MAXON Computer Cinema 4D Tutorials: Motion Inheritance

Tips & Techniques - Thinking Particles

Thinking Particles:
Motion Inheritance
Download:
Project Works with:
XL, Studio Requires:
Version 8+

Thinking Particles offers a unique operator that controls the motion of particle groups. An effect that could result in an endless amount of keyframming in traditional particle systems, is controlled by a single node in Thinking Particles.

Note: This tutorial assumes that you have already gone through the Thinking Particles Basics tutorial for creating a basic emitter and a particle group.

Step 1: Create a Null Object (Objects=>Null Object) and rename it 'Inherit Motion'. This will be the object that the particles will inherit their motion from.

Step 2: Within the Xpresso Editor create a PPass node (this node passes all of the particle groups' info). System Operators=>Thinking Particles=>TP Initiator=>PPass.

Step 3: If it is not already, open the Thinking Particles Settings dialog. This dialog is accessed in the Xpresso Editor by going to Custom=>Thinking Particles=>Settings....

Step 4: From the Thinking Particles Settings drag and drop the Group 1 text onto the PPass node.

Step 5: Now create the PMotionInheritance node System Operators=>Thinking Particles=>TP Dynamic=>PMotionInheritance.

Step 6: By dragging wires connect PPass with PMotionInheritance.

Step 7: Drag and drop the Inherit Motion object onto the PMotionInheritance node. So the Group1 particle group will inherit motion from this object.

Step 8: Since the Inherit Motion object does not have any animation or motion, keyframes will need to be created. Select the Inherit Motion object then in the Attributes Manager under the Coord. menu, right click (or Cmnd + click on a Mac) on the 'B' of 'R.B' and go to Animation=>Add Keyframe. Make sure the current frame of the scene is at 0.

Step 9: Scrub to Frame 150. Back in the Attributes Manager under the Coord. menu, input 1080 in the 'R.B' field and then add a keyframe in the same manner as the previous step. A red dot should appear next to the 'R.B' field indicatinting that it has a keyframe at that particlular frame.

Step 10: Upon creation the particles have a default life of 90 frames. This scene is 150 frames so the particles will die in 90 frames. To fix this select the PStorm node and then in the Attributes Manager change the Life field to 150.

Step 11: Select the PMotionInheritance node and then in the Attributes Manager change the Inheritance to 50%. Play the animation. The particles will now inherit half of the object's motion.

Almost all of Thinking Particles Dynamic operators are used by just passing the particle group to the operator. You may want to experiment with other Dynamic operators to see what Thinking Particles is capable of.