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Animation > Particles

Particles


Use Particles to animate a large quantity of small objects that would be difficult to create otherwise. For example, you can use particles to create rain, smoke, snow, bubbles, and so on.

You can add particle to any object except text.

You can place obstacles in the way of the particles and animate the obstacles to create unlimited effects.


To create particles:
  1. Select the object that will emit particles and choose Animation > Add Particles.
  2. Make sure Play is on (press P).
  3. Select the Particles and adjust their parameters in the Parameter Editor.
To select Particles

Do one of the following:

Particles Parameters

Active

Indicates whether or not the animation is active.

Emission rate

Number of particles emitted per second.

Minimum age

Minimum amount of seconds particles emitted will last before disappearing. You can use different Minimum and Maximum age values to make the result look random.

Maximum age

Maximum amount of seconds particles emitted will last before disappearing.

Minimum speed

Minimum speed, in units per second, at which particles will travel. Snowflakes, for instance, will have a lower value than a hailstorm. Different Minimum and Maximum speed values ensure that the result looks a little more random.

Maximum speed

Maximum speed, in units per second, at which particles will travel.

Speed
inheritance

Determines how much the particles will follow the source if it is moving. A value of 0 leaves the particles floating wherever they were generated, while a value of 1 makes the particles use the momentum of the moving object.

Spread angle

Spread of the emission, in degrees. A value of 0 creates a beam of particles. A value larger than 0 makes the particles fan out.

Emission color

Color of the particles in R,G,B or hexadecimal values.

Emission size

Size of the particles.

Spin rate

Rate, in degrees per second, at which the particles spin while being emitted.

Gravity

Axis (X,Y, or Z) along which gravity applies. The default 0, -1, 0 pulls the particles downwards (negative Y). Use X or Z values to simulate wind.

Particle shape

Shape of emitted particles. Select Triangle, Star, Square, Disc, Cube, Sphere, or Cone.


See also:

Adding obstacles to particle flow

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