2009

Shape operator last at each integration step, overwriting any local shapes, so
all particles would be cubes. But if you set Action Order to Globals First, the
local shapes are applied last, and particles appear as tetrahedrons or spheres,
depending on which event they're in.
■ Globals First At each integration step, Particle Flow first applies actions
in the global event, and then actions in the other (local) events. Typically,
the result is that actions in the local events override comparable actions
in the global event.
■ Locals First At each integration step, Particle Flow first applies actions in
the local events, and then actions in the global event. Typically, the result
is that actions in the global event override comparable actions in the local
events.
Update Type This setting determines how Particle Flow updates the system
when you change a parameter during playback. Because the state of the particle
system at any given frame can depend on events in previous frames, using
the Complete option can provide a more accurate depiction of the result of
the change, at a cost in speed; it takes more time to recalculate the entire
system starting at the first frame. Default=Complete.
■ Complete When you change a setting during playback, Particle Flow
updates the entire system, starting at the first frame.
■ Forward When you change a setting during playback, Particle Flow
updates the system starting at the current frame.
Track Update Provides options for visualizing the particle system status in
Particle View.
■ Particle Count Adds a tab above each event that shows the number of
particles in the event. The global event's count shows the total number of
particles in the particle system.
Use this, in addition to the ability to display particles differently in each
event, to trace particle progress through the system.
■ Update Progress Highlights each action in color whenever Particle Flow
evaluates it.
The highlighting is very fast, but this option can add significant
computational overhead to the particle system, with the result that
real-time playback might skip a greater number of frames. To see all frames,
turn off Time Configuration > Real Time.
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