Advanced particle system controls, Advanced particle system, Controls – Apple Motion 2 User Manual
Page 586
586
Chapter 8
Working With Particles
Create Clips That Loop
Particles created from QuickTime clips loop over and over for the duration of each
individual particle’s life. If the clip you use doesn’t loop well, there will be a jump cut at
every loop point. Another option is to use very short movies to introduce randomness
into the appearance of the particle system.
Use Video Clips With Minimal Compression
Ideally, QuickTime clips to be used as particles should be saved using a high-quality
codec, such as Animation or Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit 4:2:2. Other codecs can be
used, but they may introduce unwanted artifacts depending on the level of
compression used.
There is also an option to use random start frames so that the particles do not all use
the same frame of the clip at the same frame in the project, as well as an option to play
or not play the clip. For more information, see “
Additional Cell Parameters for
Advanced Particle System Controls
While the Dashboard provides a fast way to modify a particle system’s main
parameters, the particle system’s Emitter and Particle Cell tabs in the Inspector give you
total control over every aspect of that particle system. This includes individual
parameters for each cell in a system.
The Difference Between Emitter and Particle Cell Parameters
Emitter and Particle Cell parameters, though closely related, serve different purposes.
Emitter parameters control the overall shape and direction of the animated mass of
particles generated by the system. Other emitter parameters simultaneously modify
the parameters of all cells inside that emitter.
Particle Cell parameters, on the other hand, control the behavior of particles generated
from each cell that’s inside the particle emitter. For more information, see “
When only one object is used as a particle cell source, the cell controls appear in the
Emitter tab as well as in the Particle Cell tab. Once more than one object is added to a
Particle Emitter, all cell controls appear in the Particle Cell tab. To access this tab, the cell
must be selected in the Layers tab or Timeline.
01112.book Page 586 Sunday, March 13, 2005 10:36 PM