8

234 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems
Note:
P articles can participate in dynamics
simulations.
See also
Creating a Non-Event-Driven Particle System
(page 2–234)
Creating a Particle Emitter (page 2–235)
Part icle Flow (page 2–105)
Usi ng Pa rt icle Sy s tems
Creating a Non-Event-Driven
Par ticle System
Youcreateparticlesystemswhenyouwantto
model an object or effect that can best be described
as a large collection of similar objects b ehaving
inasimilarfashion. Obviousexamplesofsuch
effects include rain and snow, but other equally
valid examples include water, smoke, ants, and
even crowds of people.
OntheCreatepanel,clickSpray,Snow,Super
Spray, Blizzard, PArray, or PCloud to create a
particle system. Spray and Snow exist primarily
forcompatibilitywithearlierreleasesof3dsMax,
and are superseded by Super Spray and Blizzard.
To create a particle system, first choose Create
menu > Particles > Spray or Snow.
These are the basic steps for creating a particle
system:
1. Create a p art icle emitter. All par ticle systems
requireanemitter.Someparticlesystemsuse
theparticlesystemiconastheemitterwhile
others use an object you select from the scene
as the emitter.
2. Determine the number of par ticles. You set
parameters such as birth rate and life span to
control how many particles can exist at any
given time.
3. Set par ticle shape and size. You can select
from many standard particle types (including
metaballs) or you can select an object to b e
emitted as a particle.
4. Set initial par t icle motion. You can set the
speed, direction, rotation, and randomness of
particlesastheyleavetheemitter.Particlescan
also be affected by animation of the emitter.
5. Modify particle motion. You can further
modify the motion of particles after they leav e
the emitter by binding the par ticle system to a
space warp in the Forces group, such as Path
Follow,ormakethembounceoffadeflector
in the Deflectors space warp group, such as
UDeflector.
Impor tant: When you use forces and deflectors
together, always bind the forces before the
deflectors.
Tip:
If the particles don’t follow the emitter
after it ’s moved, then change any
Path Follow
parameter (page 2–67)
.Themotionwillbe
applied to the particles.
Rain and Snow
Create rain and snow using Super Spray (page
2–245)
and Blizzard (page 2–247) .Theseparticle
systems are optimized for droplet (Super Spray)
and tumbling flake (Blizzard) effects. Add sp ace
warp s such as
Wind (page 2–71) to create spring
rains or winter storms.
Bubbles
Create bubbles by using the Bubble Motion options
of
Super Spray (page 2–245) .Ifyourequiregood
rendering speed, consider using constant or tetra
particles. If you require bubble detai l, consider