After Effects CS5 Trapcode Particular Custom Particle?

[Steve Renard]

I can’t link to a tutorial, but here’s a step-by-step:
1. Create a new comp 100x100px, 1 frame long, and call it “particles”.
2. Create a new solid in that comp and draw a mask or a collection of masks that will be your particle shape. (If you make the comp more than one frame, you can create other shapes and they will all be pulled into the particle system).
4. Create another new comp at whatever your delivery size is (ie 1920×1080) and call it “master”
5. In the “master” comp, create a new solid and call it “Particular”
6. Apply the Particular effect to the solid.
7. Drag the “particles” comp into the “master” comp.
8. In the Particular effect panel, twirl down the Particle section.
9. For Particle type pull-down menu, select “Textured Polygon”
10. Twirl down the “Texture” section. For the Layer, select your “particles” layer, and for Time Sampling select “Random – Still Frame”

You should now have a custom particle. There are tons of variations on this theme but those are the basics.

Good luck,
Steve

————
Steve Renard
Media Director, Cicada Design Inc.
and Freelance Know-it-all
647-406-7991
srenard@cicadadesign.ca
http://www.cicadadesign.ca

[Jason Jantzen]

What’s challenging me is when i choose my layer, the particle is suddenly VERY small. When I scale it up it’s dimensions are not the same (i.e. 50% width x 100% height). Any way around this?