Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Essentials - Bonus Chapter.pdfVIP

Bonus Chapter 1 particles Animating large numbers of similar objects can be an arduous task. With hundreds, if not thousands, of individual objects and all of their ani- mated parameters and transforms to consider, this is a task that, one object at a time, could quickly become overwhelming. Luckily, 3ds Max has several tools for animating large numbers of objects in a scene, including instanced objects, externally referenced objects, instanced modifiers, the Crowd utility for characters, and particle systems for controlling any number of particles. Particles are usually small objects, often in large numbers, that can repre- sent rain, snow, a swarm of insects, a barrage of bullets, or anything else that requires a large quantity of objects that follow a similar action or are part of a larger system of movement. Topics in this chapter include the following:  Understanding particle systems  Setting up a particle system  Controlling the particles with deflectors understanding particle systems Particle systems are a means to manage the infinite possibilities encoun- tered when controlling thousands of seemingly random objects in a scene. The particles can follow a tight stream or emanate in all directions from the surface of an object, for example. The particles themselves can be pixel-sized elements on the screen or instanced geometry from an object in the scene. Particles can react to forces called space warps, such as wind and gravity, and bounce off objects called deflectors to give them a natural flow through a scene. There is a wide range of options when you are animating particle systems, especially when you are trying to simulate real-world effects such as smoke or rain. 2 B o n u s C h a p t e r 1 • P a r t i c l e s All particle systems have two common yet distinct components: the emitter and the particles. The emitter, as the nam