Autodesk 62205-051408-9001 User Guide - Page 346

14 Creating Particle Effects With the Particles operator, you can start by adding pre-defined particle effects like star trails, bubbles, and sparkles, and then let your imagination loose. can even track the emitter to the rocket using the Tracker. About Particle Systems From explosions and laser blasts in outer space to smoke, fire, and water, computer graphic animation depends on particle systems to impress viewers. In Combustion, you use the Particles operator to make such animations creatively come to life. The Particles operator creates particles on 2D layers, giving the illusion of 3D without the time and effort required by some 3D programs. Initially, you can use the dozens of particle emitters supplied in the libraries, but soon you will want to modify them and then create your own from scratch. You can add the particles to layers in a composite, to footage in a branch, or to simple solid frames. For example, if you need to create a clip of a 3D rocket ship launching and travelling to outer space, you could start by creating and animating a model using 3D modeling software. However, you would then notice there is no billowing smoke cloud as the space ship hurtles into space. You might spend hours in the modeling program trying to make billowing white clouds of rocket blasts with fire and explosions. Instead, load the rendered scene without effects into Combustion and add the Particles operator. Then select the White Billowing Smoke emitter from the library, click the end of the rocket (where you want the smoke to come from), and create a few keyframes to position the emitter. Click Play and the rocket takes off. You Background image and rendered 3D model clip after adding 2D particles. Basic Particle Concepts An emitter includes particle types. Particle types consist of images and various properties that determine how the particles look and behave. You can direct the particles with deflectors, as well as add masks and selections to block areas where you do not want the particles to go. Particles Particles are the visible entities in the particle system. You have no direct control over individual particles; once they are born they behave based on the values set in their particle type. 330