nParticles menu

Create

Fill Object

Lets you fill the volume polygon geometry with nParticles. This geometry must have a potential volume with a concave region that can contain hold nParticles. You can use Fill Object to fill nCloth and passive collision objects with nParticles.

Select nParticles > Fill Object > to set the Fill Object Options.

See also Fill objects with nParticles.

Get nParticle Example

Opens the Content Browser to the nParticle Examples folder. Middle-drag an nParticle example into the view to open a Maya scene containing an nParticle effect. Use these examples to explore how nParticles works to create your own effects, or modify them to customize the effects.

See Import an nParticle scene.

Goal

Lets you create a goal object, which particles follow or move towards.

Select nParticles > Goal > to set the Goal Options.

See Control nParticles using goals.

Instancer

Lets you create instances of objects to replace the nParticles in your simulation so that the objects behave as nParticles in the scene.

Select nParticles > Instancer > to set the Particles Instancer Options.

See Instance geometry with nParticles.

nParticle Tool

Lets you create and position particles individually or in grids or spherical regions. By default, the nParticle Tool creates particles individually, one particle per mouse click.

Select nParticle Tool > to set the nParticle Tool Options.

See Create individual nParticles nParticle clouds and nParticle grids.

Soft Body

Lets you convert the selected object to a Maya soft body which is solved as a Nucleus object.

Select nParticles > Soft Body > to set the Soft Body Options.

See Create soft bodies.

Paint Soft Body Weights Tool

Lets you use the Paint Attributes Tool to set goal weights on a soft body object. You can paint weights on the object as per particle values. To Paint weights on a soft body, the object must be created with Make Non-Soft a Goal turned on in the Soft Body Options.

Select nParticles > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool > to set the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool Options.

See Paint soft body weights.

Springs

Lets you add spring-like links between nParticles as well as between and other objects, including nCloth, passive collision, and polygon objects, to give them reactive, interconnected motion.

Select nParticles > Springs > to set the Springs Options.

See Control nParticles using springs.

Create Options

Lets you select the particle render type when creating an nParticle object. nParticles for each type are created with pre-defined attribute settings. After selecting a particle render type, use the nParticle Tool or create a particle emitter to start your nParticle effect.

• Points display as typical point render type.
• Balls display as metaballs using the Blobby Surface render type.
• Clouds display as blurred or cloudy metaballs using the cloud render type. By default a cloud shader volume material is assigned (see Particle Cloud attributes).
• Thick Clouds display the same as Clouds but with a fluid shader is assigned.
• Water displays as the Blobby Surface render type with pre-defined Liquid Simulation attribute settings (see nParticle Liquid Simulation attributes) .

See also nParticle Shading attributes.

Emit

Create Emitter

Creates a particle emitter object, which emits particles of the set particle render type. Creating an emitter adds three objects to the scene: emitter, nParticle and nucleus. The emitter controls properties such as the particles' initial position, direction, quantity, and velocity.

Select nParticles > Create Emitter > to set the Create Emitter Options.

See Emit nParticles.

Emit From Object

Creates an emitter object, which emits particles from the surface of selected polygon or NURBS objects. The emitted particles are of the set particle render type.

Select nParticles > Emit From Object > to set the Create Emitter Options.

Per-Point Emission Rates

Lets you vary emission rates on a per-particle basis when particles are emitted from object. This option creates an attribute named Emitter Rate PP and connects it the geometry that is emitting particles. You can use this attribute to set emission rates at each CV or vertex.

Use Selected Emitter

Lets you connect an nParticle object to a selected emitter.

Editors

Particle Collision Event Editor

Opens the Particle Collision Event Editor, which lets you can create, edit, and delete particle collisions.

See Particle Collision Event Editor and Work with nParticle collisions.

Sprite Wizard

Opens the Sprite Wizard window, which lets you select a texture, image, or image sequence to display at each nParticle.

See Display images using the nParticle Sprite Wizard.

Legacy Particles

These options display by default, but can be hidden by setting the MAYA_ENABLE_LEGACY_PARTICLES environment variable to 0.

For information about the Legacy Particles menu items, see Maya Classic Dynamics.