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Activity Forums Adobe After Effects Create a stream of particles constrained to a shape ( blood flowing through veins)

  • Create a stream of particles constrained to a shape ( blood flowing through veins)

    Posted by Ignacio Rodriguez on January 24, 2018 at 11:41 am

    Hi guys,

    I am trying to create a stream of red cells flowing through some veins so I need them to follow a path and stay inside those veins and I cannot figure out a way to do it, I have tried particular and form but I don’t know how to make it work.

    Any advice?

    Many thanks!

    Michael Szalapski replied 8 years, 7 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Kevin Camp

    January 24, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    the foam effect will allow you to use a ‘flow’ map — a grayscale image that the foam bubbles will follow. you can replace the ‘bubbles’ with a custom particle, so it might work for you… search for some tutorials on foam.

    particular does allow the use of motion paths (under physics > air). those use the motion of a 3d light named ‘Motion Path 1’ (or Motion Path 2, etc). so you may be able to animate a light to follow the vein, then use that light as a motion path for the particles in a believable way.

    Kevin Camp
    Art Director
    KCPQ, KZJO & KRCW

  • Ignacio Rodriguez

    January 25, 2018 at 11:07 am

    Ohh the foam effect worked perfectly!!

    Thank you so much!!!

  • Richard Garabedain

    January 25, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    How does the foam effect place bubbles. I made a few maps and while it changes, i cannot tell how or why it is channging. its not where my white is, and its not where black is

  • Michael Szalapski

    January 25, 2018 at 6:00 pm

    The flow map controls how they move, not how they spawn. They will move along the gradient always going from the lighter area to the darker area. Think of it like a hill. With light being higher and dark being lower. They will “roll” downhill. The map MUST BE SMOOTH – no sharp changes – it must be a gradient and not a line.

    Also, as to the original question, you can use any of a number of particle effects to just make it go fairly straight and then use Bezier Warp, Mesh Warp, BAO Boa, or any of a dozen distortion effects to change the path the particles travel.

    – The Great Szalam
    (The \’Great\’ stands for \’Not So Great, in fact, Extremely Humble\’)

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