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370 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry
Procedure
To use a Mesher object:
1.
Add and set up a par ticle system.
2. Click the Create panel> Geometry >
Compound Objects > Object Type rollout >
Mesher button.
3. DraginaviewporttoaddtheMesherobject.
The size doesn’t matter, but the orientation
shouldbethesameasthatoftheparticle
system.
4. Go to the Modify panel, click the Pick Object
button, and then select the particle system.
The Mesher object becomes a clone of the
particlesystem,andshowstheparticlesasmesh
objectsintheviewportsnomatterwhatthe
particle system’s Viewport Display setting is.
5. Apply a modifier to the Mesher object, and set
its parameters. For example, you mig ht apply
a Bend modifier and set its Angle parameter
to 180.
6. Play the animation.
Depending on the original part icle system and
its sett ings, as well as any modifiers applied
to the Mesher object, you mig ht be getting
unexpected results. This typically occurs
because the bounding b ox for the modifier, as
applied to the particle system, is recalculated
at each frame. For example, with a bent Super
Spray particle system set to spread out over
time,astheparticlesstreamawayandseparate,
the bounding box becomes longer and thicker,
potentially causing unexpected results. To
resolvethis,youcanuseanotherobjectto
specify a static bounding box.
7. To use another object’s bounding box to limit
the modified Mesher object, first add and set
up the object. Its position, orientation, and size
are all used in calculating the b ounding box.
8. SelecttheMesherobject,andgototheMesher
stack level.
9. In the Parameters rollout, tur n on Custom
Bounding Box, click the Pick Bounding box
button, and then select the bounding box
object.
Theparticlestreamusesthenew,static
bounding box.
Tip: Yo u c a n u s e a n y o b j e c t a s a b o u n d i n g b ox ,
so it is often fastest to use the particle system
itself. Movetotheframewheretheparticle
system is the size you want and pick it.
In the following illustration, you can see a Super
Spray par ticle system (left) and a Mesher object
derived f rom the Super Spray (right). A Bend
modifier is applied to the Mesher. In the center
isaboxobjectbeingusedasacustombounding
box. The bounding b ox applied to the Bend
modifier is visible as an orange wireframe when
the mo difier is highli ghted in the stack.
Using a custom bounding box w ith a bent particle
system
To modify the par ticles aspect of the Mesher,
edit the orig inal par ticle system.
To m o d i f y t h e c u s t om b o u n d i n g b ox , m o ve ,
rotate,orscaletheboundingboxobject,and
then reapply it using the Mesher object.