INSIDE 3DS MAX® 7 [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems

The standard particle systems that have been part of max through several revisions, such as Blizzard, Snow, Spray, Super Spray, PCloud, and PArray, are non-event-driven, meaning that their properties generally do not change over the course of an animation. These systems are adept at creating rain, for example, though if the quantity of drops needs to change in respect to an opening window, an event-driven system is more appropriate.

These systems range in complexity, with Snow and Spray being the simplest. Blizzard and Super Spray are provided as more sophisticated versions, and they make Snow and Spray basically obsolete.

Spray emits particles from a planar helper (a nonrendering plane used only to define emitter shape). Super Spray emits particles from a single point in space, typically to spread out in a fan or conical shape. SuperSpray contains all the functionality of Spray and more particle shapes, as well as controls for individual particle motion and collision. Super Spray is quite effective at producing explosive or spraying effects (Figure 17.7).

Snow and Blizzard emit particles from a planar helper object, with Blizzard being the more advanced version. Blizzard is quite useful for creating rain, snow, or almost any area emission effect. If your scene calls for an area of parallel-moving clouds or leaves falling over a wide area, Blizzard is probably the best choice in non-event-driven particle systems (Figure 17.8).