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266 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems
Instancing Parameters group
These options are used when you specify Instanced
GeometryintheParticleTypesgroup.Theylet
you generate each particle as an instance of either
an object, a linked hierarchy of objects, or a group.
Note: Instanced objects can be animated, providing
the animation incorporates one or more of the
following types:
• Animation of object geometry parameters,
such as a sphere’s Radius setting.
• Animation of object-space modifiers, such
as the Angle setting of a Bend modifier (page
1–560).
• Transform animation of a hierarchical object’s
children. Transform animation of the top-level
parent and non-hierarchical objects is not
supported. For example, if you use the toolbar
Select and Rotate function (page 1–439) to
animate a box rotating, and then use the box as
instanced geometry with a particle system, the
system will not u se instanced box’s keyframed
animation.
Object—Displaysthenameofthepickedobject.
Pick Object—Click this, and then select an object in
the viewport to be used as a particle. If you select
an object that’s part of a hierarchy and Use Subtree
Also is on, then the picked object and its children
become a particle.
If you pick a group, all objects in the group are
used as a particle.
Use S ubtr ee A l so—Tur n t hi s on w hen you w ant to
include the linked children of the picked object
intheparticle. Ifthepickedobjectisagroup,
all children of the group are included. Note that
you can turn this on or off at any time to alter the
particles.
Animation Offset K eying—Because the instanced
objects c an be animated, the options here let
you specif y the timing of the animations for the
particles.
None—Each particle duplicates the timing of the
original object. As a result, the animation of all
particles will be identically timed.
Birth—Thefirstbornparticleisaninstanceof
the current animation of the source object at the
moment of that particle’s bir t h. Each subsequent
particlethenusesthesamestarttimeforthe
animation. For example, if the animation of the
source object is a b end from 0 to 180 degrees,