **heading** it leaves on. The same at-a-glance numbers you get when nudging waypoints, now for the start.

Here it is on a real ellipse in the plugin — the start dot sitting on the loop, ready to drag to wherever the animation should begin:

![The Motion Path panel beside a selected ellipse on the Figma canvas, a blue start dot on the ellipse marking where the animation begins](https://systergon.com/blog/motion-path-figma-start-point-object-preview/images/plugin-start-dot.png)

## Preview your actual object, not a placeholder

The live preview used to stand in for your layer with a plain marker. Great for reading the _motion_ — less great for judging how your _real_ object sits on the path. So the preview can now draw your **actual layer** riding the curve, at its true size relative to the path. A toggle in the preview controls flips between your object and the simple marker whenever you want the cleaner read.

![A real image-layer thumbnail banking along a curved path in the preview, replacing the old placeholder dot](https://systergon.com/blog/motion-path-figma-start-point-object-preview/images/show-object.svg)

## Controls that stay put

While we were in there: the preview’s zoom, fit and toggle controls no longer wait for a hover to appear — they stay visible, so they’re always one click away.

All of it still bakes down to real, native Figma Motion keyframes — nothing to re-create by hand. Update from the Community page and the start dot will be waiting on your next loop.

[Install Motion Path — it’s free →](https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1654530170219655744) [See the product page](https://systergon.com/products/figma-plugins/motion-path)