Elvis Deane
Forum Replies Created
-
Set a keyframe in the Number graph at the same value as its starting number at the point where you want the emitter to start shutting down, then set another after that with a value of 0. That will shut down the creation of new particles.
You can also add a keyframe to the Active graph, but that will just make all the particles vanish at the chosen frame.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
I don’t know of any emitters in the libraries specifically designed as a heat wave emitter, but any emitter that shoots out smoke at a fast rate can be converted to do this pretty quick. You can probably duplicate one of the particle types you’re using in the emitter for the jet’s exhaust, then make the particles a little larger.
In the Colors tab of the emitter’s properties, turn on Get Color from Layer, and check Update Color beside it. That will create the distortion of the background image.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
Line emitters can only be straight, you’d have to add a number of points to curve the line.
You can also draw a curved line in a paint program, save it as a TIF or TGA with an alpha channel, and use it to birth particles using Area Emitter Masks. But the advantage of a line emitter over that method is that the emission angle of the particles will be determined partly by the angle of each segment.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
I think now that HD is becoming an option, maybe this will be easier. Yeah, it’s more pixels to deal with, but there’s also more information to use as tracking data. Though maybe eyelashes will be visible enough now even on further away shots to cause complications.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
It’s a reallllly difficult effect to do. I’ve tried it in pI, I’ve tried it in After Effects using the tracker. The problem is that the eye moves and changes shape so much (both from the head moving and eyelids blinking), so there isn’t a really simple way in pI to cover the right part of the eyes (other than maybe using a single black particle, and animating its Size on the x and y )
On video especially, the eye is usually only a couple of pixels big which adds more problems, unless your actor is right up close to the camera. A paint program is probably a better bet, or a pair of black contacts.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
It’s something that you’d really have to fake in pI, with one emitter sending smoke up towards the text, and then an area emitter to create the text (using the alpha channel from a background image).
The particle systems in most 3D programs are good at this sort of thing, I’ve just been doing a similar effect in XSI. The drawback is that those systems are much more complicated to use, and the rendering times are usually quite a bit longer than pI.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
In the February 2004 library, there’s a nice one in the Transporter Effects folder, Transport 12. If you delete the particle type that looks like long sticks, it will look more like a Charmed-style transport.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
Most compositors or editing programs allow you to import a sequence as you would a video clip. In the case of After Effects, just go to File>Import File…, select the first image in the sequence, and check the box that says “*** Sequence” at the bottom of the dialogue box.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures -
The solution is to render to a sequence of images (like PNG, TIF, or TGA). pI can render those with alpha channels.
—
Elvis Deane!
The particleIllusion FAQ
particleIllusion Resources and tutorial CD
Astounding Adventures