2009

What else can I do to optimize performance?
Particle Flow can place heavy processing and resource demands on your
computer. For optimal performance, the most important thing you can do is
to use the fastest available CPU. Also, when using particle systems with many
particles, install as much memory as possible in your computer, especially if
you're using caching.
Other ways to improve performance include reducing the percentage of
viewport particles with the Quantity Multiplier setting, and temporarily
disabling flows and actions that you're not currently working with. When
making parameter changes, return to the first frame and play forward, or set
Particle View > Options menu > Update Type to “Forward”. That way, if you
change a setting, the particle system is not forced to recalculate its state from
the very beginning. The change will affect only animation from the current
frame forward. On the other hand, the result could be misleading, because
you won’t be able to see the difference right away.
Also, be cautious when using spawning; it can quickly create very large
numbers of particles, especially when you use the By Travel Distance option
in the
Spawn test on page 2991.
How do I use Particle Flow to make an object explode?
Particle Flow doesn't have a fragmentation operator, but by utilizing PArray
in a Birth Script operator, you can implement fragmentation in Particle Flow.
You can find an example scene, with a commented script operator, in the file
scriptfragmentationwithcache.max, on the install disc in the directory
Samples\Scenes\Version6Features\Scenes\Particle Flow\Fragments.
How can I control the accuracy of the Particle Flow simulation?
On the command panel >
System Management rollout on page 2835 of the PF
Source icon, you can adjust the integration step independently for viewport
playback and rendering. The smaller the integration step, the more times
Particle Flow calculates particle motion per frame, resulting in greater accuracy
at the cost of calculation time.
Can I use MAXScript to affect particles?
Yes. Particle Flow includes a
Script operator on page 2953 and test on page 2990,
as well as a
Birth Script operator on page 2847, that let you fully customize the
particle system. Each scriptable action includes a sample script, which also
lists all relevant scriptable functions. You can also control parameters of the
2804 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems