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Activity Forums Adobe After Effects Simple floating particles in AE?

  • Simple floating particles in AE?

    Posted by Vince Giacco on December 13, 2008 at 11:16 pm

    I have not found an answer to this question, but if one is already posted, I apologize in advance.
    I am trying to create simple, slowly floating particles- as if underwater, in AE. This is probably the simplest thing to do for most of you but I’ve been having some difficulty.
    I’ve been trying to use CC Particle World. I can get decent particles, but the birth rate seems to be the hang up. I just want the particles to “exist” No birth and death. I just want them to float around.
    How does one have the particles just “be” for lack of a better explanation, as opposed to appear and disappear?
    I hope this question makes some sense.
    Thank you for any help you can provide.

    Aleksey Tarasov replied 12 years, 9 months ago 5 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • David Bogie

    December 14, 2008 at 4:35 pm

    Some particle systems have a pre-roll or a starting parameter for setting the number of pre-existing particles.
    I’m not at my AE machine today but I can give you some pointers.
    Set the lifespan for maximum, the length of your comp. If the value doesn’t go that high, right-click on it to edit the value.
    Yo may just need to precompose the layer and set its in point after some particles have been created in order to have your world filled with floaties.
    You can create a movie of particles and import it, loop it, or use it several times with a invisible transition between the copies.

    bogiesan

  • Jon Geddes

    December 15, 2008 at 7:36 am

    Also be sure to have a very high birth rate at the beginning for 1 frame (or a few), then keyframe it to zero so particles don’t keep appearing randomly.

    You want it to produce all the particles at the very beginning, then stop producing them, and have the existing ones just float around.

    Jon Geddes
    Motion Graphics Designer
    http://www.precomposed.com

  • Roland R. kahlenberg

    December 15, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    You don’t have to render the entire Timeline. So, set the Work Area accordingly and render just the Work Area. Particle Systems almost always have a Lifespan property. This is crucial as rendering can be quite tedious without it. Yours is a specific and uncommon use of a particle system. So, look for a way around the ‘problem’.

    Cheers
    RoRK

    broadcastGEMs.com – the leader in customizable royalty-free animated backdrops

  • Aleksey Tarasov

    August 31, 2013 at 11:55 am

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