Particle Parameters

The parameters on this panel relate to the specific particle/puff used in the current pattern.

The controls are:

• PARTICLE TYPE. There are 5 graphics included, by default. Using the drop-down list, you choose which graphic to use as the base puff/particle.
  • White Laminar. Laminar look.
  • Fireball. Flame ball pattern.
  • DarkGrey1. Turbulent pattern.
  • DarkGrey2. Turbulent pattern variant.
  • LightGrey. Mix of laminar/turbulent look.
  • CUSTOM. You can use your own particle to create an endless possibility of effects, for example, water and other fluids.
• LINKAGE ID. If you chose to create your own particle, this box and label appear and you enter the Linkage ID of the movie clip you have created. See Creating a Custom Particle for information about how to do this.
• RELEASE RATE. This determines how often a particle is released by the generator. Releasing a particle often, creating a dense pattern of particles, will require more computational processing because the particles will endure through their LIFETIME value. Releasing a particle less often may cause gaps between particles. In adjusting this value, you should consider also adjusting the particle volume/size so you avoid gaps in the particle stream.
  
  Numerically, the slider range is 0.05 (sparse) to 0.25 (dense).
• TURBULENCE. Turbulence indicates how quickly each particle rotates. Higher values mean more rotation, and greater the appearence of turbulence. This parameter is directional--values above 0 tell the particle to rotate clockwise, and values below zero tell the particle to rotate counter-clockwise. Once you set a non-zero turbulence, a button appears which you can click to reset the turbulence to 0.
  
  Numerically, the slider range is -5 (high turbulence, counter-clockwise) to 5 (high turbulence, clockwise).
• TURBULENCE VARIANCE. To give a more realistic look, you can set a variation for the turbulence. If the variation crosses 0, then some particles will rotate in different directions.
  
  Numerically, the slider range is 0 (no variance) to the 5.