Cycle Active PFlow Emission

Any long time Particle Flow user knows when you send particles immediately out of the first Event (ie a Spawn Test, Send Out, Age Test, ect.) PFlow likes to have a little  tizzy. One quick way to refresh it is to use a quick maxscript to Cycle any active Particle Flow Source events Enables Emission State (the little Light Bulb in the Event header). Just Copy Paste to a new script and evaluate, it will give you the standard customize dialog option to add to a button, keyboard shortcut, quad menu, ect.

macroScript CycleActivePFlowEmission
	category:"JRandom"
	toolTip:"Cycle Active PFlow Emission"
(
	for o in objects where classOf o == PF_Source do if o.Enable_Particles == true then
	(
		o.Enable_Particles = false
		o.Enable_Particles = true
	)
)

Tags: Particle Flow, PFlow, script, Scripts

Quick Tutorial on assign Controllers to Pflow

Just a super quick tutorial on how to assign a Waveform (or any controller for that matter) to the Emission Rate of a PFlow Birth Operator.

Waveform2EmissionRate AVI 6mb – Techsmith Codec TSCC (Here)

FLV 8mb

For some reason the quicktime has some crappy artifacting and it is twice the size. If anyone is interested: Waveform2EmissionRate QT 13mb
You can stack multiple Waveforms in the same controller to achieve varied rates of birth, for example a large burst of particles the tapers down in steps.

Of course you can keyframe all this by hand with a bezier float controller too if you want

Tags: Particle Flow, PFlow, Tutorial

Musings with Physx Glue

I posted some simple examples of fracturing using PFtools Box#2 PhysX Glue.

They can be found Here

Tags: Animation, Box#2, PFlow, Tutorial

Fume Waterfall test

Still needs a bunch of work to get the look right. Just a quick render is too see how it looks in motion.

waterfall QT 6.5 mb

Tags: Animation, FumeFX, PFlow

Couple More Fume Tests

First one planetary impacts. This use pflow to set the fume containers at the particle impact points on the planet. Messy, messy, messy maxscript way to get it to work will have to find a better approach. EDIT: And I found one …

This version runs the final update script and another script operator for impact timing.

Final Update script: Clone your grids with a more unique name easy trackability…

global theGrids
   pf_node_current = particleFlow.scriptRunner()
    if (pf_node_current != undefined) then
    (
    	count = pf_node_current.NumParticles()
    	theGrids = $CL_FumeFX* as array--the name of your copied fume containers
    	theGrids.pos = [0,0,-10000] --set the positions so they are off screen when not in use
    	minCount = amin #(count, theGrids.count)
    	for i in 1 to minCount do
    	(
    		pf_node_current.particleID = i
    		theGrids[i].transform = pf_node_current.particleTM
    	)
    )

Then the script operator for impact timing: this should go in the event that the collision occurs. ie the next event wired to say a collision op. or find target.

on ChannelsUsed pCont do()
    on Init pCont do
   (
   	global rlTime
   	global curTime
   )
    on Proceed pCont do
    (
    	p = pCont.particleID
    	count = pCont.NumParticles()
    	for i = 1 to count do
    	(
    		--print p
    		theGrids[p].playFrom = 0
    		rlTime = slidertime as integer
    		curTime = rlTime/ticksperframe
    		theGrids[p].playFrom = curTime - (curtime*2) -- Impact time start playback
    		--print theGrids[p].playFrom
    	)
    )
    on Release pCont do()

Be sure to use a cache op. set to View/Render Intgration step, this will ensure that the grid impact times are correct. I noticed if I didn’t use a cache the impact times were off, which makes sense since the playFrom time isn’t initialized correctly until playback has run through the timeline at least once.

Not sure if you can write to the Final step update script through maxscript, you can turn it on/off but that’s about it AFAIK. You can create the script op through maxscript. Another note you cannot use a scale operator in the flow this will jack the grid transforms and the grids will not render properly.

PopPoints QT 1.3 mb

An attemtp to get fumeFX to look like white water. Waiting to see what the krakatoa renders look like

WhiteWaterTest QT 4.0 mb

Tags: Animation, find target, FumeFX, Particle Flow, PFlow, Scripts, smoke

FumeFX Drippy Paint

Thought it kinda looked like dripping paint in 3d space.

Paint Streak QT 25mb

Tags: Animation, FumeFX, Particle Flow, PFlow

Box#2 R&D

This thing is really getting there. Oleg is doing a fine job getting things rolling.

Simple test, kinda liked it so I thought I’d post it.
Coins QT 12mb

Tags: Animation, Box#2, Particle Flow, PFlow

Birth Script Interval

A quick simple way to set the rate and interval of Particle Flow birth script.

  on ChannelsUsed pCont do
  (
  	 pCont.useTime = true
  )

  on Init pCont do
  (

  )

  on Proceed pCont do
  (

  	t2 = pCont.getTimeEnd()
  	rate = 100 -- rate of emission

  	if (t2 < 20) do -- emit from 0 to 20
  		(
  		for i = 1 to rate do
  			(
  			pCont.AddParticle()
  			)
  		)
  	if (t2 > 40) and (t2 < 50) do -- emit from 40 to 50
  		(
  		for i = 1 to rate do
  			(
  			pCont.AddParticle()
 			)
  		)
  	if (t2 > 60) and (t2 < 70) do -- emit from 60 to 70
  		(
  		for i = 1 to rate do
  			(
  			pCont.AddParticle()
  			)
  		)
  	if (t2 > 90) and (t2 < 100) do -- emit from 90 to 100
  		(
  		for i = 1 to rate do
  			(
  			pCont.AddParticle()
  			)
  		)
  )

  on Release pCont do
  (

  )

Tags: Particle, PFlow, script, Scripts

Script – PFlow Viewport Multiplier Switcher

Well got real tired of clicking on every particle source and changing the multiplier to get the amount I wanted in the viewport, so I wrote this just for that.

A little more info here

Tags: PFlow, script, Scripts, viewport

Pflow Material ID Inheritance

Oops, How about I just leaked some of the new Particle Flow Tools functionality…Well something great to look forward to anyway…

Material Inheritance, get excited people the new PFTools is going to be great!

Tags: inherit, material, PFlow