Create cartoony dust with particles
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- Víctor Paredes
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Create cartoony dust with particles
Hi, here is a trick I discovered a few days ago looking for a way to create a more cartoony dust and still using particles.
Here is how it works.
There are two exactly equal particle layers but with a little difference:
- the first contains a vector layer with a shape with gradient, transparency and soft edge.
- the second contains the same vector layer, but without any effect on it. no blur, no gradient, no transparency.
On the second vector layer we create a shadow, it will be the border of the entire dust cluod. So, the first particle layer works as the inside of the cluod and the second works as the border.
I create some keyframes for distortion of the particles cloud and transparency at the end of the animation for a more fluid playback, this way there are not little clouds suddenly disappearing all the time. The shadow -border- has the same treatment, it becomes more thin and transparent as the cloud moves.
To keep exactly the same movements on the two particle layers (in case the character be running as roadrunner or whatever) I put both inside a bone layer and added a bone which is binded to both particle layers. So if you want to move the cloud, just move the bone.
Here is the file, obviously. (new link)
Here is how it works.
There are two exactly equal particle layers but with a little difference:
- the first contains a vector layer with a shape with gradient, transparency and soft edge.
- the second contains the same vector layer, but without any effect on it. no blur, no gradient, no transparency.
On the second vector layer we create a shadow, it will be the border of the entire dust cluod. So, the first particle layer works as the inside of the cluod and the second works as the border.
I create some keyframes for distortion of the particles cloud and transparency at the end of the animation for a more fluid playback, this way there are not little clouds suddenly disappearing all the time. The shadow -border- has the same treatment, it becomes more thin and transparent as the cloud moves.
To keep exactly the same movements on the two particle layers (in case the character be running as roadrunner or whatever) I put both inside a bone layer and added a bone which is binded to both particle layers. So if you want to move the cloud, just move the bone.
Here is the file, obviously. (new link)
Last edited by Víctor Paredes on Tue Dec 27, 2011 3:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- Víctor Paredes
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- synthsin75
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great tip
as a newbie i found this tip very useful. aside from dust i can use this techniques for a variety of other purposes. thanks
- cartoonmonkey
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Is there a way to simply have the particle follow the direction it's traveling? that is.. every time I create a particle effect in AS, it seem that gravity / wind blows things to one side or another.
I'd like a 'still wind' environment.. wherein the particle (smoke) doesn't blow off on it's own accord..
Anyone?
Noobishly,
C
I'd like a 'still wind' environment.. wherein the particle (smoke) doesn't blow off on it's own accord..
Anyone?
Noobishly,
C
In your particle layers, edit the properties on the Particles tab.cartoonmonkey wrote:Is there a way to simply have the particle follow the direction it's traveling? that is.. every time I create a particle effect in AS, it seem that gravity / wind blows things to one side or another.
I'd like a 'still wind' environment.. wherein the particle (smoke) doesn't blow off on it's own accord..
Anyone?
Noobishly,
C
The acceleration and direction parameters are what do the gravity, or wind direction change.
Actually, in the demo file, which I just looked at, the particle itself is animated as moving in a direction. So for the demo, if you don't want the smoke moving up, undo those keyframes.cartoonmonkey wrote:Is there a way to simply have the particle follow the direction it's traveling? that is.. every time I create a particle effect in AS, it seem that gravity / wind blows things to one side or another.
I'd like a 'still wind' environment.. wherein the particle (smoke) doesn't blow off on it's own accord..
Anyone?
Noobishly,
C
- Víctor Paredes
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