Create an nParticle Slide on Surface constraint

Create a Slide on Surface constraint to attach an nParticle object to a target surface (an nCloth surface, or a passive collision object), and allow the constrained nParticles to move or slip along the surface to which it is constrained.

You can use a Slide on Surface constraint instead of collisions, and in most cases, it works faster than collisions. For example, you can Slide on Surface constrain a liquid nParticle object to the outside of a passive object bucket, so that the particles drip down the edges of bucket.

Note:

• If you use a Slide on Surface constraint in place of collisions for an nParticle object, turn off Collide in the nParticle’s nParticleShape Attribute Editor tab. Otherwise, both collisions and the constraint will be calculated.
• If you use a Slide on Surface constraint in place of collisions for an nParticle’s object, then you cannot effectively use Collision Layers to control which members of your Maya Nucleus system can collide with the constrained nParticle object.

To create an nParticle Slide on Surface constraint

1. In the scene view, select the nParticle object you want to constrain.
2. -select the target surface to which you want to constrain the nParticle object.

   The target surface can be an nCloth or passive collision object that is part of the same Nucleus system as the nParticle object, or a non-Nucleus object. You cannot use other nParticle objects as target surfaces for a Point to Surface constraint.

   Note:

   If you select a target surface that is a non-Nucleus object, the surface will be made a passive object when the constraint is created.

3. In the FX menu set, select nConstraint > Slide on Surface > .
4. (Optional) In the Create Slide on Surface Constraint Options Box, turn on Use Sets to add the target surface you selected to a dynamic constraint selection set.
5. Click Create Constraint or Apply.

   The nParticle object is now constrained to the target surface, and both are connected to the nParticle object’s Maya Nucleus solver through a dynamicConstraint node.

   The preset properties on the dynamicConstraint node determine the constraint’s type (in this case, a Slide on Surface constraint) and how it behaves. For example, you can create a Slide on Surface constraint with the following attribute settings:

   • Spring as the Constraint Method
   • Object to Object as the Constraint Relation
   • All to First as the Component Relation
   • Component Order as the Connection Method
   • Per Frame as the Connection Update
   • Turn on Local Collide properties

   See dynamicConstraintShape.

Related topics

• Create an nParticle Component to Component constraint
• Create an nParticle Point to Surface constraint
• Create an nParticle Transform Constraint
• Create an nParticle Force Field constraint
• Create an nParticle Disable Collision constraint
• Create an nParticle Exclude Collide Pairs contraint
• Constraining Nucleus objects