By default, particles are born, or emitted, from the Particle Flow icon. This topic uses the term emitter to refer to this icon. Use the Position Icon operator to control the initial placement of particles on the emitter. You can set the emitter to emit particles from its surface, volume, edges, vertices, or center. And, if you animate the emitter, you can cause its motion to be imparted to the particles it emits.
Alternatively, you can use Position Object to emit particles from any other object.
Interface
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog.
- Lock On Emitter
- When on, causes all particles to remain at their initial positions on the emitter. In effect, they're “glued” to the emitter. When off, each particle's birth position is determined by the emitter's current location. Default=off.
- Inherit Emitter Movement
- When on, Particle Flow sets each particle's rate and direction of motion to that of the emitter at the time of birth. When off, the emitter movement doesn't affect that of the particles. Available only when Lock On Emitter is off. Default=off. Note: If a Speed operator exists later in the event, it overrides any motion imparted by Inherit Emitter Movement.
- Multiplier
- Determines, as a percentage, the extent to which particles inherit the emitter's motion. Available only when Inherit Emitter Movement is on. Default=100.
To have the particles move half as fast as the emitter, set Multiplier to 50. To have them move the same speed, use the default setting of 100. To make the particles move twice as fast as the emitter, set Multiplier to 200.
Location group
The Location drop-down list lets you specify where on the emitter the particles appear. You can create a variety of emission behaviors by varying the icon type, Location setting, and direction of emission. Default=Volume.
- Pivot Emits particles from the center of the icon.
- Vertices For the Box and Rectangle icon types, emits particles from the corners of the icon. For the Sphere icon type, emits particles from the six intersections of the three circles that define the sphere. For the Circle icon type, emits particles from the center.
- Edges Emits particles from random points along the edges of the icon.
- Surface Emits particles from random points on the surface of the icon.
- Volume Emits particles from random points within the volume of the icon.
- Distinct Points Only
- Limits emission to a specific number of points (see Total, below) on the specified Location type.
Emission points are still randomized; change the Uniqueness setting to alter these.
- Total
- Sets the number of emission points. Available only when Distinct Points Only is on. Default=10.
- Subframe Sampling
- When on, the operator acquires animation of the emitter icon on a tick basis (every 1/4800th of a second) rather than a frame basis. This provides greater precision in allowing the particle positions to follow animation of the emitter icon. Default=off.
Uniqueness group
The Uniqueness setting lets you alter the randomization of emission points.
- Seed
- Specifies a randomization value.
- New
- Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.