Particle Type ID

Displays the ID of the current particle type. This is only for information purposes and cannot be modified.

Name

Specifies the name assigned to the particle type defined in this editor.

Max. Life

Controls the amount of time, in seconds, a particle exists once it is emitted.

Live Forever

Makes particles live for a very long time (many many seconds). The particles do not die off during the simulation.

Mass

Specifies the mass of particles. The mass of a particle is an indication of how swiftly it reacts to forces applied to it.

Gravity is a force directly proportional to the particle mass. The more massive the particle, the stronger the gravity force applied to it. As a result, several particles of different masses will all have the same identical motion if the only force acting upon them is gravity.

Possible value types are Birth, Age, and Abs(olute) - see below.

This parameter has associated Var parameters that let you add variation (see Particle Variance and Seed Parameters).

Size

Controls the size of the emitted particle in Softimage units. Particle size is only computed when the scene is rendered. The size of the rendered particles is affected by the perspective transformation; i.e., the farther away a particle appears in the viewport, the smaller it appears when rendered.

Possible value types are Birth, Age, and Abs(olute), where:

Birth: The size of the particle remains constant throughout its lifetime (no parameter animation).

Age: The size of the particle may change over its lifetime, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified.

Abs: The size of all particles are identical throughout the simulation.

Age%: The size of particles change over the particle’s life percentage, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified. In this case, parameter animation between the start and end frames is mapped to the whole particle life.

This parameter has associated Var parameters that let you add variation (see Particle Variance and Seed Parameters).

Billboard

The angle in degrees (counterclockwise) that the billboard particle rotates per second.

Roll

The angle in degrees (counterclockwise) that the particle rotates per second around its Z axis.

Pitch

The angle in degrees (counterclockwise) that the particle rotates per second around its X axis.

Yaw

The angle in degrees (counterclockwise) that the particle rotates per second around its Y axis.

Align On Velocity

Aligns the particle rotation along the particle’s velocity vector instead of from cloud’s reference frame. This is useful for controlling local rotations on particles.

Min

Controls the minimum speed particles are emitted from their source. Possible value types are Birth, Age, and Abs(olute) - see above.

Max

Controls the maximum speed particles are emitted from their source. Possible value types are Birth, Age, and Abs(olute) - see above.

New Event

Creates a new event to be defined for the particle type. This opens the Particle Event property editor in which you specify an event trigger and action.

Event Table

Displays the name of the event and the trigger value, which can be animated. When you set an obstacle, a collision event is created by default.

Name

Name of the custom parameter.

Type

Select a type of parameter:

• Vector 4 (float)

• Vector 3 (float)

• Float

• Integer

• Unsigned Long

• Unsigned Short

• Bool

New Parameter

Click this button to create the new parameter you have specified.

The new parameter is added to the bottom of this property page and becomes a property of the particle type.

In the explorer, you can find all custom parameters in the Parameters folder under the PType node. Make sure to use the All Nodes filter to see them.

New Goal

Click this button, then pick the object you want as a goal. Right-click to end picking. A new goal property is created for this particle type and you can edit it using the parameters in the Goal Table below.

Goal Table

Displays the goal’s parameters:

• Name of the goal, which you can change by clicking its cell and entering a new name.

• Weight value, which you can edit by clicking its cell and entering a new value (0 to 1). You can then animate the values by clicking its animation icon to set keys at different frames.

• Mute the goal by clicking in the cell so there’s a check mark.

• Right-click on the PType.goal name cell and choose Select Item to select the goal object. You can also choose Inspect Item open the Particle Goal property editor.

Elasticity

Controls the amount of influence gravity has on the particles as they bounce off obstacles. Possible value types are Birth, Age, and Abs(olute).

When connected to a Particles or Fluid cloud, the Age animation mode behaves like the Abs animation mode.

Friction

Controls the amount of influence surface friction has on the particles as they strike obstacles. Possible value types are Birth, Age, and Abs(olute).

When connected to a Particles cloud, the Age animation mode behaves like the Abs animation mode.

Use size for collision

Considers the particle size when the particles collide with an obstacle. This works for standard particles as well as fluid and explosions.

Position

Amount of noise to be added to the particle’s position (in SOFTIMAGE spatial units).

Velocity

Amount of noise to be added to the particle’s velocity (in [SOFTIMAGE spatial units]/[SOFTIMAGE time units]).

Acceleration

Amount of noise to be added to the particle’s acceleration (in [SOFTIMAGE spatial units]/[SOFTIMAGE time units]) ^2).

Type

Select from Brownian (not correlated in space or time so it’s more random) or Perlin (spatially correlated as defined by turbulence parameters) noise. If you select Perlin, you can also set its Iteration, Scale, and Power.

Iteration

Number of iterations of the turbulence algorithm (if 1 it coincides with a simple Perlin function).

Scale

Spatial correlation scale of Perlin noise.

Power

Amount of turbulence in Perlin noise.

Enable

Toggles on/off the ability for current particle type to avoid collisions with other particle types.

Intensity

Maximum avoidance force intensity. The total avoidance force between two particles depends on the product of each of their Intensity values.

Radius

Distance from the particle at which avoidance Intensity force vanishes.

Enable avoidance with same Ptype

Toggles on/off the ability for the current particle type to avoid collisions with itself.

Enable

Toggles on/off the ability for current particle type to collide with other particle types.

Probability

Probability of collision (between 0 and 100). The total collision probability between two particles depends on the product of each of their Probability values.

Radius

Minimum distance from particle at which collision takes place.

Elasticity

The amount of elasticity in the collision. If 0, the collision is inelastic; if 1, the normal speed component is fully reversed. The actual elasticity coefficient between two particles is the product of each of their Collision Elasticity values.

Enable collision with same Ptype

Toggles on/off the ability for the current particle type to collide with itself.

Viscosity

Sets the level of resistance to flow in a fluid. Lower values, like 0.07, simulates the flow of a liquid such as water. A high value, such as 1 (maximum), produces behavior similar to that of syrup. Heavier fluids also depend on gravity to define their behavior. By decreasing the gravity, you slow down the fluid dynamic (the result is similar to increasing the Viscosity), and vice-versa.

Surface Tension

Sets the degree of liquid tension on the particle’s surface. Particles that simulate liquid in the shape of a cube, for example, will tend to transform into a spherical shape as they fall to the ground. A high level of surface tension will cause the particles to hold their original shape longer.

Coriolis

Sets the angular speed of a Coriolis force. A Coriolis force is the rotational motion of fluid, such as that of water emptying down a drain. The higher that value of this parameter, the stronger the Coriolis force.

Compressibility

Sets the compressibility factor of fluid as it strikes and bounces off obstacles.

Inherit Coeff

Defines the amount of structure speed inherited by the particle (0 means no speed inherited, 1 means the full speed inherited). Note that forces like gravity, buoyancy, wind, fans and air friction affect the structure’s velocity only; therefore, their action is lost when this parameter is set to 0.

Fading Age %

Sets the starting time (in terms of percentage particle life) of the automatic fading. When the particle percentage age reach this value, Softimage starts reducing the particle alpha channel, taking it to 0 at particle death time. It can be useful for preventing particles from vanishing suddenly from the scene.

Emission From

By default, a particle’s starting position is the structure’s current position. You can force the particles to emit from the cloud icon’s center by selecting Icon in this list.

Life

Particle Death time on Abs frame: Particle death time is set, depending on the absolute generation frame.

Particle Life Length on Abs frame: Particle life length is set, depending on the absolute generation frame.

Particle Death time on Structure age: Particle death time is set, depending on the structure age.

Particle Life Length on Structure age: Particle life length is set, depending on the structure age.

RGB

Overrides the same value set on the Color page (see Color).

Absolute frame: RGB values are identical for all particles throughout the simulation.

Structure Percentage Age: RGB values change over the structure’s life percentage, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified. In this case, parameter animation between 0 and 100 is mapped to the whole structure life

Particle Percentage Age: RGB values change over the particle’s life percentage, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified. In this case, parameter animation between 0 and 100 is mapped to the whole particle life.

Alpha

Overrides the same value set on the Color page (see Color).

Same as RGB except for the alpha component.

Size

Overrides the same value set on the General page (see General).

Absolute frame: Particle size depends on current frame only.

Structure age: Particle size depends on related structure age.

Particle age: Particle size depends on its age.

Constant: Particle size is set at its birth and remains constant throughout its lifetime (no parameter animation).

Start and End

The start and end value of the particle’s radius in SOFTIMAGE units defining the structure’s circular-velocity term. The starting radius is always 0 and the time needed to go from the start to end value is defined by the Evolution Time.

This parameter has an associated Var parameter parameter that let you add variation (see Particle Variance and Seed Parameters).

Start and End

The start and end value of the particle’s angular speed in degrees per second defining the structure’s circular-velocity term. The time needed to go from the start to end value is defined by the Evolution Time.

This parameter has an associated Var parameter parameter that let you add variation (see Particle Variance and Seed Parameters).

Color

Adds a color to the particle using RGBA or HLSA color values. This color is also displayed for the particle wireframe color in the viewport. You can override these values with the Particle Color and Particle Gradient shaders.

RGB

Birth: A particle’s RGB values remain constant throughout its lifetime (no color animation).

Age: RGB values change over the particle’s lifetime, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified.

Abs: RGB values are identical for all particles throughout the simulation.

Age%: RGB values change over the particle’s life percentage, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified. In this case parameter animation between the start and end frames is mapped to the whole particle life.

When you’re animating the Color, key its values first, then set the animation reference mode to Age%.

Alpha

Birth: A particle’s Alpha values remain constant throughout its lifetime (no color animation).

Age: Alpha values may change over the particle’s lifetime, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified.

Abs: Alpha values are identical for all particles throughout the simulation.

Age%: Alpha values may change over the particle’s life percentage, depending on how the parameter’s function curve is modified. In this case parameter animation between the start and end frames is mapped to the whole particle life.

When you’re animating the Color, key its values first, then set the animation reference mode to Age%.

H

Controls the amount of variance to the hue in a particle’s color. The distribution can be Uniform or Gaussian.

L

Controls the amount of variance to the luminance in a particle’s color. The distribution can be Uniform or Gaussian.

S

Controls the amount of variance to the saturation in a particle’s color. The distribution can be Uniform or Gaussian.

Alpha

Controls the amount of variance to the alpha value in a particle’s color. The distribution can be Uniform or Gaussian.

Sprite Image

Lets you choose the texture or image file sequence that will serve as the particle shape.

When an image is loaded, you can edit it in the Image Clip property editor, whose pages appear below in the PType property editor.

Window and Playback Controls

Displays a list of texture or image files. When highlighted, this will be the texture or image on the particle shape. Use the playback controls to play, pause, loop, and stop an image sequence.

Clear

Clears the currently selected sprite image from the window.

Edit

Modifies parameters of the selected sprite in the list.

New

Opens a browser in which you can select a new sprite image file to create a new sprite.

Animation Control

Animates the sprite per particle based on one of the following conditions:

Birth: the current sprite is assigned to particle at its birth, and will remain the same for all particle life.

Age: sprite is animated following particle age (in frame).

Abs: sprite is animated following the absolute frame (i.e. the time bar); it is the default value, and it corresponds to the old implementation.

Age% sprite is animated following particle percentage age.

Random: a random sprite of the sequence is assigned to particle at its birth, and will remain the same for all particle life.

Var: adds variation to the sprite over the duration of the simulation.

Render Time: controls the sprite sequence’s animation when it’s rendered with the Particle Sprite shader. With this option, Softimage stops trying to optimize what frames are sent to mental ray (such as any unused frames) and makes them all available at render time.

For more information, see Animating the Sprites [ Particles ].

Enable

Activates particle instancing.

Instance Group

Group of objects from which to create the instances. These objects must be part of a group (select the objects and press Ctrl+g).

Click the Pick button and pick the instance group from the explorer.

Click the Remove button to remove the group from the text box.

Rotation

If the particle has rotation applied, you can have the instances inherit it (select From Particle), or you can have no rotation (None).

Scaling

The instanced objects can inherit the scaling from the particle:

By particle size scales the object uniformly by taking the size of the particle and scaling by that.

Non-uniform to particle scales the object to fit the particle’s bounding box using non-uniform scaling. This makes the object completely fill in the bounding box.

Uniform to particle scales the object to fit the particle’s bounding box using uniform scaling. This makes the object fit in the bounding box but without changing its shape.

None: the instanced object stays its current size, and is not influenced by the particle size.

OGL Display

Select from either Nulls or Bounding Boxes as a display type for the instanced objects in the viewport.