5D.Particles

Exercise 3: ADDING SWIRLS TO A STREAM OF PARTICLES

Swirling the basic stream

Use a simple particle system as described in exercise 1.

increase the Swirl Density to 10.0
decrease the Swirl Amplitude to 5.0
set To Max to 45.0 (frames)
set Velocity Strength to 0.0
set Friction to 0.0
and Gravity Strength to 10.0; just a gravitational pull.
click on KILL ALL PARTICLES
play through the sequence.

SWIRLING:

With Swirl Density set to 0.0 the other 2 swirl factors are ignored.
Values greater than 0.0 for Swirl Density, force the particles to make their way through a force field which makes them change direction, taking the path of least resistance.
The swirl density governs the texture of this force field; low values give a bolder and coarser pattern while higher values increase the detailing in the texture.
The Swirl Amplitude magnifies the induced motion, making the swirls wilder and broader.
You can build up to the maximum swirl using To Maximum which specifies the number of frames it takes to reach the full swirl amplitude.

Try this:

set Gravity to 20.0
set Swirl Density to 60.0.
set Friction to 8.0.
click on KILL ALL PARTICLES
play through the sequence.

and this:

set Gravity to 40.0.
set Friction to 20.0.
click on KILL ALL PARTICLES
play through the sequence.

and now this:

set Swirl Density to 20.0.
set Swirl Amplitude to 16.0.
set Gravity to 100.0.
set Friction to 30.0.
click on KILL ALL PARTICLES
play through the sequence.

Gravity is dragging the particles downwards; the swirl amplitude is forcing them through the turbulence field defined by the swirl density; friction slows down the gravitational pull enhancing the swirling effect.

Note: Killing all the particles off after parameter changes and before viewing the effect maximises the visual differences. If the same particle system exists thoughout, which is perfectly acceptable, the new forces will gradually come into effect as new particles are created the new forces build up on the existing particles.

5D.Particles

Index