first timer particle question.

noob.

from Sins Forums

Hey all. Im first time mod  team member and am focusing of doing particle effects for missiles at the moment. I need some guidance, ive never done this before and ive been at it a while now. ive tried GIMP, photoshop AE, and a couple others. What im confused about is do i make a 3d picture of the effect that moves and is fluid or set of 2d/3d still frame pictures that i submit as one effect or create an entire 3d cinematic effect from 360 by 360 degree perspective? this is where im stuck and some guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and im sorry to post in such a public place, im sure there is a specified place for this but i cant find it.

modding
1,840 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

You have the particle forge right?

Sounds like you need to talk to Syneptus.  Now where did we put him...

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

I'm somewhere...

ok. Particle Forge is a great way to start making particle effects.

A particle effects is simply a set of emitters emitting 2d or sometimes 3d objects that move, expand, etc.

There is a great wiki called sins wiki...

It explains Particle Forge in detail.

Do you have Particle Forge set up? If you don't I can send you my particle forge link.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

I dont believe i have particle forge, however i would appreciate any help you could offer. as i said before, this has been a nightmare with other programs. lol going at it blind and this is the first helpfull advice ive gotten. Thanks.

 

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

Also its helpful to understand what particles are, not only in Sins but in many other games. A particle is usually a simple sprite, meaning its a 2D picture - which is then instanced ("emitted") in relatively large numbers to produce a certain effect. A particle can have its color, size, orientation, transparency etc. changed during its lifetime, which in turn produces different effects.

Also, every particle usually has a lifetime, which is basically the amount of time it stays in the simulation and/or is displayed on screen. This is also an important factor in determining the final look of a particle effect.

And finally, every particle needs an emitter. Emitters are geometrical objects whose surface or volume is used to generate particles in a specific way. A sphere will generate particles in a different way than a flat surface, for example.

So to answer your original question, to create a 3D particle simulation, you do not need to make a 3D rendered footage (if I understood you correctly) - you need to create small 2D images which will then be used in a 3D particle simulation (using emitters like a sphere for example) to achieve a look of a 3D effect.
Usually in the Particle Forge you will have more than one particle simulation going, meaning more than one emitter, particle sprite or affector (these are parameters which influence particles and change their properties during simulation).