2009

The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the
Particle View dialog.
Assign Material When on, the operator assigns the specified material (see
next parameter) to the particles. Default=on.
[button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button
and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively,
drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button.
After you assign a material to the operator, its name appears on the button.
Assign Material ID When on, the operator defines a material ID number for
each particle. Default=on.
In general, this should remain on. Particle Flow uses the material ID with the
Particle Age map to find the particle's other properties, including its life span
and current age. And it uses the material ID with compound materials to know
which sub-material to assign to a particle.
Show In Viewport When on, the material is shown applied to the particles
in the viewports when the particles are displayed as geometry.
Assignment Method
The Material Dynamic operator lets you assign Material IDs to particles in
several different ways, depending on whether you're using an animated texture
or a compound material. Default=Same As Particle ID.
Animated Texture group
Same As Particle ID Assigns the same material ID to a particle as its particle
ID. Choose this when using a material containing an animated texture, such
as a Bitmap, Particle Age, or Particle MBlur map.
NOTE Particle Flow assigns Particle IDs consecutively to particles at birth, starting
with 0. Although the highest possible Particle ID is over 2,000,000,000, the highest
possible material ID is 65535. Thereafter, the numbering sequence starts again at
0. Thus, when using a Particle Age map in a material assigned to the Material
Dynamic operator, for best results, use a total of 65,536 particles or fewer.
Reset Particle Age When on, sets each particle's age to 0 when it enters the
event.
When using an animated material with a Bitmap map, turn this on to ensure
that the animation always plays from the first frame.
2930 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems