Page 1059 - Kitab3DsMax

Chapter 41: Creating Particles and Particle Flow
FIGURE 41.16
A Plane object positioned beneath the vent is an emitter for the particle system.

Using the PCloud Particle System

The PCloud particle system keeps all emitted particles within a selected volume. This volume can be a box,
sphere, cylinder, or a selected object. The emitter icon is shaped as the selected volume. This particle sys-
tem includes the same rollouts as the Super Spray system, with some subtle differences.
The options on the Basic Parameters rollout are unique to this system. This system can use a separate mesh
object as an emitter. To select this emitter object, click the Pick Object button and select the object to use.
Other options include Box, Sphere, and Cylinder Emitter. For these emitters, the Rad/Len, Width, and
Height values are active for defining its dimensions.
In addition to these differences in the Basic Parameters rollout, several Particle Motion options in the
Particle Generation rollout are different for the PCloud system as well. Particle Motion can be set to a ran-
dom direction, a specified vector, or in the direction of a reference object’s Z-axis.
The only two presets for this particle system in the Load/Save Presets rollout are Cloud/Smoke and Default.

Using Particle System Maps

Using material maps on particles is another way to add detail to a particle system without increasing its geometric
complexity. You can apply all materials and maps available in the Material Editor to particle systems. To apply
them, select the particle system icon and click the Assign Material to Selection button in the Material Editor.

Cross-Ref
For more details on using maps, see Chapter 17, “Adding Material Details with Maps.”

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