Dynamics

Version 6
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ALIAS
210 KING STREET EAST
TORONTO, CANADA M5A 1J7

 Table of Contents

1 About Dynamics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Introduction to dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Introduction to dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
What you can do with Maya Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2 Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Particle objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Advanced particle topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Advanced particle topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Control complex motion and forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Particle goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Nonparticle goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Multiple goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Particle collisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Particle collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Rendering particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Rendering particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Hardware rendered particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Use the Particle Cloud shader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Particle Sampler Info node. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
How do I? Create dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Create particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Create particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Place particles on a surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Dynamics
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Table of Contents

Animate particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Work with particle attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Edit particle attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Choose how particles render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Use lights, reflections, refractions, and shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Set particle color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Set particle opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Set particle lifespan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Set attributes on a per particle basis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Set particle attributes with the Component Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Set particle attributes with a ramp texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Instance geometry to particles (single and animated) . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Instance strokes from Paint Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Deform particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Work with advanced dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Make an object move with a dynamic parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adjust frame-to-frame velocity conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Apply forces in an object’s local space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Control execution time of particle dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Duplicate particle objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Assign image sequences to sprites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Export particle data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Work with emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Create emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Edit attributes of an emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Edit attributes of emitted particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Duplicate emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Connect emitters and particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Vary emission from different points of point emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Tips for advanced users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Work with emission randomness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Spread emission more evenly from NURBS surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Work with goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Dynamics
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 Table of Contents

Create goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Edit goal attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Animate goal behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Create particle collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Make particles collide with a surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Edit particle collision attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Duplicate collision effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Emit, kill, or split particles upon contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Render particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Preview hardware particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Render hardware particles at final production quality . . . . . . . . . . . 123
View rendered hardware particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Apply shadow casting to particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Software rendered particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Create raytraced shadows with particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Set Particle Sampler Info node attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Reference Windows and Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Particle Collision Event Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Sprite Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Dynamics menu set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Particles > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Particles > Particle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Particles > Create Emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Particles > Emit from Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Particles > Use Selected Emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Particles > Per-Point Emission Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Particles > Make Collide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Particles > Particle Collision Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Particles > Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Particles > Instancer (Replacement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Particles > Sprite Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Particles > Connect To Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Dynamics
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Table of Contents

Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Particle nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
particleShape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
geoConnector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
List of particle attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Render attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Sprite attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
geoConnector attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Particle Cloud attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Particle Sample Info Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

3 Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
How do I? Simulate dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Work with fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Create fields and connect objects to them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Edit field attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Work with per-particle field attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Keep particles inside the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Set field attributes with workspace manipulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Use manipulator icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Duplicate fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Types of fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Drag field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Gravity field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

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 Table of Contents

Vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Volume Axis field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Reference Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Dynamics menu set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fields > Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fields > Drag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Fields > Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Fields > Newton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Fields > Radial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Fields > Turbulence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Fields > Uniform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Fields > Vortex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Fields > Volume Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

4 Soft and Rigid Bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Rigid bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
How do I? Create dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Create soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Create soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Duplicate soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Render soft bodies with motion blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Special uses of soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Use attributes for advanced applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Dynamics
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Table of Contents

Create rigid bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Create rigid bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Edit attributes of a rigid body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Edit attributes of a rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Control complex motion and forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Convert rigid body animation to keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Segregate collisions with multiple solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Work with rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Create a Nail constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Create a Pin constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Create a Hinge constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Create a Spring constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Create a Barrier constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Edit constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Key and parent constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Create springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Create springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Edit spring operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
What went Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
wrong? Fix rigid body problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Fixing problems with constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Fix playback problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Reference Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Dynamics menu set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Soft/Rigid Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Passive Rigid Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Active Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Passive Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Break Rigid Body Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

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 Table of Contents

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
rigidBody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
rigidSolver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
rigidConstraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
springShape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

5 Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Use smoke effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Curve Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Surface Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
How do I? Simulate dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Work with effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Create Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Create Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Create fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Create lightning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Create shatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Connect shards to fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Create curve flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Create a surface flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Surface Flow procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
What went Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
wrong? Avoid twists in the flow manipulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Reference Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Dynamics menu set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

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Effects > Create Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Effects > Create Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Effects > Create Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Effects > Create Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Effects > Create Shatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Effects > Create Curve Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Effects > Create Surface Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Effects > Delete Surface Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

6 Solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Particle caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Particle caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Particle disk caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Particle startup caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Memory caching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Particle Disk Caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
How do I? Simulate dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Work with particle disk caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Use particle disk caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Particle startup caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Memory caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Reference Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Dynamics menu set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
dynGlobals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dynamic Animation391
About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Animating with dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Animating with dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

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How do I? Create dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

Animate dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Set the initial state of dynamic objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Work with dynamic animation run-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Lessen playback time with dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Disable dynamics for particles or rigid bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Reference Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Dynamics menu set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Solvers > Interactive Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

8 Dynamic Relationships Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

About Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Dynamic relationship editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Dynamic relationship editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
How do I? Simulate dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Work with the dynamic relationship editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Connect or disconnect items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Connect and disconnect gravity - example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Connect to selected fields or emitters of an object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Reference Windows and Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Relationship Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Window > Relationship Editors > Dynamic Relationships . . . . . . . . 404

APDC File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

How do I? Simulate dynamic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Simulate particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Use the PDC File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

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Dynamics
12
1 About Dynamics

About Dynamics
Introduction to dynamics

Introduction to dynamics
Dynamics is a branch of physics that describes how objects move.
Dynamic animation uses rules of physics to simulate natural forces. You
specify the actions you want the object to take, then let the software figure
out how to animate the object.
Dynamic animation lets you create realistic motion that’s hard to achieve
with traditional keyframe animation. For instance, you can make effects
such as tumbling dice, waving flags, and exploding fireworks.
To get started quickly using Maya Dynamics, see the Dynamics lessons in
the Getting Started with Maya tutorials.

Software-rendered cloud
particles make realistic steam.

What you can do with Maya Dynamics

• Create, color, and animate particles (see “Particles” in Chapter 2).

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1 | About Dynamics
About > What you can do with Maya Dynamics

• Use emitters to launch particles for effects such as steam, fire, rain,
fireworks, and explosions (see “Emitters” in Chapter 2).
• Use soft bodies to create geometry that bends and deforms when
influenced by a field or struck by a collision object (see “Soft bodies”
in Chapter 4).
• Use gravity and other force fields to move particles, soft bodies, and
rigid bodies (see “Fields” in Chapter 3).
• Create collisions between particles or soft bodies and geometry. You
can make the particles split, emit new particles, or disappear when
they collide with geometry (see “Particle collisions” in Chapter 2).
• Use goals to make particles or soft bodies follow other objects or object
components (see “Goals” in Chapter 2).
• Use springs to give soft bodies and groups of particles internal
structure (see “Springs” in Chapter 4).
• Use rigid bodies to create collisions between polygons or NURBS (see
“Rigid bodies” in Chapter 4).
• Use constraints to restrict the motion of rigid bodies (see “Rigid body
constraints” in Chapter 4).
• Use built-in dynamic effects to quickly create complex, popular
animations such as smoke and fire (see “Effects” in Chapter 5).
• Tune playback efficiency and fix common problems with dynamics
(see “Animating with dynamics” in Chapter 7).
• Store dynamic simulations either to disk or to memory (see “Particle
caching” in Chapter 6).
• Use the Dynamic Relationship editor to connect and disconnect
dynamic relationships between objects and fields, emitters, or
collisions (see “Dynamic relationship editor” in Chapter 8).
• Render particles in software or hardware (see “Rendering particles” in
Chapter 2).
• Work with advanced features of particles such as substituting
animated geometry for moving particles (see “Advanced particle
topics” in Chapter 2).

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2 Particles

About Dynamics
Particles

Particles
Particles are points that display as dots, streaks, spheres, blobby surfaces,
or other items. You can animate the display and movement of particles
with various techniques; for example, keys, expressions, and fields such as
gravity.

Particles displayed
as Blobby Surfaces

”Create particles” on page 28

Particle objects
A particle object is a collection of particles that share the same attributes.
You can create particle objects containing a single particle or millions of
particles. Each particle in a scene belongs to some particle object. An
overview of how you create particle effects follows:

Creating particles

You can create particles several ways:

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2 | Particles
About > Particle objects

• Place particles in the workspace with the Particle Tool (see ”Create
particles” on page 28).
• Create a particle emitter, which generates and animates the motion of
particles automatically (see ”Emitters” on page 19).
• Cause particles that collide with geometry to create new particles
upon contact (see ”Particle collisions” on page 23).

Set display attributes

You change the way particles look with several techniques:

• Set the render type of the particle object to select its form. For
example, you can display particles as small spheres or streaking tails
(see ”Choose how particles render” on page 37).
• Illuminate particles with lights you add to the scene (see ”Use lights,
reflections, refractions, and shadows” on page 46).
• Color particles (see ”Set particle color” on page 48).
• Give particles transparency (see ”Set particle opacity” on page 50).
• Make particles disappear as they age (see ”Set particle lifespan” on
page 51).

Animate the particles

You can animate particle motion several ways:

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 2 | Particles
About > Advanced particle topics

• Set the position, velocity, or acceleration attributes of particles. You

can also set keys to animate an entire particle object’s translate, scale,
and rotate attributes. See ”Choose how particles render” on page 37).
• Apply fields, such as gravity, to particles (see Chapter 3, “Fields”).
• Turn geometry into a collision object and bounce particles off it (see
”Particle collisions” on page 23).
• Make the particles follow a moving goal object (see ”Goals” on
page 21).

Render the particles

Rendering is the final step to creating particle effects. Depending on the

render type you select, you render the particles with hardware rendering
or software rendering. See ”Choose how particles render” on page 37.

Advanced particle topics

Advanced particle topics

This chapter includes topics that enhance your work with particles. The
topics require a basic understanding of particles, and in some cases, an
understanding of related topics such as fields and expressions.

Control complex motion and forces

The following sections describe techniques for tuning dynamic animation
of particles.

Note The dynamic state of a particle object is the value of its position,
velocity, acceleration, and mass attributes at any frame. Maya
uses these attributes to compute any dynamics that influence the
object’s positioning in any frame.

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2 | Particles
About > Control complex motion and forces

Scale the effect of dynamics

You can scale the effect of fields, collisions, springs, and goals on particles.
To scale the effects of dynamics, select the particle object, display the
Attribute Editor, and set the Dynamics Weight to a value between 0 and 1.
A value of 0 causes fields, collisions, springs, and goals connected to the
particle object to have no effect. A value of 1 provides the full effect. A
value less than 1 sets a proportional effect. For example, 0.6 scales the
effect to 60% of full strength.
Expressions are unaffected by Dynamics Weight.

Combine keyed transform attributes and dynamics

You can combine dynamics with keys on particle objects or soft bodies.
For instance, if you make a particle object fall with gravity, you can add
sideways motion by keying its Translate X attribute.

Gravity moves the particles

down while keys move it
horizontally.

Keys on transform attributes affect the worldVelocity, worldPosition, and

worldVelocityInObjectSpace attributes. See ”Obtain world position,
velocity, and centroid” on page 74 for details.
You can also combine dynamics with motion path animation of particles.

Parent an object to dynamic motion

When you parent an object to a dynamically animated parent, the object’s
transform attributes control its positioning and orientation relative to the
positioning and orientation of its dynamic parent’s transform attributes.
Dynamics do not affect the child object’s transform values. For example, a
child particle object won’t fall with a parent particle object if you make the
parent fall with gravity. The gravity changes the dynamic parent’s particle
positions but not its transform attributes. For this reason, the gravity
doesn’t change the child’s position.

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 2 | Particles
About > Emitters

Parent Child

The child doesn’t move as the

parent falls with gravity.

There is a technique, however, to make an object move with a dynamic

object’s motion.

Emitters

Emitters
Emitters generate moving or stationary particles as an animation plays.
You can use emitters to create smoke, fire, fireworks, rain, and similar
objects.

Emitted particles

Maya includes the following types of emitters:

• Point emitters (directional and omni) emit particles from a position in the
workspace or from particles, vertices, CVs, edit points, or lattice
points.
• Surface emitters emit particles from random, evenly distributed
positions on the outer faces of NURBS or polygonal surfaces.
• Curve emitters emit particles from random, evenly distributed
positions of a NURBS curve.

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2 | Particles
About > Emitters

• Volume emitters emit particles from a closed volume. You can choose
from cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, and torus.
When you select a NURBS surface or curve and add a default emitter, you
create a point emitter that emits from all CVs. Most CVs do not lie exactly
on the surface of the object. When you select a polygonal surface and add
a default emitter, it emits from all vertices, which do lie on the surface of
the object.

Emitters on CVs do Emitters on polygonal

not lie on the NURBS vertices lie on the
object’s surface. object’s surface.

When you create any type of emitter, a particle object is automatically

created and connected to it. The connected particle object originally has no
particles. As the animation plays and the emitter generates particles, the
particle count of the connected particle object increases. We refer to the
connected particle object as the emitted particle object.
The connection between the emitter and emitted particle object is not a
spatial relationship. The emitted particle object’s attributes define the
appearance and other characteristics of the emitted particles. The emitter’s
attributes control the initial position, direction, quantity, and velocity of
the emitted particles.

”Create emitters” on page 86

”Edit attributes of an emitter” on page 89

”Edit attributes of emitted particles” on page 93

”Duplicate emitters” on page 95

”Connect emitters and particles” on page 96

”Vary emission from different points of point emitters” on page 97

”Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate” on page 100

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 2 | Particles
About > Goals

Goals

Goals
A goal is an object that particles follow or move towards. You can use
goals to give trailing particles a flowing motion that’s hard to generate
with other animation techniques. The trailing particles move as if
connected to the goal by invisible springs. In the context of goals, soft
bodies are considered particles.

Soft body tentacles

following goal objects
using per particle goal
weights.

Tentacles created by Jason Schleifer

A goal can be any object except a curve on surface. The movement or

motion of the trailing object depends on the type of goal object and the
number of goal objects connected to the trailing object.

”Create goals” on page 107

”Edit goal attributes” on page 108

”Animate goal behavior” on page 112

Particle goals
Particle objects are useful as goal objects because of the many techniques
available for animating particle motion. You can’t add a goal to individual
particles of the particle object, but you can control how influential each
particle is on the trailing object (see ”Set goal weight on a per particle
basis” on page 109).
If the goal is a particle object, its particles attract the particles of the
trailing object one for one as the animation plays. If particles in the objects
do not die, the trailing particles follow goal particles based on the creation

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2 | Particles
About > Nonparticle goals

order. For example, the particle created first in the trailing object follows
the particle created first in the goal object. The particle created last in the
trailing object follows the particle created last in the goal object.
If particles in either object die, the preceding scheme no longer applies.
You can no longer visually predict which trailing particle will follow a
particular goal particle.
If the trailing particle object has more particles than the goal object and
particles don’t die in either object, the extra particles follow the first-
created particles of the goal.
For instance, suppose you create a goal object with two particles and a
trailing object with four particles. The four particles would move toward
the two particles like this:
goal object
1 2 particle ID

1 2 3 4
trailing object

”Create goals” on page 107

”Edit goal attributes” on page 108

”Animate goal behavior” on page 112

Nonparticle goals
If the goal is a NURBS object, polygonal object, or lattice, its CVs, vertices,
or lattice points attract the particles one for one. Extra particles follow the
points in the goal object by starting over at the beginning points. The
method is the same as described for particle objects.
If the goal is an object other than a lattice, NURBS, or polygonal object, for
example, a light or camera, the object’s transform becomes the goal.

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 2 | Particles
About > Multiple goals

When the goal is a camera,

the trailing particles move
toward its transform
position.

”Create goals” on page 107

”Edit goal attributes” on page 108

”Animate goal behavior” on page 112

Multiple goals
You can use more than one goal object to affect a particle object. For each
goal object, the trailing particle object has a goal weight that sets the
relative weighting of the attraction. If the goal weights are the same, each
goal object attracts the trailing object with equal strength. The trailing
object moves to a position between the two goal objects, typically
oscillating back and forth before coming to equilibrium.
If the goal weights differ, each goal object attracts the trailing object with
different strength. The trailing object comes to rest at a position closer to
the goal with the higher goal weight.

”Create goals” on page 107

”Edit goal attributes” on page 108

”Animate goal behavior” on page 112

Particle collisions

Particle collisions
You can make particle objects collide with geometry. Either or both objects
can be moving at the moment of impact. You can also make particles split,
emit new particles, die, or run a MEL script when they collide with
geometry.

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2 | Particles
About > Rendering particles

”Make particles collide with a surface” on page 113

”Edit particle collision attributes” on page 114

”Duplicate collision effects” on page 116

”Emit, kill, or split particles upon contact” on page 117

Rendering particles

Rendering particles
If your scene contains particles, the way you render your scene depends
on the type of particles it contains. There are two main types of particles:
hardware particles and software particles.
• Hardware rendered particles have a render type of render type of
MultiPoint, MultiStreak, Numeric, Points, Spheres, Sprites, or Streak.
• Software rendered particles have a render type of Blobby Surface,
Cloud, or Tube.
For more information on setting particle render types, see ”Choose how
particles render” on page 37.

Hardware rendered particles

Hardware rendering makes use of your computer’s graphics hardware,
and is much faster than software rendering. However, the quality of
hardware rendered images may not always be as high as software
rendered images.

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About > Use the Particle Cloud shader

If your scene contains hardware particles and you want to software render
the scene, you must do the following:
• Software render your scene. The hardware particles won’t appear in
the software-rendered scene. See Rendering “Rendering a frame”and
“Rendering an animation.”
• Hardware render the hardware particles. See ”To prepare to preview
or render hardware particles” on page 120.
• Composite the two sets of rendered images using a compositing
software.
For more information, see the following topics:
• ”To prepare to preview or render hardware particles” on page 120
• ”Preview hardware particles” on page 121
• ”Render hardware particles at final production quality” on page 123
• ”View rendered hardware particles” on page 124.

Use the Particle Cloud shader

The particle cloud shader is a volume material that you can assign to
particles with a Cloud render type to achieve effects such as gas or clouds.
This section describes the attributes you can modify in a particle cloud
shader. For information on creating and assigning materials, see
“Creating Materials” in Rendering.

Particle Sampler Info node

The Particle Sampler Info node is a particle utility that lets you:
• Use particle object attributes (including ramps and particle
expressions) to drive particle shader attributes on a per-particle basis.
• Use rgbPP and opacityPP attributes in software rendering. Previously,
you could use these attributes only in hardware rendering.
• Have more control over texture placement nodes for particles,
including the use of per-particle attributes for texture coordinates.
The Particle Sampler Info node provide all the functionality of the particle
color mapper, transparency mapper, incandescence mapper, and age
mapper, which were available in versions of Maya prior to 3.0.

Using the Particle Sampler Info node

The Particle Sampler Info node provides particle shape attributes to either
a particle shader, texture, or texture placement node for use in software
rendering.

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About > Particle Sampler Info node

When you use a Particle Sampler Info node, you connect one or more of
its outputs to attributes of a particle shader or texture placement node.
This tells the shader to get the per-particle information from the Particle
Sampler Info node. It also tells the Particle Sampler Info node which
attributes to get from the particle shape.

Types of outputs
The Particle Sampler Info node has the following types of outputs:
• A uv coordinate output designed to drive the uv coordinate input for
texture placement nodes. This is somewhat like the output from the
old particle utilities, but more powerful.
• Outputs that correspond to predefined attributes of the particle shape,
such as Rgb PP. These are used to drive attributes of shaders or
textures on a per-particle basis.
• Ten predefined outputs for user-defined attributes that you can add to
the particle shape. Five are scalar attributes and five are vector (see ””
on page 137).
• Two outputs, birthPosition and worldBirthPosition, that correspond to
two optional attributes (with the same name), which you can add to
your particles.

Note You still have to add attributes to the particle shape, where
applicable. The Particle Sampler Info node just gets attribute
values, if they are present. For example, making a connection
from the Particle Sampler Info node parentU to the shader tells
the sampler info node to get parentU if it’s there, and use it in
the shading. You still have to add parentU to the particle shape.

The Particle Sampler Info node has no association with any particular
camera, unlike the samplerInfo node. The two nodes are similar in that
both provide data to shaders to use in shading samples. They are different
in that much of the data the samplerInfo node provides is camera-
dependent.

Strategies for using the Particle Sampler Info node

There are two basic strategies for using the Particle Sampler Info node to
control your particles:
• The first strategy uses the Particle Sampler Info node to drive a texture
placement node. The setup is:

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About > Particle Sampler Info node

Particle Texture
Sampler Texture Shader
placement
Info node

The advantage of this strategy is two-fold: you can use any type of
texture, and you can use the controls on the texture placement node.
• The second strategy uses the Particle Sampler Info node to feed per-
particle attributes, such as rgbPP, directly to the shading or texture
node. The setup is:

Particle Shading node

Sampler or
Info node Texture node

The main advantage of this strategy is that it lets you control the per-
particle attribute using expressions, ramps, or the Component Editor and
see the result in the shading or texture node.

Use user-defined attributes

In addition to its many outputs for predefined attributes of the particle
shape (such as position, radiusPP, and so on), the Particle Sampler Info
node includes ten predefined outputs for user-defined attributes, which
you can add to the particle shape.
Five of these are scalar and five are type; they are called userScalar1PP,
userVector1PP, and so on.
If you connect one of these to a shading attribute, the Particle Sampler Info
node looks for an attribute of the identical name on the particle shape, and
fetches those values. For example, if you connect userScalar1PP to shader
noise, then the Particle Sampler Info node looks for a userScalar1PP
attribute on the particle shape.

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2 | Particles
How do I? > Create particles

How do I? Create dynamic effects

Create particles

Create particles
The Particle Tool lets you create and position particles individually or in
grids or spherical regions. By default, the Particle Tool creates particles
individually, one particle per mouse click. To change the tool options, see
”Set the Particle Tool options” on page 29.

Note Unless otherwise noted, the directions in this book for making
menu selections assume you’ve already selected the Dynamics
menu set. Also, this book describes how to edit attributes of
objects only with the Attribute Editor. You can also set many of
the attributes with the Channel Box or Attribute Spreadsheet. See
Basics for details.

To create particles

1 Select Particles > Particle Tool or click .

2 Click the positions where you want to place the particles.
3 Press Enter (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X).
This creates a new particle object consisting of the particles you
positioned.

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How do I? > Create particles

Tips A particle object is not complete until you press Enter (Windows,
Linux, and IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X). You cannot use
Edit > Undo to undo the entire object until you press Enter or
Return.
If you want to undo individual particles before you press Enter
or Return, use the Backspace (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or
Delete (Mac OS X) key to remove the particles in the reverse
order of creation. Alternatively, you can press the Insert
(Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Home (Mac OS X) key to go into
editing mode, then click any particle and press Backspace or
Delete. Press Insert or Home to leave editing mode.
You can also change the position of one or more particles before
you press Enter or Return. Press the Insert or Home key then
drag the particle. Press Enter or Return to complete the particle
object.

Set the Particle Tool options

When you create a particle object, you can set several tool options in the
Particle Tool Settings window. When you change these settings, it affects
only particle objects you create after the change.
After you create the object, you can change some tool options and set
additional attributes (see ”Edit particle attributes” on page 36).

To set the Particle Tool options

1 Select Particles > Particle Tool >  to display the options window.
2 Set the options as described in the following procedures.

To name the particle object

• Enter a name in the Particle Name box.
The name helps you identify the object in the Outliner. If you don’t
enter a name, the particle object receives a default name such as
particle1.

To adjust frame-to-frame dynamic velocity of moving

particles
• Set the Conserve attribute to influence the motion of particles whose
velocity and acceleration attributes are controlled by dynamic effects.
See ”Adjust frame-to-frame velocity conservation” on page 74.

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How do I? > Create particles

Note The terms dynamics and dynamic animation refer to animation

motion created by fields, emission, collisions, springs, goals, and
particle expressions. Non-dynamic animation is motion created
by keys, motion paths, non-particle shape expressions,
deformers, and constraints unrelated to rigid bodies.

To set the number of particles per click

1 In the Number of Particles box, enter the number of particles you
want to create per mouse click and press Enter (Windows, Linux, and
IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X).
2 If you choose a number greater than 1, you can distribute particles
randomly in a spherical region where you click. To choose the
spherical region, set Maximum Radius to a value greater than 0.

To sketch a continuous curve of particles

You can drag the mouse to sketch a continuous stream of particles.
1 Set the Number of Particles to 1.
2 Turn on Sketch Particles.
3 Set the Sketch Interval value.
This sets the pixel spacing between particles. A value of 0 gives you
nearly a solid line of pixels. The higher the value, the more space
between the pixels.
4 Drag the mouse in the workspace.
5 Release the mouse button and drag in another location, if desired.
6 Press Enter (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X).
The sketched particles are a single particle object.

To create a 2D grid of particles by clicking in the workspace

1 Turn on Create Particle Grid.
2 Set the Particle Spacing value.
This sets the spacing (in units) between particles in the grid.
3 Turn on Placement with cursor.
4 Click to place the left corner of the grid; click again to place the upper
right corner of the grid.
5 Press Enter (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X) to
create the grid.

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How do I? > Create particles

To create a 3D grid of particles by clicking in the workspace

1 Turn on Create Particle Grid.
2 Select Placement with cursor, if it is not already selected.
3 Set the Particle Spacing value.
This sets the spacing (in units) between particles in the grid.
4 In the perspective view, click the left mouse button at the lower left
and upper right corners to specify the X and Z grid dimensions of the
base or top of the 3D grid—don’t press Enter (Windows, Linux, and
IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X) yet.
5 Move the cursor into the front view or side view. Press the Insert
(Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Home (Mac OS X) key to enter edit
mode.
6 Drag either the left or right point up or down to create the height of
the grid. Do not drag both. To constrain placement, hold Shift down
as you drag.
7 Press Enter or Return.

To create a 2D or 3D grid by entering values

1 Turn on Create Particle Grid.
2 Set the Particle Spacing value.
3 Turn on Placement with textfields.
4 For the Minimum Corner, enter the coordinates of the lower left
corner. For the Maximum, enter the coordinates of the upper right
corner.

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How do I? > Place particles on a surface

5 Move the pointer into the workspace and press Enter (Windows,
Linux, and IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X) to create the grid.

Place particles on a surface

You can place particles directly on the surface of a NURBS or polygonal
object, or on a construction plane.

Particles placed
on a surface

To place particles on a surface

1 Select the surface.

2 Select Modify > Make Live or click .

3 Select Particles > Particle Tool > .
4 Set the desired tool options.
See ”Particles > Particle Tool” on page 142.
5 Place the particles on the surface.
6 Deselect the particle object, then select Modify > Make Not Live.
This deselects the surface as the live object.

Note To make the particles move with the surface, parent them to the
surface. For more information, see the Basics guide.

Animate particles
You can animate particles in several ways:
• Animate transform attributes of a particle object (described in this
section).
• Edit the position, velocity, or acceleration attributes on an individual
particle basis. See ”Set attributes on a per particle basis” on page 54.
• Use or modify the motion an emitter imparts to the particles it
generates (see ”Emitters” on page 19).
• Apply fields, such as gravity, to particles (see ”Fields” on page 207).

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How do I? > Work with particle attributes

• Turn geometry into a collision object and bounce particles off it (see
”Particle collisions” on page 23).
• Create goals for particles and make the particles follow the moving
goal objects (see ”Goals” on page 21).

To animate transform attributes of an entire particle object

1 Select the particle object.
2 Do one of the following:
• In the particle tab of the Attribute Editor, enter values for the
translate, scale, and rotate attributes.
• Use the Move Tool, Rotate Tool, and Scale Tool to manipulate the
attributes.
3 Set keys at the desired frames for the attributes. See Animation for
details on setting keys.

Note You can key transform attributes of an entire particle object, not
for individual particles in a particle object.
If you use a field or other forces on particles for which you key
transform attributes, also see ”Advanced particle topics” on
page 17

The Move, Scale, and

Rotate manipulators
work on particle object
transform attributes.

Work with particle attributes

You change the way particles look and behave by setting attributes. The
type of attribute affects how you work with it.

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How do I? > Work with particle attributes

Static attributes
Static attributes are attributes the particle object has by default. For
example, a particle object’s transform node has the static attributes
Translate X, Rotate Y, Scale Z, and so on. A particle object’s shape node
has many static attributes that are listed in the Particle Attributes section
of the Attribute Editor.
You can set the values of these attributes with the Attribute Editor,
expressions, and other techniques after you create the object. The values
you specify for static attributes apply to all particles in the particle object.

Dynamic attributes
Dynamic attributes have predefined names and purposes. Maya adds
dynamic attributes to the particle object in response to your user interface
selections. An object has no dynamic attributes unless your actions cause
Maya to add them to the object.
You can set per object and per particle opacity and color of a particle
object. The procedures require you to add dynamic per particle or per
object attributes for the opacity and color. See ”Per particle and per object
attributes” on page 36 for details on per particle and per object attributes.
You can also add default dynamic attributes for tuning particle render
types (see ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34). For example, suppose
you select a particle object and display the Render Attributes section of the
Attribute Editor. If you select Spheres as the Particle Render Type then
click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button, Maya adds a
Radius attribute. The Radius attribute appears at the bottom of the Render
Attributes section:

By adding dynamic attributes when they’re needed, Maya runs faster.

When a dynamic attribute is added to an object, the attribute appears in
the Attribute Editor for the selected object.

Add dynamic attributes

You can add dynamic attributes on an individual basis. For instance, after
you become familiar with the attributes of a particle render type, you can
selectively add only those you need without adding all the default
attributes. By adding the fewest attributes necessary, you’ll prevent
unnecessary processing and avoid cluttering the Attribute Editor.

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How do I? > Work with particle attributes

For example, suppose you select the Points render type and want to adjust
only the point size of the particles. You can add only the attribute that sets
the point size, while not adding any others.

To selectively add a dynamic attribute to a particle object

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Add Dynamics Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, click
the General button.
The Add Attribute window is displayed.
3 In the Add Attribute window, select the Particle tab.
4 Select an attribute.

Select from the

list of attributes

5 Click Add to add an attribute.

6 Click OK when you are done adding attributes.

Add custom attributes

Custom attributes are attributes you optionally add to an object, for
example, by selecting Modify > Add Attribute. Although custom
attributes are dynamically added to an object, we refer to them as custom
to distinguish them from the static dynamic attributes.
Custom attributes have no direct effect on any characteristic of an object in
Maya. A custom attribute is typically used in an expression to control a
combination of other attributes. See Expressions for details.

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How do I? > Edit particle attributes

Per particle and per object attributes

A per object attribute lets you set the attribute value for all particles of the
object collectively with a single value. For instance, the per object opacity
attribute lets you set a single opacity value for all the particles in the
object.
A per particle attribute lets you set the value of the attribute individually for
each particle of the object. For example, the per particle opacityPP
attribute lets you set a unique opacity value for each particle. Though
there is only one opacityPP attribute in a particle object, the attribute
holds the value for each particle’s opacity value. The attribute holds the
values in an array. In simple terms, an array is a list.
Though per particle attributes are best for creating complex effects, you
can’t keyframe them. You can keyframe per object attributes.
”Dynamic attributes” on page 34 describes how to add attributes to a
particle object to enhance your control of the behavior and appearance.
After you add a per object attribute to a particle shape node, the attribute
appears in the particleShape tab of the Attribute Editor, for example, in
the Render Attributes section. You typically set per object attribute values
in the Attribute Editor or Channel Box.
After you add a per particle attribute to a particle shape node, the
attribute name appears in the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the
particleShape tab of the Attribute Editor. For details on setting values, see
”Set attributes on a per particle basis” on page 54.
Note that a static, dynamic or custom attribute can be a per particle or per
object attribute, not both. Also be aware that dynamically added per
particle attributes often have a name that ends in PP. PP stands for per
particle.

Edit particle attributes

You use the Attribute Editor to edit various display and motion attributes
of a particle object after you create it.

To display the particle attributes in the Attribute Editor

1 Select the particle object.
2 Select Window > Attribute Editor to display the Attribute Editor.
The table below lists the contents. For many sections, the attributes are
displayed only after you create the corresponding dynamic effect.
To instead edit the transform node attributes of a particle object, click
the particle tab in the Attribute Editor.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

Tip You can also use the Attribute Spreadsheet or Channel Box to
edit particle attributes. Be aware, however, that only the
Attribute Editor displays all particle attributes that you can edit
interactively.

Choose how particles render

The particle render type of a particle object specifies the form of its
particles. For example, you can display particles as small spheres,
streaking tails, or 2D images of your favorite snapshot. Once you select
the particle render type, you can add attributes specific to the render type
to tune the appearance.
For information on hardware and software rendering of particles, see
”Rendering particles” on page 24.

To set the Particle Render Type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Render Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, select the type
from the Particle Render Type pop-up menu.
Workspace preview rendering doesn’t display render types with full
detail. You must hardware render or software render. Turn on
Shading > Smooth Shade All if you want workspace rendering to display
color that you add to particle objects.
When you test render or render to disk, use hardware rendering for the
particle render types that don’t have s/w after their names. Blobby Surface,
Cloud, and Tube must be software rendered. If you use the wrong
rendering technique, the particles won’t be displayed. If you use hardware
rendering, you must composite the particle images with software
rendered images of the other objects in the scene.
The following rules apply to the software render types:
• You must add a light to the scene. If you render without adding a
light, the particles won’t be visible.
• You must apply a material with shading group to the particle object.
Tube and Cloud render types use specific particle cloud materials.
You can use any surface material with Blobby surface render type.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

See Rendering for details on using materials and lights.

Points
The Points render type displays particles as points. This is the default
render type.

To set Points render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Points.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.

MultiPoint
The MultiPoint render type displays each particle as multiple points. The
extra points make the particle object appear denser. You can use this
render type to create dust, clouds, mist, or other gaseous emissions.

To set MultiPoint render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to MultiPoint.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

Streak
The Streak render type displays moving particles with an elongated tail.
This render type enhances the display of objects such as meteors or rain.
The streak length is based on the velocity of the particle, so if the particles
are stationary or moving slowly, you won’t see the particles.

To set Streak render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Streak.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.

MultiStreak
The MultiStreak render type is a combination of Streak and MultiPoint
render types; it displays multiple points with tails for each moving
particle. The faster the particles move, the longer the tails.

To set MultiStreak render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to MultiStreak.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

Sprites
The Sprites render type lets you display a texture image or image
sequence at each particle. Each particle can display an identical or
different image or image sequence. Depending on the type of texture
image you use, you can use sprites to create effects such as smoke, clouds,
fog, and stars.
A sprite appears as a small rectangle until you map a texture image to it.
The image faces the camera directly regardless of the camera’s position or
orientation.
If the texture image lacks an alpha channel, the image is opaque and
occupies the sprite rectangle. If the texture image has an alpha channel,
the sprite uses the image’s transparency. To avoid displaying the
rectangle, you must make the peripheral parts of the original texture
image transparent.

These sprites use a texture image These sprites use a texture image that
lacking an alpha channel, so the has an alpha channel. The “1” in the
rectangles are displayed. image is opaque. The rest of the image is
transparent. The rectangles are invisible.

Use the Sprite Wizard

The particle Sprite Wizard simplifies the process for displaying a texture
image or image sequences on particles. The particle Sprite Wizard leads
you through the steps necessary to associate image files with sprites. You
can assign a single image or a sequence of images to each particle. The
images can be assigned randomly, or using various criteria such as the
particleID or a ramp. You can also edit the sprites once you’ve created
them with the Sprite Wizard.
The Sprite Wizard automatically:
• assigns a Lambert material to the particle object

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

• adds a creation expression and runtime expression that enables all the
wizard options
• connects a ramp to the spriteNumRamp attribute
• sets the particle render type to Sprites and adds the attributes for
sprites
• assigns the images you specify to the sprites

Note The image files you use as sprites must have filename extensions
in the format file.n, not file.000n (zero-padded extensions).

To use the Sprite Wizard

1 Select the particle object to which you want to assign sprites.
2 Select Particles > Sprite Wizard.
The Sprite Wizard leads you through a series of choices. For help,
read the pop-up help that appears with each text box.
For additional information on the Custom Start and Custom Cycling
options, see ”Customizing sprites with the Sprite Wizard” on page 42.
3 To see the sprite images, turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All and
Shading > Hardware Texturing.

To edit the sprites

• Do one of the following:
• Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor. Open
the Sprite Attributes section of the Particle Attribute Editor to edit
the attributes. You can also edit the sprite attributes using the
Channel Box.
• Select the particle and select Particles > Sprite Wizard to re-open
the Sprite Wizard window. You can change the file names, the
frame ranges, or other settings in the Sprite Wizard window.
When you accept the changes, the wizard updates the appropriate
attributes for you.

To change the images of an existing sprite animation:

1 Select the particle object.
2 Select Particles > Sprite Wizard.
3 Select a new image sequence for the Sprite File.
4 Turn on Use existing setup with new images in the second Wizard
screen.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

All the existing settings in the Sprite Wizard are used with the new
image sequence.

Editing sprite attributes

Once you have created the sprites, you can optionally edit these Render
and Sprite attributes in the Attribute Editor or in the Channel Box:

Customizing sprites with the Sprite Wizard

You can customize how the initial sprite images are selected and how the
images are cycled by modifying the expressions that are automatically
added to the particle object when you use the Sprite Wizard.

To customize the selection of the initial sprite image

You can customize the selection of the initial sprite image whether or not
you choose to animate the selection of the initial image.
1 Create the particles and select Particles > Sprite Wizard.
2 Select the Sprite File you wish to use and click Continue.
3 Select how you want to assign images to the particles: either No
animation or Cycle through the images for each particle, and click
Continue.
4 Select Custom Start and click Continue.
5 Select how you want the images to be cycled for each particle If you
select Custom Cycling, see ”To customize sprite cycling” on page 43.
Click Continue.
6 Click Apply to apply the wizard.
7 Select the particle and select Window > Animation Editors >
Expression Editor.
8 In the Expression Editor, select Select Filter > By Expression Name.
9 Select the expression with the name of the particle object to which you
have applied the sprites.
10 Click the Creation checkbox.
11 If you selected No Animation for the image assignment, look for the
first occurrence of the line “Custom Start: If your sprites are not
animated” in the creation expression.
If you selected Cycle through the images for each particle for the
image assignment, look for the second occurrence of the line “Custom
Start: If your sprites are animated” in the creation expression.
12 Insert your custom expression. For information on writing
expressions, see Expressions.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

To customize sprite cycling

1 Create the particles and select Particles > Sprite Wizard.
2 Select the Sprite File you wish to use and click Continue.
3 Select Cycle through the images for each particle and click Continue.
4 Select the technique used to assign the initial sprite to each particle
and click Continue.
5 Select Custom Cycling for how you want the images to be cycled for
each particle and click Continue.
6 Click Apply to apply the wizard.
7 Select the particle and select Window > Animation Editors >
Expression Editor.
8 In the Expression Editor, select Select Filter > By Expression Name.
9 Select the expression with the name of the particle object to which you
have applied the sprites.
10 Click the Runtime checkbox (before or after dynamics calculation).
11 In the runtime expression, look for the line “Custom Cycle.”
12 Insert your custom expression. For information on writing
expressions, see Expressions.

Spheres
The Sphere render type displays particles as opaque spheres. You cannot
display the spheres with transparency.

To set Spheres render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Spheres.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.

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Numeric
The Numeric render type displays the current values of any attribute of
the particle object. This is useful when you want to know the value of an
attribute such as velocity at a certain frame. By default, Maya displays
particle ids for the Numeric render type.

Particles displaying
particle id

To set Numeric render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Numeric.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes, which let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.

Blobby surface
The Blobby Surface render type displays particles as metaballs. Metaballs
are spheres that blend together to form surfaces. Blobby Surfaces appear
only in software rendered images.

Note Inside edges of blobby surfaces seen through other blobby

surfaces are not anti-aliased
To avoid this, Increase Render Quality > particleSamples to 4 or
8 when very high quality is desired.

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How do I? > Choose how particles render

To set Blobby Surface (s/w) render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Blobby Surface.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.
4 Apply a shading group to the particle object.
5 Add a light to the scene.
6 Software render the scene.

Cloud
The Cloud render type displays particles as blurred or cloudy metaballs.
Metaballs are spheres that blend together to form surfaces. Clouds appear
only in software rendered images. See ”Create raytraced shadows with
particles” on page 126.

To set Cloud (s/w) render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Cloud.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.
4 Add a light to the scene.
5 Software render the scene.

Tube
The Tube render type displays particles as tubes. Tubes appear only in
software rendered images.

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How do I? > Use lights, reflections, refractions, and shadows

To set Tube (s/w) render type

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Tube.
3 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.
4 Add a light to the scene.
5 Software render the scene.

Use lights, reflections, refractions, and

shadows
Lighting effects are an essential element of animation. You can render
particles with several lighting techniques that are commonly used for
conventional surfaces.

Add reflections, refractions, and shadows

You can turn on reflections, refractions, and shadows when you software
render Clouds, Tubes, and Blobby Surfaces.

To turn on reflections, refractions, and shadows

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Render Stats section of the Attribute Editor, turn on:
• Visible In Reflections
• Visible In Refractions
• Casts Shadows
You must use ray tracing to create reflections and refractions. You can
use ray tracing or depth map shadows to create shadows. See
Rendering for details.

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How do I? > Use lights, reflections, refractions, and shadows

Tip If you’ve created clouds, tubes, or blobby surfaces in your scene

and are not currently working with them, you can speed up
software test rendering by selecting the particle object and
turning off Primary Visibility.

Use lights with moving particles

By default, all particles are evenly lit, regardless of where you place lights
in the scene. For some effects, you might want moving particles to drift in
or out of the lighting, disappearing when not illuminated.
For example, you might want cigar smoke rising under a lamp to show
only when it passes through the lighting. Or, you might want rain to show
only when it passes beneath a street light or in front of the headlights of a
car.
If you use Streak, Point, MultiStreak, and Multipoint render types, you
can use lights to create these effects.

To use scene lighting with particles

1 Add a spot light, point light, or directional light to your scene. A
spotlight gives the most obvious effect. See Rendering for details on
adding lights.
2 Aim the light at the particles.
3 Select Lighting > Use All Lights.
4 Select Shading > Smooth Shade All.
5 Select the particle object you want to light.
6 In the Attribute Editor, set the Particle Render Type to Streak, Point,
MultiStreak, or MultiPoint.
7 Click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.
The default render attributes are displayed in the Attribute Editor.
8 In the Render Attributes section, turn on Use Lighting.
9 To maximize particle illumination, set Normal Dir as follows:
• Set to 1 if most or all particles are moving towards the light.
Example: smoke rising toward a light.
• Set to 2 if most or all particles are stationary or passing in front of
the light. Examples: rain passing in front of headlights, or
stationary particles creating a glow around a point light.
• Set to 3 if most or all particles are moving away from the light.
Example: rain falling down past a street light.

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How do I? > Set particle color

10 From the Hardware Render Buffer window, select

Render > Attributes.
11 In the Render Modes section of the Attribute Editor, select All Lights
from the Lighting Mode pull-down menu.
12 Hardware render the scene to see the effect.

Normal Dir set to 2

(particles pass in
front of the light)

Note Sometimes, unlit particles may appear brighter than lit ones
when viewed in the hardware renderer. To fix this problem,
subsitute the particle type with small radius spheres.

Tips If the particles aren’t illuminated as expected, make sure the

light points at the particles. Also, position and rotate the camera
so your view of the particles is from behind the light. Because
changing the Normal Dir setting is convenient, it’s often fastest
to simply try each setting and see which looks best. If you use
stationary particles with Normal Dir set to 1 or 3, the particles
won’t be displayed.

Set particle color

You can color particles with one of these methods:
• You can add and set per object attributes for the three RGB (red, green,
and blue) components of the color. All particles in the object use the
same color.
• You can add a per particle rgbPP attribute, which means you can set
the color of each particle of the object independently.
• You can assign a shading group to the particle object.

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How do I? > Set particle color

If you use two or more of the methods, the one highest in the above list
takes precedence. For example, if you add both per object and per particle
attributes, the per particle attribute (rgbPP) controls the color.

Note See ”Per particle and per object attributes” on page 36 for more
details on per particle and per object attributes.

To add and set a per object color attribute

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Add Dynamic Attributes section, click Color.
The Particle Color window is displayed.
3 Turn on Add Per Object Attribute and click Add Attribute.
The Color Red, Color Green, and Color Blue attributes are displayed
in the Render Attributes section of the Attribute Editor.
4 Set the color attributes to the values you want for the particle object
color. These attributes are keyable.
5 Turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see the particle color in the
workspace.

To add and set a per particle color attribute

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Add Dynamic Attributes section, click Color.
The Particle Color window is displayed.
3 Turn on Add Per Particle Attribute and click Add Attribute.
The rgbPP attribute is displayed in the Per Particle (Array) Attributes
section of the Attribute Editor.
4 Right-click the rgbPP data box and choose an attribute editing
technique from the pop-up menu. See ”Techniques for setting per
particle attributes” on page 55 for details. Note that you cannot key
this attribute or any other per particle attributes.
5 Turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see the particle color in the
workspace. If necessary, deselect the particle object to see the color.

To assign a shading group

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Add Dynamic Attributes section, click Color.
The Particle Color window is displayed.
3 Turn on Shader.

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How do I? > Set particle opacity

The Multilister is displayed.

4 Create and assign the desired material with shading group to the
particle object (see Rendering).
5 Turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see the particle color in the
workspace.

Set particle opacity

You can give particles any amount of transparency. For software render
particle types (Cloud, Blobby Surface, Tube), you must set a transparency
attribute in the material that controls the particle object’s color. See
Rendering for details. Do not add a per object or per particle opacity
attribute to a software render particle type. The attribute value has no
effect when you software render the scene.
For hardware render particle types, you can add a per object or per
particle opacity attribute. See the procedures that follow. Note that if you
add per object and per particle opacity attributes to a hardware render
type, the per particle attribute controls the opacity.

To add and set a per object opacity attribute

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Add Dynamic Attributes section, click Opacity.
The Particle Opacity window is displayed.
3 Turn on Add Per Object Attribute and click Add Attribute.
The Opacity attribute is displayed in the Render Attributes section of
the Attribute Editor.
4 Set Opacity value.
A value of 0 makes all particles in the object completely transparent. A
value of 1 makes the particles completely opaque. Values between 0
and 1 create partial transparency. This attribute is keyable.
5 Turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see the effects of the opacity.

To add and set a per particle opacity attribute

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Add Dynamic Attributes section, click Opacity.
The Particle Opacity window is displayed.
3 Turn on Add Per Particle Attribute and click Add Attribute.
The opacityPP attribute is displayed in the Per Particle (Array)
Attributes section of the Attribute Editor.

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How do I? > Set particle lifespan

4 Right-click the opacityPP box and choose an attribute editing

technique from the pop-up menu. See ”Techniques for setting per
particle attributes” on page 55 for details. Note that you cannot key
this attribute or other per particle attributes.
5 Turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see the effects of the opacity.

Tips If you see unexpected colors when you hardware render

overlapping, colored, transparent particles, select the particle
object and turn on Depth Sort in the Render Attributes section of
the Attribute Editor. Maya will draw distant particles first and
closer particles last. This creates accurate coloring at the expense
of slower scene play.
To eliminate the display of individual particles, add a per
particle opacity attribute to the particle object, then use the
Component Editor to assign the particle an opacityPP value of 0.

Set particle lifespan

You can give particles a lifespan to make them disappear from the scene
after they reach a specified age. Though you can give a lifespan to
particles you’ve created with the Particle Tool, lifespan is typically used
with emitted particles. For example, you can use lifespan to fade out
emitted smoke or fire. You can set the lifespan for all the particles or on a
per-particle basis.
All particle shapes have the following attributes:

Per-object lifespan attributes

• lifespanMode
• lifespan
• lifespanRandom

Per-particle lifespan attributes

• lifespanPP
• finalLifespanPP
These attributes are used together to control lifespan.

Set per-object lifespan

Setting per-object lifespan assigns the same lifespan to all particles in the
particle object. You can make particles live forever or make all particles
die at the same age.

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How do I? > Set particle lifespan

To make particles live forever

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Lifespan Attributes section, set Lifespan Mode to Live forever.

To make particles die at the same age

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Lifespan Attributes section, set Lifespan Mode to Constant.
3 Set Lifespan to the desired value.
The Lifespan value is the number of seconds that the particle object
exists after it is created. A particle object you create with the Particle
Tool is considered to be created immediately at the beginning of the
first frame of the scene. An emitter particle is created when it is
emitted. The default value of 1 makes the particle object disappear
after one second.

Tip If your particles aren’t dying, make sure you haven’t set Lifespan
to a large number—one that exceeds the time duration of the
scene’s Time Slider.

Set per-particle lifespan

Setting per-particle lifespan assigns different lifespans to each particle in
the particle object. You can make particles die at random ages, assign a
lifespan to individual particles, or use an expression to control the
lifespan.

To make particles die at random ages

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Lifespan Attributes section, set Lifespan Mode to Random
range.
3 Set Lifespan to the desired value.
4 Set Lifespan Random to the desired value.
The lifespan is uniformly distributed with Lifespan as the mean and
Lifespan Random as the width of the distribution.
For example, if Lifespan is 3 and Lifespan Random is 2, then each
particle will have a lifespan between 2 and 4.
The random number stream for Random Range lifespan mode is
maintained inside the particle object and is automatically reseeded
when you rewind. You do not have to reseed it yourself.

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How do I? > Set particle lifespan

5 If you want to change the random number stream for random range
lifespan, specify a value for General Seed.
Normally, you don’t need to change this value. If you want two
identical looking particle objects, you can set this value to match the
other particle object’s General Seed value.

Note While lifespan = 4, lifespanRandom = 2 is mathematically

equivalent to the expression lifespanPP = 3 + rand(2), these two
methods of setting lifespan will not give identical results because
the random number streams are different.

To control lifespan of individual particles

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Lifespan Attributes section, set Lifespan Mode to lifespanPP
only.
3 In the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section, right-click the lifespanPP
data box and select Component Editor from the pop-up menu.

4 Click (the Select by Component Type icon).

5 In the workspace, select the specific particles you want to edit, and
click Load Components.
See ”Set particle attributes with the Component Editor” on page 55 for
more information on using the Component Editor.
6 Click the entry box for lifespanPP and enter a value.

To use expressions to control lifespan

1 Select the particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 In the Lifespan Attributes section, set Lifespan Mode to lifespanPP
only.
3 In the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section, Right-click the
lifespanPP data box and select Creation Expression or Runtime
Expression (before or after dynamics calculation) from the pop-up
menu.
4 Create a creation or runtime expression to assign a unique value to
each particle (see Expressions).
Note that you cannot key this attribute or other per particle attributes.

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How do I? > Set attributes on a per particle basis

How lifespan is determined

A read-only per-particle attribute called finalLifespanPP stores the final
result of lifespan computations no matter what mode you are using. The
particle shape uses finalLifespanPP to kill particles and to drive ramps.
• In Constant or Random Range mode, the value computed from
lifespan/lifespanRandom is stored for each particle.
• In lifespanPP only mode, the value of lifespanPP is stored.
• In Live Forever mode, a maximum-value float is stored.
You cannot set the value of finalLifespanPP yourself in any way (for
example, with an expression, ramp, or component editor). Like age, it is
an attribute the particle shape computes for you. But you can read its
value (but not assign its value) in an expression.
In Random Range mode, lifespans are determined for each particle when
it is born, and are stored in finalLifespanPP. If you change lifespan or
lifespanRandom, it affects new particles but does not affect particles that
are already born. If you rewind and re-play, all particles are affected.

Set attributes on a per particle basis

When you select a particle object, the Per Particle (Array) Attributes
section of the Attribute Editor displays attributes you can set on an
individual particle basis. By default, the following attributes are
displayed:

The attributes provide different ways to control position or motion.

The position, velocity, and acceleration attributes offer a direct approach
to controlling particle motion. The attributes rampPosition, rampVelocity,
or rampAcceleration let you use a ramp texture to control the position,
velocity, or acceleration. The mass attribute affects motion calculations
resulting from another object’s dynamic influences on the particles, for
instance, fields or collisions. The following pages introduce techniques for
setting these and other per particle attributes.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with the Component Editor

If you add other per particle attributes to a particle object, for example,
rgbPP or opacityPP, the attributes appear at the bottom of the Per Particle
(Array) Attributes section.

Note Per particle attributes are unavailable in the Channel Box

and Attribute Spreadsheet.

Techniques for setting per particle attributes

There are various techniques to set per particle attributes:
• Use the Component Editor to select individual particles in the particle
object and assign values (see ”Set particle attributes with the
Component Editor” on page 55).
• Use a ramp texture to vary values (see ”Set particle attributes with a
ramp texture” on page 57).
• Create a creation or runtime expression to assign a unique value to
each particle (see Expressions).
Note the following:
• You cannot key per particle attributes.
• The techniques above are listed in order of increasing complexity and
versatility.
• Not all techniques are available for each attribute. To see which
techniques are available, right click the box to the right of the attribute
name in the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor.
• If you set the position, velocity, or acceleration and use a ramp to set
its counterpart ramp attribute, only the ramp value is used.
• To avoid unexpected results, do not set a combination of values for
position, velocity, and acceleration.

Set particle attributes with the Component

Editor
The Component Editor provides an intuitive way to set per particle
attributes. You simply enter the desired attribute values for one or more
selected particles in the particle object.
If necessary, add the per particle attribute you want to edit (see ”Add
dynamic attributes” on page 34 for information on adding attributes).

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with the Component Editor

To set per particle attributes with the Component Editor

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the Attribute Editor,
right-click the attribute data box and choose Component Editor.

3 Click (the Select by Component Type icon).

4 In the workspace, select the specific particles you want to edit, and
click Load Components.
You can drag a selection box to select adjacent particles, or you can
Shift-select non-adjacent particles. The particles turn yellow when
selected. If the particles don’t become selected, make sure the selection
mask is set correctly for particle selection. See Basics for details.
After you select the particles, the Component Editor displays the
selected particles and per particle attributes you can set. The current
attribute values are shown for each particle.

The particles are abbreviated pt[0], pt[1], pt[2], and so on. The number
in brackets is not the particleId. It’s an array index used internally by
Maya. If you want to be certain you’re setting the value of the correct
particle, select only that particle in the workspace. The Component
Editor displays only the selected particle.
5 Click the entry box you want to edit and enter a value for the desired
attribute.
You can drag through multiple boxes in rows or columns to enter the
same value for all. You can also click an attribute name to select and
enter a value for all particles listed in the table.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

The value you enter becomes the initial state value—the value of the
attribute at the first frame. Unless dynamic effects alter the value of
the attribute, this value is used for the entire animation. See ”Set the
initial state of dynamic objects” on page 392 for more details.
Many per particle attributes have vector values. A vector is a related
group of three components. For example, velocity is made of velocity
X, velocity Y, and velocity Z components. As another example, rgbPP
has a vector value made of R, G, and B components. These are labeled
rgbPP[0], rgbPP[1], and rgpPP[2] in the Component Editor.
If you’re unfamiliar with how to use vector components to set
position, velocity, or acceleration, experiment with the various
component values until you develop an intuitive sense of their effect
on motion.

Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

A ramp texture is a 2D texture in which the color or grayscale value
changes from one value to another across the extent of the image. You can
use a ramp to control per particle attributes as particles age. You can also
connect a ramp texture to any other per particle attribute of the particle.
You commonly use ramp textures with the rgbPP, opacityPP, and
radiusPP attributes. For most per particle attributes, you must add the
attribute to the particle object before you use the ramp to control its value.

Note To set the color, transparency, or incandescence of a Blobby

Surface particle object over its lifespan see ”Example: Using the
particles’ age to color particles” on page 129.

Use color ramps

You can use a color ramp to change vector array (per particle) attributes as
particles age. When you create a ramp for a vector array (per particle)
attribute, the attribute is connected to a color ramp.

To use a color ramp

1 Select the particle object.
2 Open the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor, then right-click the desired attribute and select Create Ramp.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

Note To control the position, velocity, or acceleration, right-click the

rampPosition, rampVelocity, or rampAcceleration attribute box
and select Create Ramp. You cannot use a ramp directly on
position, velocity, or acceleration.
If you use a ramp and an expression to set the position, velocity,
or acceleration, the ramp sets the value before the expression
controls its value in a frame.
The rampPosition, rampVelocity, or rampAcceleration can
receive input only from ramps. Each frame, Maya calculates the
ramp attributes first, then calculates dynamics based on any
value in the ramp attributes.

This creates a default ramp that controls the attribute as the particles
age.
3 In the Lifespan Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, set the
Lifespan Mode to Constant and set Lifespan to the number of seconds
you want the particles to exist in your animation.
4 In the Per Particle Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, right-click
the attribute box for which you just created a ramp, then select
arrayMappern.outColorPP > Edit Ramp.
The Attribute Editor displays the default color ramp that controls the
attribute. The three component values of the attribute are set to the
RGB values of the vertical component (V) of the ramp over the
particle’s lifetime. Values at the bottom of the ramp are used at the
beginning of the lifespan, values at the top are used at the end of the
lifespan.

age = lifespan
Default ramp for vector
array attributes
V

age = 0
U (unused)

By default, at the beginning of each particle’s lifespan, the left, middle,

and right vector components of the attribute equal 1, 0, 0 because the
RGB value at the bottom of the ramp is red (1, 0, 0).
At the middle of the lifespan, the vector components equal 0, 1, 0
because RGB is green (0, 1, 0). At the end of the lifespan, the vector
components equal 0, 0, 1 because RGB is blue (0, 0, 1). Maya
interpolates vector components between these three points.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

5 Edit the ramp’s RGB color values as desired (see Rendering for details).
You can use any numerical values for R, G, and B in the Color Editor
when you edit ramp values. Values outside the range 0 to 1 are valid,
but they have no meaningful color equivalent in the display of the
Texture Sample swatch. Do not edit HSV values or you’ll likely get
incorrect results.
The only attributes for which the color in the swatch necessarily
represent the component values of the attribute are rgbPP and
incandescencePP. For other attributes that don’t have color
equivalents, you can edit color values in the Color Editor by entering
values in the R, G, and B boxes rather than by clicking colors directly.
For example, you can set rampAcceleration to 100, 0, 0 at some point
in the lifespan by setting R, G, and B values of the corresponding
point in the ramp to 100, 0, 0. These values create a red color in the
ramp that’s identical to 1, 0, 0. However, adjacent points in the swatch
will be interpolated with 100, 0, 0 differently than with 1, 0, 0.
You can also change the color sequence by changing other ramp
attributes in the Attribute Editor such as Noise and Noise Frequency.
See Rendering for details on the ramp attributes.
Remember, the horizontal component (U) of the ramp has no effect on
the attribute by default. More precisely, the controlling component of
the ramp is the leftmost vertical edge of the Texture Sample swatch in
the Attribute Editor. To use the horizontal component as well, see
”Customize per particle attribute control with ramps” on page 61.
An example of a default ramp applied to emitted particles follows:

age = lifespan

age = 0
Color ramp applied to emitted particles

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

Use grayscale ramps

You can use a grayscale ramp to change float array attributes as particles
age. When you create a ramp for a float array (per particle) attribute, the
attribute is connected to a grayscale ramp. In grayscale ramps, black
represents a value of 0 and white represents a value of 1.

Notes If you create a ramp for emitterRatePP, you control the emission
rate over time for a directional or omni emitting particle object.
The attribute exists in the particle object that emits, not in the
emitted particles. You cannot control lifespanPP with a ramp.

To use a grayscale ramp

1 Select the particle object.
2 Open the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor, then right-click the desired attribute and select Create Ramp.
This creates a default ramp that controls the attribute as the particles
age.
3 In the Lifespan Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, set the
Lifespan Mode to Constant and the LIfespan to the number of seconds
you want the particles to exist in your animation.
If you are working with emitterNameRatePP, set the Lifespan to the
number of seconds you want the emitter to exist. The emitting particle
object will disappear after the Lifespan value specified.
4 In the Per Particle Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, right-click
the attribute box for which you just created a ramp, then select
arrayMappern.outColorPP > Edit Ramp.
The Attribute Editor displays the default grayscale ramp that controls
the attribute. The values of the attribute are set to the R color values in
the vertical component (V) of the ramp over the particle’s lifetime.
Values at the bottom of the ramp are used at the beginning of the
lifespan, values at the top are used at the end of the lifespan.

age = lifespan

Default ramp for float

V array attributes

age = 0
U (unused)

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

By default, at the beginning of each particle’s lifespan, the value of the

attribute equals 1 because the R component at the bottom of the ramp
is 1 (The color is white, with an RGB value of 1, 1, 1.)
At the middle of the lifespan, the value of the attribute equals 0.5,
because the R component at the bottom of the ramp is 0.5. (The color
is gray, with an RGB value of 0.5, 0.5, 0.5.)
At the end of the lifespan, the value of the attribute equals 0, because
the R component at the bottom of the ramp is 0. (The color is black,
with an RGB value of 0, 0, 0.)
Maya interpolates the values between the three points in the ramp.

Tip Age is the attribute used with ramps by default. You can also use
other attributes.

5 Edit the ramp’s R color values as desired (see Rendering for details).
You can use any numerical values for R in the Color Editor when you
edit ramp values. Values outside the range 0 to 1 are valid, but they
have no meaningful color equivalent in the display of the Texture
Sample swatch. Do not edit HSV values or you’ll likely have incorrect
values applied to the attribute.
Typically, opacityPP is the only attribute for which the color in the
swatch represents the values in the attribute. For other attributes that
don’t have color equivalents, you can edit color values in the Color
Editor by entering values in the R box rather than by clicking colors
directly.
You can also change the color sequence by changing other ramp
attributes in the Attribute Editor such as Noise and Noise Frequency.
See Rendering for details on the ramp attributes.
Remember that the horizontal component of the ramp has no effect on
the attribute. To use the horizontal component as well, see
“Customize per particle attribute control with ramps” below.

Customize per particle attribute control with ramps

A ramp has two inputs—U (horizontal) and V (vertical). By default, the V
input of the array mapper is connected to the particle’s age and the U
input is not connected. You can change these input connections when you
are creating the ramp.
Other ramp options such as circular, diagonal, or box change on both axes.
You select these in the ramp Attribute Editor.
To tune ramp control of per particle attributes, you can:

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

• Use an existing ramp or customize U and V control of the ramp.

• Ensure the ramp colors portray attribute values meaningfully.
• Disconnect a ramp’s control of an attribute.

To specify how particle’s attributes get values from the ramp

1 If necessary, add the attribute to the particle.
2 Open the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor, then right-click the desired attribute and select Create Ramp >
.
This displays the Create Ramp options window.

3 To use an existing ramp, select it from the Map To menu.

4 To customize which attributes to control the U (horizontal) and V
(vertical) ramp components, pick one of the following for Input U and
Input V.
5 Click the attribute from the Input U or Input V menu.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

Tip If you use Particle’s Age for both Input U and Input V, the part
of the ramp that controls the attribute over the particle lifespan
is indicated by the diagonal line in the following figure:
age = lifespan

age = 0
For the default ramp above, using Particle’s Age for both Input
U and Input V has no advantage, because the ramp color doesn’t
change in a U (horizontal) direction.
If you edit ramp attributes to create a ramp such as the
following example, selecting Particle’s Age for both Input U and
Input V adds versatility to your control of the attribute:
age = lifespan

age = 0

You can even use a texture as input to the ramp’s color. For
example, you can map a 2D checker texture onto the color ramp
as follows:

age = lifespan

age = 0

Editing the ramp

You can also edit the ramp to change the colors.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

To edit the ramp

1 Display the Attribute Editor for the particle shape. To the right of
rgbPP, right-mouse-click <-arrayMapper1.outColorPP and select Edit
Ramp from the popup menu.
The ramp for rgbPP is displayed in the Attribute Editor.
2 Edit the colors in the ramp. See “Ramp” in Rendering for information
on editing the colors in the ramp.

Map to an existing ramp

In addition to mapping to a default ramp, you can map the destination
attribute to a ramp that you have already used in the scene.

To map to an existing ramp

1 Place the pointer in the data box of the per particle attribute for which
you want to create a ramp. Click the right mouse button to display the
pop-up menu and select Create Ramp >  to display the Create Ramp
options window.
2 Click the Map to button to display the options menu.
The ramps you have used in the scene are listed in the pop-up menu.
3 Select one of the ramps from the list.

Ensure ramp colors portray attribute values meaningfully

When you edit ramp values for RGB (or R) in the Color Editor, values
outside the range 0 to 1 are valid but have no meaningful color equivalent
in the display of the Texture Sample swatch. You can create meaningful
color equivalents as follows:

To ensure ramp colors portray attribute values meaningfully

1 Set the lowest RGB (or R) values in the ramp to 0, and set the highest
RGB (or R) values in the ramp to 1.
2 Right-click the attribute box of the per particle attribute that’s
connected to a ramp, slide the pointer to the arrow to the right, and
select Edit Array Mapper.
The array mapper lets you scale the range of attribute values applied
to the particles.
3 Click the array mapper tab of the Attribute Editor.
4 For the Min Value and Max Value, enter the lowest and highest values
you want to use for the attribute.

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

By default, the Min Value sets the lowest value the attribute has at the
beginning of its lifespan—the value at the bottom of the ramp. By
default, the Max Value sets the highest value the attribute has at the
end of its lifespan—the value at the top of the ramp.

Disconnect a ramp’s control of an attribute

To discontinue a ramp’s control of an attribute, right-click the attribute
box of the per particle attribute that’s connected to a ramp, slide the
pointer to the arrow to the right, and select one of these:
Break Connection
Breaks the array mapper’s input to the particle shape. This menu item
doesn’t delete the ramp node or array mapper. Use this menu item if
you don’t want to remove the ramp when you break the connection.
Delete Array Mapper
Breaks the array mapper’s input to the particle shape by deleting the
array mapper. The ramp will also be deleted if it has no other
connections. Use this menu item if you no longer need the ramp in the
scene.

Ramp example
Coloring particles according to distance from origin
In this example, we’ll use the V coordinate of a ramp to color particles
according to their distance from the origin. This example uses emitters
and fields, which are covered in the following chapters. You may want to
read about emitters and fields before doing this example. Or you can cut
and paste the MEL code into the Script Editor to create the emitters and
fields.

To use a ramp to color particles according to their distance

from origin
1 Create a sphere volume emitter. Set the Volume Speed attributes as
follows: Away From Center to 1; all the other speeds to 0. Set Scale
(10, 10, 10).
To do this, you can copy the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:
emitter -pos 0 0 0 -type volume -r 100 -sro 0 -nuv
0 -cye none -cyi 1 -spd 1
-srn 0 -nsp 1 -tsp 0 -mxd 0 -mnd 0 -dx 1 -dy 0 -dz
0 -sp 0 -vsh sphere -vof 0 0 0 -vsw 360 -tsr 0.5 -
afc 1 -afx 1 -arx 0 -alx 0 -rnd 0 -drs 0 -ssz 0 ;
scale 10 10 10;

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How do I? > Set particle attributes with a ramp texture

particle;
connectDynamic -em emitter1 particle1;
2 Apply a radial field with Volume Shape set to Sphere to the particles.
Set the Magnitude to -2, set Attenuation to 0, and disable Use Max
Distance. Turn on Volume Exclusion and set Scale to 10, 10, 10. This
will keep the particles inside the volume.
To do this, you can copy the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:
radial -pos 0 0 0 -name pushIn -m -2 -att 0 -typ 0
-mxd -1 -vsh sphere -vex 1-vof 0 0 0 -vsw 360 -tsr
0.5 ;
scale 10 10 10;
connectDynamic -f pushIn particle1;
3 Add per-particle color to the particles.
To do this, you can copy the following Mel command from the online
help and paste it into the Script Editor:
addAttr -ln "rgbPP" -dt vectorArray particleShape1;
4 Select the particle and display the Particle Attribute Editor. In the
space to the right of rgbPP, click the right mouse button and select
Create Ramp >  to display the Create Ramp Options.
5 Set InputU to None (the default), Input V to rgbVPP, and Map to New
Ramp (the default). Click OK.
Notice that a new attribute called rgbVPP appears in the Attribute
Editor.
6 Right-mouse-click next to rgbVPP and select Runtime Expression
(before or after dynamics calculation). In the Expression Editor, copy
and paste the following line, and click Create:
rgbVPP = mag( position ) / 10;
The quantity mag(position) is always equal to the particle’s distance
from the origin. We’ve divided by 10, which is the maximum distance
any particle can be from the origin in our setup.
In other words, this expression says that the V input to the ramp will
have a value 0 if the particle is at the origin, and 10 if it’s all the way
out at the boundary of the sphere.
7 You may also want to make the particles a little bigger.
To do this, you can cut the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:

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How do I? > Instance geometry to particles (single and animated)

addAttr -is true -ln "pointSize" -at long -min 1 -

max 60 -dv 2 particleShape1;
setAttr "particleShape1.pointSize" 4;
8 Now turn on smooth shading, rewind. and play the scene.

Instance geometry to particles (single and

animated)
Maya’s particle instancing feature saves you time when you need to
animate many identical objects in a scene. For example, suppose you want
to create a group of flying bugs where only the placement and orientation
of the bugs differ. With Maya, you can animate a single bug, then create
instances of the bugs that move with the position and orientation of
animated particles.

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How do I? > Instance geometry to particles (single and animated)

The instances are not copies. They are references to the original object.
Any changes you make to the original object changes the instanced
objects. You can control the motion of the individual instanced objects by
animating the per particle attributes that control them.
The instanced geometry object, called the source geometry, can be:
• a single object, animated or not animated.
• a sequence of objects in different shapes or positions. An example of
an object sequence is a series of nearly identical bird objects in
different wing-flapping positions.
• different objects to be displayed at different particles.
You can use object hierarchies instead of individual objects as the source
geometry. Do not instance lights; they’ll have no effect in rendering.

Create animated instances

You can instance a single object to a particle shape or a sequence of objects
to a particle shape.
Before creating the instance, you create the source geometry and apply
shading groups to it. You can animate the source geometry and the
particles either before or after instancing, and you can place the source
geometry anywhere in the workspace. You can optionally hide it as
described in the procedure. You cannot control the color of the instanced
geometry on a per particle basis.

To instance a single object to particles

1 Select source geometry.
2 Shift-select the particle shape.
3 Select Particles > Instancer (Replacement).
4 To hide the source geometry, select the geometry and select
Display > Hide > Hide Selection.

To instance a sequence of objects to particles

1 Select the source geometry.
2 Select Particles > Instancer (Replacement) > .
The Particle Instancer Options window appears. The selected source
geometry is listed in the Instanced Objects list.
3 To instance different objects at different particles, include them all on
the list.
To instance a sequence of objects, list the objects in the order you want
them to appear in the sequence.

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How do I? > Instance geometry to particles (single and animated)

Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order of the
objects. Use Add Selection if you want to add selected objects to the
list. Use Remove Items to remove objects from the list.
For example, suppose you create four birds in different flapping
positions:
• birdWingsHigh shows the wings over the bird’s head.
• birdWingsMid shows the wings at mid position.
• birdWingsLow shows the wings below its body.
• birdWingsMidCopy, is a copy of birdWingsMid. This object is
necessary so the wings cycle from low to high and high to low
positions.
An appropriate ordering for the objects in the Instanced Objects list is:
0: birdWingsHigh
1: birdWingsMid
2: birdWingsLow
3: birdWingsMidCopy
The number to the left of the object indicates the sequence position.
The 0 indicates the first object in the sequence.
4 From the Particle Object To Instance menu in the Particle Instancer
Options window, select the animated particle object that the instances
will follow.
Note that you can use emitted particles as the animated particles.
When the particles emit, the instanced geometry appears with the
particles.
5 Set the options as described in ”Particles > Instancer (Replacement)”
on page 153, then click Create.
Maya creates an instancer node that controls the instanced objects.
This node is where you can alter the attribute settings you made in the
Particle Instancer Options window.
6 To hide the source geometry, select the geometry and select
Display > Hide > Hide Selection.
You might also choose to hide the particle object being instanced. The
instancer doesn’t make the particles invisible. Note, however, that you
don’t need to hide the particles if you will software render the
animation. Particles don’t appear in software rendered images.

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How do I? > Instance geometry to particles (single and animated)

Tip If you want to move the rotation pivot point of the source object,
select the object and enter createInstancerPivot in the Command
Line. Thereafter, when you manipulate the rotation pivot in the
source geometry, the instanced geometry rotates the same. Maya
reorients any animation you previously applied to the translate,
rotate, scale, and shear attributes of the source object.

Aim instanced geometry

The following general procedure is a way to aim instanced geometry.

To aim instanced geometry

1 Orient the geometry so the front points along the x-axis and the up-
direction points along the y-axis.
2 Group the geometry and instance the group.
3 Set the “AimDirection” or “AimPosition” options to the direction you
want the instanced objects to aim.
For example, set AimDirection to Velocity to aim the instanced objects
in the direction of movement. See ”particleShape” on page 156 for
information.
The choices in the General Options popup menus include all the per
particle attributes. You can control the motion of the individual
instanced objects by animating the per particle attributes that control
them.

Command-line instancing limitations

The runup command may fail to create instanced geometry when
rendering arbitrary frames in an animation. Adding a currentTime
setting before the runup creates the instanced geometry properly; that is,
if something like runup -mxf 60; does not create the proper results when
rendering with instanced geometry, use:
currentTime -e 1;
runup -mxf 60;

Particle instancing options

”Particles > Instancer (Replacement)” on page 153.

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How do I? > Instance strokes from Paint Effects

Instance strokes from Paint Effects

You can use strokes from Paint Effects as instanced objects for particles.
The image below was created using Paint Effects strokes instanced to
particles.
See Paint Effects for information on painting in your scene, and see
”Instance geometry to particles (single and animated)” on page 67 of this
book for information on instancing.

Center strokes on particles

When you instance an object to a particle, the local origin of the object is
instanced to the particle. With spheres and cubes, the local origin is the
center of the object.
With the NURBS curves that comprise the strokes in Paint Effects,
however, the local origin is not directly related to the geometry of the
curve. No matter where you actually draw the curve, its origin is the
world origin. For example, if you draw a short stroke in the workspace at
position 5,0,5 to get a single flower and instance it to a particle object, the
flowers will be offset from the particles by 5,0,5.
To center the Paint Effects geometry on your particles, there’s a few things
you can do. The obvious one is to start your curve at the origin.
Unfortunately, this is hard to do in regular Paint Effects mode because
you draw the curve, instead of placing down the CVs with grid snapping.
We suggest the following procedures:

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How do I? > Deform particles

To center instanced strokes on particles (method 1)

1 Draw your curve near the origin.
2 Unhide the curve.
3 In component mode, select all of the CVs in the curve and use the
Translate tool to move the CVs so the base of Paint Effects geometry
(like the base of the flower) is at the origin.
You move the CVs instead of the transform because the top-most
translation and rotation of the instanced hierarchy is ignored.

To center instanced strokes on particles (method 2)

1 Group the stroke.
2 Move the transform of the stroke so that the base of the Paint Effects
geometry is at the origin of the new group node.
3 Instance the group instead of the stroke.
This has the same effect as moving the CVs.

Tip Turn on Tube Completion. This lets you make a very short stroke
while the tube continues to grow until it reaches the end of its
number of segments.

Deform particles
Deformers let you influence particle positions in a variety of ways.

A bend
deformer
applied to
particles (left)
and geometry
(right)

To deform particles
1 Create a scene with particles.
2 Select the particle object.
3 In the Animation menu set, click Deform.

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How do I? > Make an object move with a dynamic parent

4 Select the deformer you want to use on the selected particle object.
You can deform particles with all deformers except for the skinning
and blend shapes deformers.
The deformers operate in the same way as they do for geometry. You
can also layer deformers.
You can also combine particle deformation with forces: deform the
particles, then apply the desired forces to the intermediate object.
Alternatively, you could apply forces to particles before the application of
a deformer.

Note Particles affected by deformers do not exhibit inertia. Attributes

such as velocity are not affected by deformations of particle
shapes, and should be accounted for when animating particles
using deformers.
For example, particles within a flow deformed with a bend
deformer will not slow down or speed up in relation to their
position within the bend.

Work with advanced dynamics

Make an object move with a dynamic parent

1 Select the object to be parented.
2 Select Edit > Group.
This parents the object to an empty group transform node.
3 Select Windows > General Editors > Connection Editor.
4 Load the particle shape of the dynamic parent into the Connection
Editor’s left side. Load the group object’s transform node into the right
side.
5 Connect World Centroid in the left side of the Connection Editor to
Translate in the right side.
This provides the dynamic parent’s World Centroid (worldCentroid)
values to the Translate attributes of the group node. The World
Centroid of an object is the average position of its CVs, vertices,
particles, or lattice points.
In some instances, you’ll need to connect the dynamic parent’s
Centroid attribute (local space) rather than its World Centroid to the
group node’s Translate attribute. If in doubt, try both to see which
works as desired.

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How do I? > Adjust frame-to-frame velocity conservation

Note that you can connect to any vector attributes of the group node.
For instance, you can connect a World Centroid attribute to the group
node’s Rotation or Scale attributes.
6 Select the child object (below the group node) and adjust its Translate
X, Y, and Z attribute values as necessary to relocate it to its original
position.
7 Play the animation.

Adjust frame-to-frame velocity conservation

A particle object has a Conserve attribute that influences the motion of
particles whose velocity or acceleration attributes are controlled by
dynamics (including particle expressions).

Set Conserve before you create the particles with the

Particle Tool
• Select Particles > Particle Tool >  to and set Conserve in the Tool
Settings window.

To set Conserve after you create the particles

• Select the particle object and set its value in the Attribute Editor.

Apply forces in an object’s local space

Dynamic forces influence NURBS and polygonal objects in the world
space coordinate system. Regardless of how you rotate a cone, for
instance, a gravity field with default option settings moves the cone down
along the world space Y-axis.
By default, fields also influence particle objects in world space. However,
you can cause a field to affect a particle object in the particle object’s local
space. For example, you can make a gravity field pull a particle object
down the particle object’s local Y-axis rather than down the world space
Y-axis.
See ”Forces In World” on page 158.

Obtain world position, velocity, and centroid

A particle object’s position, velocity, and centroid attributes contain local
space values. (The centroid of a particle object is the average position of its
particles.) There are times when you need to know world space values for
a particle object.

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How do I? > Apply forces in an object’s local space

For example, suppose you apply gravity to a particle object to make it fall
through a glass floor. You also key the particle object’s Rotate Y attribute
to make it rotate around the origin’s Y axis as it falls. Suppose you need to
know the exact world space position of the particles so you can change
their color when they pass through the floor. You cannot get this
information with the position attribute, because it contains the local space
position.
You can get this information from the three world space counterpart
attributes for position, velocity, and centroid:
• worldPosition
• worldVelocity
• worldCentroid
The centroid attribute is a compound attribute consisting of centroidX,
centroidY, and centroidZ attributes. The worldCentroid attribute is a
compound attribute consisting of worldCentroidX, worldCentroidY, and
worldCentroidZ attributes.
You can read the value of worldPosition, worldVelocity, and
worldCentroid as inputs in the Connection Editor. You can read the value
of worldCentroidX, worldCentroidY, and worldCentroidZ in expressions.
You cannot set the values of any of these attributes.
The worldVelocity contains the difference between the worldPosition in
the current and prior frame. The worldVelocity is influenced by the
object’s (and object parent’s) Translate, Rotate, and Scale values, so it
includes the effect of keys you apply to them.
If you need to convert a particle object’s world space velocity to local
space velocity, be aware that you can use the worldVelocityInObjectSpace
attribute of a particle object.
There is no worldAcceleration attribute.

Set input force with an attribute connection

Each field or spring connected to a particle object writes its vector force
value to the Input Force[ ] attribute in the object. This attribute is an array
of vectors. There is one Input Force array for each field connected to an
object. For example, an object connected to three fields has Input Force[0],
Input Force[1], and Input Force[2]. Each vector in the array represents the
force on a single particle.
You can use the Connection Editor or API to feed one particle shape
attribute into another’s Input Force[ ] attribute. The attribute must be a
vector array, for example, velocity.

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How do I? > Control execution time of particle dynamics

When you connect an attribute to Input Force[0], if the two particle objects
have the same number of particles, the values input to Input Force[0]
match one for one. If the object containing Input Force[0] has less particles
than the object providing input, the remaining values are ignored. If it has
more, the last one is repeated.
Input Force[ ] also exists in the shape nodes of rigid bodies. It works on
CVs or vertices the same as for particles.

Control execution time of particle dynamics

There are several ways to control when particle dynamics operate:
• ”Change the start frame for a particle object” on page 76
• ”Control the timing of particle dynamics” on page 77
• ”Execute expressions after particle dynamics” on page 80

Change the start frame for a particle object

Each particle object has a Start Frame attribute that sets the time at which
effects begin. For example, you can delay the effect of a vortex on a
particle object until the frame of your choice.

This particle object’s Start Frame

is set to 50 to delay the vortex
field’s effect until frame 50.

As another example, suppose you create a character that walks through

dust particles lying on a floor. The dust is connected to gravity, a floor
collision object, and an air (wake) field on the character’s feet. You want
the air field on the feet to stir up the dust starting at frame 100.
You can set the dust’s Start Frame to 100 to delay dynamic calculations for
the dust until there’s a need for the calculations. This speeds up scene play
and prevents the particles from bouncing slightly from the gravity and
collision effect.
You could also prevent the dynamic calculations for dust by keying Is
Dynamic off for the first 100 frames. However, by setting the Start Frame
to 100, you also avoid having to wait for run-up calculations for the first
100 frames when you click a frame or scrub the Time Slider.

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How do I? > Control execution time of particle dynamics

Note that when you create a particle object or an emitter emits a particle
object, Start Frame is set to 1.0, by default. The value is the duration of a
single frame in the current setting for time units.
To set the Start Frame of a particle object, select the particle object and
enter a value for Start Frame in the Time Attributes section of the
Attribute Editor.

Important If you change the time units setting, you must set the Start
Frame to the correct initial value so that Maya computes
the start time again.
An emitted particle object accepts emitted particles only at
frames greater than or equal to its Start Frame. For
example, to emit particles at frame number -5, set the Start
Frame of the emitted particle object to -5 or less.

Control the timing of particle dynamics

With dynamic animation, you specify the actions you want an object to
take, then let the software figure out how to animate the object.
Historically, it has been challenging to synchronize this animation method
with other actions. For example, it has been hard to increase the velocity
of emitted particles in synch with a musical score coming to a crescendo.
Maya has a feature that overcomes such difficulties. Each particle object
has a Current Time attribute that you can animate to slow or hasten a
particle effect. This attribute contains the value of an independent clock
time. In essence, you slow or speed the particle object’s clock to slow or
speed the dynamics that affect it. See ”Understand the Current Time
attribute” on page 79 for more details.

Example
An emitter shoots particles up in a 150-frame animation. The following
steps show how to control the velocity of the particles by keying Current
Time.

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How do I? > Control execution time of particle dynamics

1 Select the emitted particle object (not the emitter).

2 In the Channel Box, click the Current Time attribute, then right-click
and select Break Connections.
3 Set keys for Current Time at the following frames:

Frame Current
Time

0 0

50 100

100 110

150 200

At the beginning of the animation (frame 0), the Current Time of the
emitted particles is synchronized with the scene time. Both have the
value 0.
At frame 50, the Current Time is keyed to 100, twice the value of the
scene time. For frames 0 through 50, this adds twice as much time to
the action of the emitted particles as the scene time. The emitted
particles therefore move at twice the speed that would occur without
the manipulation of the Current Time.
At frame 100, Current Time is keyed to 110. From frames 50 to 100,
this slows the progression of time for the emitted particles relative to
the scene time. The emitted particles move at a slower speed than
would exist without the manipulation of the Current Time.

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How do I? > Control execution time of particle dynamics

At frame 150, Current Time is keyed to 200, once again speeding the
progression of time for the emitted particles. The particles move faster
again.

Tip To conveniently slow or speed up dynamic effects, use the

Graph Editor to tune the animation curve of Current Time after
you key its values. See Animation.

Understand the Current Time attribute

Each animated particle object runs according to its own clock. You can
make this clock independent of the scene clock that advances with the
ticks in the Time Slider.
Each particle object has a Current Time attribute that contains its clock
value. Unlike the scene clock’s time variable, you can set the value of the
Current Time attribute with keys, expressions, or other animation
techniques. While the scene clock is a timekeeper with fixed length
increments, a particle object’s clock has variable increments that you set
through the Current Time attribute. You can vary the increments to slow
or speed dynamic effects on the particles.
For animation to occur in the particle object, its Current Time requires an
input connection that changes as the scene plays. By default, the scene’s
predefined time variable provides input to Current Time.
If you use a nonparticle shape expression to assign a value to Current
Time, the value is interpreted as the type of Time units specified in the
Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences > Settings window. If an
fps rate is selected, for instance, Film (24 fps), the Current Time value is
interpreted as frames.
For example, suppose you’ve set Working Units Time value to Film (24
fps). This means your animation uses the frame number as the time value.
Suppose further you use the following expression statement:
currentTime = 50;
The 50 is considered frame 50, rather than, say, 50 milliseconds.
Note that you can animate a decreasing Current Time to achieve effects
such as an emitter sucking previously emitted particles back into itself. To
see the results of this effect, you must turn on Cache Data for the emitted
particles and play the animation.

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How do I? > Duplicate particle objects

Tip If you’ve broken the connection to Current Time and want to

reconnect it to the scene time, select the particle shape node (not
the transform), then select Particles > Connect to Time.

Execute expressions after particle dynamics

Runtime expressions execute before or after dynamics in each frame,
depending on what you selected when you created the runtime
expression.
In pervious version of Maya, you had to choose whether a particle shape
runtime expression executed before or after its dynamics were computed.
In Maya 6, you can specify when you create the runtime expression
whether it is to be executed before or after dynamics calculation.
For example, suppose you use a gravity field to drop particle blobs on a
character, then you write a runtime expression for the blob object’s
position to prevent its particles from penetrating the character’s surface. If
you created that expression as a runtime before dynamics, you might see
some surface penetration because the gravity field executes after your
position-constraining expression. You can create or copy this expression to
Runtime after dynamics so the residual effect of the dynamics doesn’t
interfere with your expression.

Duplicate particle objects

You can duplicate a particle object with or without the original’s input
connections from dynamics such as fields.

To duplicate a particle object with input connections

1 Select the particle object.
2 Select Edit > Duplicate > .
3 In the Duplicate Options window, turn on Duplicate Input
Connections. If this option is dim, turn off Duplicate Input Graph first.
4 Click Duplicate.
5 Reposition the duplicate as desired.
The Duplicate menu item copies incoming connections from dynamic
effects, so the same effects that influence the original object influence
the duplicate. This doesn’t copy outgoing connections from the
particle object. This means that if you apply a field to the original
particle object from some position, the duplicate particle object will be
influenced by the field from a corresponding local space position.

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How do I? > Duplicate particle objects

You can cause the field to influence the duplicate from the world
space position. In the dependency graph for the duplicate particle
shape node, break the field’s input connection to the particle shape
node, then use the Dynamic Relationships Editor to connect it to the
field.

Example
Suppose you create a particle grid and connect it to a radial field
positioned below it. You create a duplicate of the particle grid with
Duplicate Input Connections, then move the duplicate grid to a new
position. The right object mirrors the radial field’s effect even though the
radial field is positioned under the left object.

The right object mirrors the radial

field’s effect even though the radial
field is positioned under the left object.

To duplicate a particle object without input connections

1 Select the particle object.
2 Select Edit > Duplicate > .
3 In the Duplicate Options window, turn on Copy but no other options,
then click Duplicate.
4 Reposition the duplicate as desired.
5 Select Particles > Connect to Time.
For a particle object’s dynamic effects to work subsequently, the object
needs an incoming connection to its Current Time attribute. By
default, the scene’s predefined time variable provides this input. If
you select Edit > Duplicate with default options, it doesn’t copy
incoming connections to the new object. The dynamics therefore won’t
work for the new object unless you select Particles > Connect to Time.
6 Rewind and play the animation.

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How do I? > Assign image sequences to sprites

Assign image sequences to sprites

We’ve supplied a MEL script (applySprite.mel) in the Gifts/smoke
directory (under the main Maya install directory) to make it easier to
assign image sequences to sprites. To use the MEL script, see ”Sprites” on
page 40.
If you want to assign an image sequence to sprites manually (without
using the MEL script), you can use the following procedure.

To assign an image sequence to the sprites

1 In the menus above the workspace, turn on Shading > Smooth Shade
All and Shading > Hardware Texturing.
2 Select the particle object.
3 In the Attribute Editor, set Particle Render Type to Sprites.
4 To add default Particle Render Type attributes that let you tune the
appearance, click the Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.
5 Create a Lambert material with shading group, and assign it to the
selected particle object. See Rendering for details.
6 From the Rendering menu set, select Lighting/Shading > Shading
Group Attributes to display the Lambert node in the Attribute Editor.
7 In the Common Material Attributes section of the Attribute Editor,
click the map button to the right of the Color slider.
8 In the Create Render Node window, click the Textures tab. In the 2D
Textures section, click the File button to create a texture file node.
9 In the File Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, click the file
browser button to the right of the Image Name box.
10 Select the first file in the sequence and click Open.

Important The image files you use as sprites must have filename
extensions in the format file.n, not file.000n (zero-padded
extensions).

11 In the Hardware Texture Cycling Options section, turn on Use

Hardware Texture Cycling.
12 Specify the Start Cycle Extension, End Cycle Extension, and By Cycle
Increment.
These attributes specify the files available for use in cycling. These
attributes do not select the actual files cycled. You do this by setting
the Sprite Num or spriteNumPP attribute in a later step.

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How do I? > Assign image sequences to sprites

The Start Cycle Extension and End Cycle Extension specify the
filename extension number of the first and last files available for
cycling. The By Cycle Increment sets whether each frame is available
for cycling every other frame, every third frame, and so on.
For example, to use every file of a 30-file sequence starting with
Smoke.0, you would set the Start Cycle Extension to 0, the End Cycle
Extension to 29, and the By Cycle Increment to 1. To use every other
file of the same file sequence, you would set By Cycle Increment to 2.
In other words, you could cycle through Smoke.0, Smoke.2, Smoke.4,
and so on.
13 Turn on Use Frame Extension.
14 Because file textures load only on demand, you must set keys to force
the Frame Extension value to go from Start Cycle Extension to End
Cycle Extension consecutively during the frames are required. You
can do this with simple keyframes, set driven key, or an expression.
For example, if Start Cycle Extension is set to 1, End Cycle Extension
is set to 10, and By Cycle is set to 1, you would do the following:
• Go to frame 1, set Frame Extension to 1, and set a key.
• Go to frame 10, set Frame Extension to 10, and set a key.
15 If you want to assign an identical image sequence to all the sprites, do
the procedure that follows, “Assign an identical image sequence to all
sprites.” If you want to assign a different image sequence to each
sprite, do the procedure ”Assign a different image sequence to each
sprite” on page 85.

Assign an identical image sequence to all sprites

When you added default Particle Render Type attributes for sprites in a
prior step, Maya added a Sprite Num attribute to the particle object. Sprite
Num sets which files are cycled from the pool of files specified by Start
Cycle Extension, End Cycle Extension, and By Cycle Increment. More
specifically, Sprite Num is an index into the pool of files.
For example, suppose you have a file sequence starting with Smoke.0. If
you set the Start Cycle Extension to 0, the End Cycle Extension to 29, and
the By Cycle Increment to 1, the pool of images and Sprite Num values
that represent them are as follows.

Image Sprite Num

Smoke.0 1

Smoke.1 2

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How do I? > Assign image sequences to sprites

Image Sprite Num

Smoke.2 3

Smoke.3 4

— —

Smoke.29 30

If you set the Start Cycle Extension to 0, the End Cycle Extension to 29,
and the By Cycle Increment to 2, the pool of images and Sprite Num
values that represent them are:

Image Sprite Num

Smoke.0 1

Smoke.2 2

Smoke.4 3

Smoke.6 4

— —

Smoke.28 15

You can set keys or write an expression to animate Sprite Num and
thereby cycle through the images. All sprites display the same image each
frame.
For instance, if the start frame of your scene is frame 0 and you have 30
images named Smoke.0 through Smoke.29, you can use this creation
expression:
particleShape1.spriteNum = (frame % 30);
and this runtime expression:
particleShape1.spriteNum = (frame % 30);
As the animation plays, all sprites cycle through the 30 images. At frames
0 through 29, the sprites display Smoke.0, Smoke.1, Smoke.2, and so on
through Smoke.29. At frame 30, the cycle repeats for the next 30 frames.
See Expressions for details on writing expressions.

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How do I? > Export particle data

Assign a different image sequence to each sprite

1 With the particle shape node selected, open the Add Dynamic
Attributes section of the Attribute Editor and click the General button.
2 In the Add Attribute window, click the Particle tab and select
spriteNumPP. Click OK.
This adds the per particle spriteNumPP attribute to the particle shape
node. The spriteNumPP attribute works like Sprite Num, but you can
set spriteNumPP on a per particle basis. See ”Assign an identical
image sequence to all sprites” on page 83 for details on Sprite Num.
3 Write creation and runtime expressions to animate the particle shape
node’s spriteNumPP attribute. (If the particle object’s transform node
is currently selected rather than the shape node, press the down arrow
to correct the selection.)
For example, if the start frame of your scene is frame 0 and you have
30 images Smoke.0 through Smoke.29, you can use this creation
expression:
particleShape1.spriteNumPP = rand(0,30);
and this runtime expression:
particleShape1.spriteNumPP = (particleShape1.spriteNumPP
+ 1) % 30;
When you rewind the animation (or the sprite is emitted), the creation
expression assigns a random number between 0 and 30 to the
particleShape1.spriteNumPP attribute. Each particle therefore starts
its sprite display with an image randomly selected from the 30
images.
When you play the animation, the runtime expression executes each
frame (before or after dynamics calculation) and increments each
sprite’s number by 1. This makes each sprite cycle through the entire
range of images. After Smoke.29 appears for a sprite, the animation
cycles through the images again starting at Smoke.0.
For more information, see the Expressions guide.

Export particle data

If you want to use your Maya particle data with another renderer or
particle system, you can export it in binary format (.pdb) or ASCII format
(.pda). See the dynExport command in the online MEL Command
Reference.

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How do I? > Create emitters

Work with emitters

Create emitters
The following procedures describe how to create emitters with default
settings. For details on other settings, see ”Set emitter attributes by typing
entries” on page 90. In the following procedures, you must play the
animation as the final step to see the particles emit.
You cannot add an emitter to an object if the emitter already has some
other technique controlling its translate attributes. Furthermore, after you
add an emitter to an object, you cannot control the emitter’s translate
attributes with another technique, for example, an expression.
If you select only some of an object’s CVs, vertices, or particles, the emitter
applies only to those selected.

To emit from a position

1 Make sure nothing is selected.
2 Select Particles > Create Emitter.
This creates a point emitter at the origin.

To emit particles from points on a surface

1 Select the NURBS or polygonal surface.
2 Select Particles > Emit from Object >  to display the options
window.
3 In the options window, select Surface from the Emitter Type pop-up
menu.
4 In the options window, click Create.
For details on emitting from entire surfaces evenly, see ”Spread
emission more evenly from NURBS surfaces” on page 106.

To emit particles from points on a curve

1 Select the curve.
2 Select Particles > Emit from Object >  to display the options
window.
3 Select Curve from the Emitter Type pop-up menu.
4 In the options window, click Create.

To emit from all CVs or vertices of a selected object

1 Select the object.

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2 Select Particles > Emit from Object >  to display the options
window.
3 Select Omni or Directional from the Emitter Type pop-up menu.
4 In the options window, click Create.

To emit particles from selected vertices, CVs, or edit points

1 Select the object.

2 Click (the Select by Component Type icon).

3 Select the components you want to emit particles. See Basics for
details.
4 Select Particles > Emit from Object >  to display the options
window.
5 Select Omni or Directional from the Emitter Type pop-up menu.
6 In the options window, click Create.
Adding an emitter to components creates a set of components named
for the emitter. You can change the components that emit by editing
the set membership (see Basics). Note that you cannot emit from
components of an object in a referenced scene.

Emitting from selected CVs

Tips The MEL emit command lets you add particles to selected
positions of an existing particle object without creating an
emitter. You can set the values of any per particle attributes for
the created particles. This lets you create effects similar to
emission but with greater control.
For example, you can make emitted particles use the attribute
values of the emitting particles. You can also use the emit
command in an expression to make particles emit at the point
where particles die.
For detailed examples of the emit command, see the online MEL
Command Reference: Alphabetical.

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How do I? > Create emitters

To emit particles into a volume shape

1 Select Particles > Create Emitter > .
2 Under Basic Emitter Attributes, set the Emitter Type to Volume.
3 Under Volume Emitter Attributes, click Volume Shape and select a
shape from the menu.

Sphere
Cube Cylinder

Cone
Torus

4 Set the Volume Emitter attributes as desired. See ”Volume Emitter

Attributes” on page 148 for information on the volume emitter
attributes.
5 Click Create.
The implicit shape of the volume emitter is displayed on the screen.
You can move, rotate, scale, or shear the emitter.

Note You can’t deform the volume or use an arbitrary volume.

To hide the shape of the volume emitter

• Select the emitter and select Display > Hide > Hide Selection.

To hide the emitter icon that represents the emitter

1 In the workspace, select the emitter icon.

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How do I? > Edit attributes of an emitter

Sometimes it’s easier to select the emitter in the Outliner. If you are
emitting from an object rather than position, the emitter is indented
under the object’s name in the Outliner.
Select Display > Hide > Hide Selection.
2 To display the icon again, select Display > Show > Show Last Hidden.

To delete an emitter
1 Select the emitter.
2 Press Backspace (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Delete (Mac OS X).
When you delete an emitter, the emitted particle object is not
automatically deleted. If this particle object isn’t connected to other
items in the scene, you can delete it also. Use the Outliner to delete it.

Note Emission begins only at the frame specified by the emitted

particle object’s Start Frame attribute (by default, frame 1). For
example, to emit particles at frame number -5, you must set the
Start Frame of the emitted particle object to -5.

Edit attributes of an emitter

The attributes of the emitter control the initial position, direction, quantity,
and speed of the emitted particles. You can set the emitter options before
you create the emitter, or you can create a default emitter and set the
attributes after the emitter is created.

To set emitter options before creating the emitter

1 Select Particles > Create Emitter >  or Particles > Emit from Object >
.
The options window appears.
2 Set the options described in ”Set emitter attributes by typing entries”
on page 90.
Changes you make to the options window affect emitters you create
after the changes.
3 Create the emitter.

To edit emitter attributes after creating the emitter

1 Select the emitter you want to edit.
2 Do one of the following:

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How do I? > Edit attributes of an emitter

• Display the Attribute Editor or use the Channel Box to set the
attributes as described in ”Set emitter attributes by typing entries”
on page 90.
• You can edit the most commonly used emitter attributes with the
workspace manipulators. See ”Change emitter attributes with
workspace manipulators” on page 90.

Tips You can key the emitter position or parent the emitter to a
moving object the same as for any other object. See Animation for
information on setting keys.
If you see clumps of particles or irregular emission direction
when you animate the motion of an emitter, try the following
remedies to smooth the emission:
Make sure the Playback Speed is set to Play every frame in the
Playback Speed pulldown in the Window > Settings/
Preferences > Preferences > Timeline window.
Increase the Rate or Max Distance setting in the emitter.
Select Solvers > Edit Oversampling or Cache Settings to increase
the Over Samples value.

Set emitter attributes by typing entries

You can set the following attributes in the options window, Attribute
Editor, or Channel Box:

Change emitter attributes with workspace

manipulators
You can use manipulators in the workspace to edit several emitter
attributes:
• Rate
• Direction (directional point emitters only)
• Spread (directional point, curve, and surface emitters only)
• Speed
• Normal Speed (curve and surface emitters only)
• Tangent Speed (curve and surface emitters only)
• Max Distance and Min Distance
The manipulators offer an interactive alternative to typing entries in the
Attribute Editor.

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How do I? > Edit attributes of an emitter

To use a manipulator on an attribute

1 Select the emitter.
2 Select the Show Manipulator Tool from the Tool Box.

A yellow attribute manipulator appears next to the emitter object.

Dolly towards the manipulator to get a clearer view. Initially the
attribute manipulator controls the Rate setting. An attribute toggle
also appears near the emitter. It controls which attribute you can
manipulate.

Manipulator (yellow dot)

Attribute toggle

3 Drag the dot next to the Rate to change its value.

4 Click the attribute toggle to display a different attribute.
Each time you click the attribute toggle, you display a different
attribute manipulator. The manipulator is an icon (often a dot) you
typically drag to change its value. Details specific to attributes are in
”Use manipulator icons” on page 92. The color of the manipulator and
attribute toggle indicates which is active. Yellow is active, blue is
inactive.
After clicking the attribute toggle a number of times, you’ll see a
display mode where all the manipulator icons are displayed without
the attribute names. When you click an icon in this mode, the attribute
name appears next to it. You can then manipulate the attribute. Click
the attribute one more time and you’ll see the first manipulator
displayed in the cycle—the Rate attribute.

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How do I? > Edit attributes of an emitter

Use manipulator icons

Most attribute manipulators work the same way. Drag the icon away from
the emitter icon to increase the value. Drag toward the emitter icon to
decrease the value. Attribute manipulators that require different
manipulation techniques are described in the following topics.

Note In some instances, the line that represents an attribute is a

relative value. For example, if you drag a Rate value to a number
over 100, the line snaps back to a fixed position. This occurs so
that you can drag the value as high as desired without losing
sight of the manipulator in the workspace. Some lines and
curves represent accurate measurements, for example, Max
Distance.
Note also that the Max Distance and Min Distance dots indicate
a range of emission. The two dots originally are superimposed.
To improve your view of the dots, drag a dot until the two dots
are visible.

Direction X, Y, Z
Click inside the blue box. A manipulator identical to the Move tool
appears. Drag the center to move in all directions, or drag one of the
arrows to move with directional constraint. This manipulator appears
only for directional point emitters.

Click inside the

blue box to display
the manipulator.

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How do I? > Edit attributes of emitted particles

Spread
Drag the dot icon roughly perpendicular to the emission direction. This
displays a cone that indicates the Spread angle. When you drag the dot, a
line appears in the workspace indicating the direction you can drag.

Edit attributes of emitted particles

You can set the usual particle attributes of emitted particles, for example,
color and lifespan (see ”Edit particle attributes” on page 36). In addition,
you can set attributes that pertain only to emission.

To edit the attributes of emitted particles

1 Select the emitter.
2 Open the Attribute Editor.
3 Click the particleShape tab.

Tip You can enhance the motion of the emitted particles by applying
fields such as gravity to the emitter or emitted particles.

Set emitted particle transform attributes

When you manipulate the Translate or Rotate attributes of an emitter, you
have no influence on the position of particles after emission. For example,
suppose you create a stream of smoke emitting upward. If you key the
Rotate X attribute of the emitter, the emitted particles do not rotate after
emission. They maintain the direction they had when first emitted.

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How do I? > Edit attributes of emitted particles

To change the motion of the emitted particles in mid flight, you can key
their Translate, Rotate, or Scale attributes. This alters their position each
frame.

Keying Rotate X of the

emitted particles creates
different motion than keying
Rotate X of the emitter.

Lessen emission quantity

You can limit or lessen emission quantity by setting the Max Count and
Level Of Detail attributes of an emitted particle object.

Example
Suppose you emit particles at a rate of 50 per second. If you display the
emitted particles as the Numeric render type, you might see the following
particles after you play seven frames.

If you set Level Of Detail of the emitted particles to 0.5, the emitted
particle object ignores roughly half the emitted particles. The following
particles are displayed after you rewind and play seven frames.

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How do I? > Duplicate emitters

Maya removes particles and particleId values randomly. This is useful if

you create expressions with conditional statements based on a particleId.

Duplicate emitters
You can duplicate an emitter to reproduce the emission elsewhere. For
example, you can create an emitter that makes a cloud of particles, then
create an identical cloud elsewhere in the scene. You can make the
duplicate with or without the original’s connections to dynamic effects
such as fields. Expressions applied to the emitted particles are not
duplicated.

To duplicate an emitter with connections to dynamic effects

1 Select the emitting object (or positional emitter) and the emitted
particle object.
2 Select Edit > Duplicate > .
3 In the Duplicate Options window, turn on Duplicate Input
Connections.
4 Click Duplicate.
5 Drag the copied emitted particles and the copied emitting object away
from the originals.

To duplicate an emitter without connections to dynamic

effects
1 Select the emitting object (or positional emitter) and the emitted
particle object.
2 Select Edit > Duplicate > .

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How do I? > Connect emitters and particles

3 In the Duplicate Options window, click Edit > Reset Settings to turn
on default options.
4 Click Duplicate.
5 Select Particles > Connect to Time.
Emitters have a hidden Current Time attribute. For an emitter to work
when you play an animation, it needs an incoming connection to its
Current Time attribute. By default, the input to Current Time is
provided by the scene’s predefined time variable. (See ”Understand
the Current Time attribute” on page 79 for details.)
If you select Edit > Duplicate with default options, it doesn’t copy
incoming connections to the new object, so its dynamics don’t work.
This is why you select Particles > Connect to Time.
6 Drag the copied emitted particles and the copied emitting object away
from the originals.

Note The Seed number of the duplicate emitted particle object is the
same as the original. The duplicate’s emission randomness is
therefore identical to the original, by default. For details on
changing the randomness of emission, see ”Work with emission
randomness” on page 105.

Connect emitters and particles

There are several techniques for connecting emitters and particles:
• An easy way to connect an existing particle object to an emitter is with
the Dynamic Relationships Editor (see Chapter 8). You must use this
method if you want to connect an existing particle object to a selected
emitter on an object with multiple emitters.
• After you finish setting the color and other attributes of emitted
particles, you can conveniently create a new emitter and connect it to
the particles. The new emitter will emit particles with the same
attribute settings. The new emitter can emit at a different rate or
direction, or even be a different type of emitter.
For example, suppose you create a fire effect and want to expand its
size. You can add emitters to the original emitting object, then connect
the existing emitted fire particle object to the new emitters. The
particles emitted from the added emitters have the same attributes as
the existing particles.
• You can create two or more empty particle objects, define unique
attributes for each, and connect them to one emitter. This lets you emit
different particle effects, such as fire and smoke, from the same
emitter.

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How do I? > Vary emission from different points of point emitters

If you connect multiple particle objects to an emitter, the emitter emits

them all with their respective attributes. For example, if you have a
red particle object and a green particle object and you connect both to
an emitter, the emitter emits both green and red particles.
• You can connect emitted particles to the emitter of your choice on an
object with multiple emitters.
• To replace an existing emitted particle object with another, use the
Dynamic Relationships Editor to disconnect the existing particle object
so that only the desired particle object is emitted.
• You can add an existing independent emitter to a single selected
object. The emitter must not already exist in another object. If you
create an emitter with the Maya API, use this technique to add the
emitter to the desired object.

To connect a particle object to an emitter

1 Select the particle object you want to connect to the emitter.
2 Shift-click the emitter (or the object that owns it). If you are selecting
the emitter in the Outliner, use Ctrl-click (Windows, Linux, and IRIX)
or Command-click (Mac OS X) to make a non-contiguous selection.
3 Select Particles > Use Selected Emitter.

To create an empty particle object

1 Select Particles > Particle Tool >  to display the options window.
2 Enter 0 in the Number of Particles box and press Enter (Windows,
Linux, and IRIX) or Return (Mac OS X).
3 Move the pointer to the workspace and press Enter or Return.
This creates an empty particle object in the Outliner.

To add an existing emitter to an object

1 Select the object and shift-select the emitter.
2 Select Particles > Emit from Object.
The emitter becomes indented under the object in the Outliner.
Moving the position of the object moves the position of the emitter.

Vary emission from different points of point

emitters
You can use a different emission rate for each particle, CV, vertex, edit
point, or lattice point of Omni or Directional point emitters. For example,
you can emit a ring of fire from a circle’s edit points and vary the emission

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How do I? > Vary emission from different points of point emitters

at each point to enhance the irregularity found in natural fire. You cannot
vary emission on a per-point basis for objects whose Emitter Type is either
Surface or Curve..

This NURBS circle emits

from its edit points at rates of
50, 150, 1000, and 500.

This three-particle object

emits at a rate of 50, 150,
and 300.

Tip If you emit from a particle object, you can use an expression or
MEL command to obtain the id of all particles that emit the
particles. You can use the id to query the emitting object’s
attribute values, for example, acceleration, velocity, and
finalLifespanPP. To do this, you must add the parentId attribute
to the emitted particle shape node.
Note that if you use the MEL emit command to create the
particles that emit, the parentId attribute of those emitted
particles is always 0.

To vary emission from particles

1 Create and select the emitting particle object.

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How do I? > Vary emission from different points of point emitters

2 Select Particles > Per-Point Emission Rates.

This creates an attribute named emitterRatePP for the particle object
that emits. This attribute lets you vary emission rates on a per particle
basis.
3 In the Attribute Editor, open the Per Particle (Array) Attributes
section.
4 Without breaking the connection to emitternameRatePP, right click the
emitterNameRatePP box and select the desired method to set its value.
See ”Set attributes on a per particle basis” on page 54.
Note that you can turn the emitter’s Use Per-Point Rate attribute on or
off to toggle per-point emission rates. In the Outliner, the emitter is
indented under the emitting object.

To vary emission from a NURBS or polygonal point emitter

1 Finish modeling the geometry before adding a point emitter.
2 Select the emitting geometry.
3 Select Particles > Per-Point Emission Rates.
4 Select the emitting object’s shape node.
5 In the Extra Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, open the
emitterName Rate PP section.
For the emitterNameRatePP attributes, enter values in the Attribute
Editor boxes corresponding to the CVs, vertices, edit points, or lattice
points. To learn which box corresponds to a point, experiment with a
large value in a box. You can also use an expression, ramp, or Artisan
to set individual rates.

Note If you add CVs, vertices, or edit points after you add and tune
per-point emission rates, you can select Per-Point Emission Rates
a second time to set the additional entries for
emitterNameRatePP. However, the Attribute Editor
emitterNameRatePP entries no longer correspond to the same
identifiers for CVs, vertices, or edit points. You’ll need to correct
the emitterNameRatePP entries.
If you delete CVs, vertices, or edit points, delete the emitter,
create a new emitter, and choose Per-Point Emission Rates again.

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How do I? > Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate

Use a texture to color emission or scale the

rate
When you create a NURBS or polygonal surface emitter, you can use a 2D
or 3D texture to scale the emission rate at parts of the surface. For
instance, you can scale the emitter Rate to 90% at the most luminous parts
of a texture, and to 0% at the least luminous parts. Luminance is the
measurable brightness of a surface.
You can also color emitted particles with a 2D or 3D texture. The texture
can be the same as the underlying surface or any other texture you create
in the scene.

Use a 3D texture with emission

You cannot use a 3D texture to control surface emission, but you can
convert it to a 2D texture and then use it to control surface emission For
information on converting a 3d texture to a 2D file texture, see the online
documentation in the Rendering Reference for “Convert to File Texture.”

Examples of how to use a texture with emission

Examples of how to use a texture with emission follow:

Black particles emit from the black parts, and white

particles from the white parts (left). Red particles emit
from the white parts (right).

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How do I? > Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate

Particles emit from a striped

texture not assigned to the plane.
The plane’s surface has a
checker texture that’s unused in
emission. Note that you can also
emit from a hidden plane or from
a plane without a texture.

You can display

particles as any
render type, for
example, spheres.

Side view of
image

While a checker texture colors the

emitted particles, a ramp texture
scales the emission rate where
the ramp’s luminance is low.

To use a texture to scale the emission rate

1 Add a surface emitter to the surface.

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How do I? > Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate

2 Select the emitted particles and add a per particle color attribute
(rgbPP) from the Add Dynamic Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor.

Click the Color button to display

a window that lets you add a per
particle color attribute.

3 Select Window > Rendering Editor > Hypershade.

If you need to create the texture, do so now. See Rendering for details.
You don’t need to make the texture a part of a shading group. After
you create the texture, make sure it’s visible in the Hypershade. Leave
the Hypershade displayed on your screen.
4 In the Outliner, select the emitter; it’s indented under the emitting
surface object.
5 Display the Texture Emission Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor.
6 Middle-drag the texture’s icon from the Hypershade onto the Texture
Rate attribute in the Attribute Editor.
7 Turn on Enable Texture Rate.
8 Set the Emit From Dark attribute as desired:
When Emit From Dark is off, fully luminous parts of the texture emit
at 100% of the specified emitter rate. Parts of the texture that lack
luminance don’t emit at all. Other parts emit between 0 and 100% in
proportion to the luminance. In simple terms, bright colors emit more
than dark colors.
When Emit From Dark is turned on, the opposite luminance scheme
applies. Parts of the texture that lack luminance emit at 100% of the
specified rate, while fully luminous parts don’t emit at all.

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How do I? > Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate

Tips To emit at distinctly different rates from parts of the surface, use
a texture with sharp contrast in luminance. For instance, use a
striped black and white texture.
If you see a few particles emitted from a seemingly wrong
position of the texture, check that the coloring in that area has
consistent luminance.
You can figure the exact luminance value of a color by adding its
RGB components and dividing by 3. For instance, the luminance
of RGB value 1, 0, 0 equals 1/3, or 0.33. The luminance of RGB
value 0, 0, 1 also equals 1/3, or 0.33. In other words, a saturated
red has the same luminance as a saturated blue.

9 Rewind and play the scene to see the texture-scaled emission rate.
Note that you must turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see
particle colors in your scene.

To color emitted particles with a texture

1 Add a surface emitter to the surface.
2 Select the emitted particles and add a per particle color attribute
(rgbPP) and a per particle opacity attribute (opacityPP) from the Add
Dynamic Attributes section of the Attribute Editor.

Click the Opacity and Color

buttons to add per particle
opacity and color attributes.

3 Select Window > Rendering Editors > Hypershade.

If you need to create the texture, do so now. See Rendering for details.
You don’t need to make the texture a part of a shading group. After
you create the texture, make sure it’s visible in the Hypershade. Leave
the Hypershade displayed on your screen.
4 In the Outliner, select the emitter; it’s indented under the emitting
surface object.
5 Display the Texture Emission Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor.
6 Middle-drag the texture’s icon from the Hypershade onto the Particle
Color attribute in the Attribute Editor.
7 Turn on Inherit Color.

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When you rewind and play the scene, the particles emit from the
texture with the same color and position as the texture. Note that you
must turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All to see particle colors in
your scene.
8 Turn on the following attributes as desired: Inherit Opacity, Use
Luminance, and Invert Opacity.

Note If you set the opacityPP attribute of the emitted particle with an
expression or other technique, the attribute value overrides the
above attributes.

Tips for advanced users

• In the Attribute Editor, you can click the color swatch of the emitter’s
Particle Color attribute to apply a color rather than a texture to
emitted particles. If you’ve already connected a texture to the Particle
Color attribute, you must first break the input connection to it from
the texture’s outColor attribute. You can break the connection in the
Hypergraph’s dependency graph.
• If you add multiple emitters to a surface, you create multiple emitted
particle objects—one for each emitter. You can use the Dynamic
Relationships Editor to disconnect all the emitted particle objects from
the emitters and reconnect a single one to all the emitters. Each
emitter will emit only that particle object with its attribute settings.
The Attribute Editor for each of the emitters has its own texture
emission attributes, so you can apply a different texture (or color) to
each group of particles even though each emitter emits the same
particle object.
With this technique, you can layer a single emitted particle object with
various colors to create complex particle effects such as smoke or fire.
The particles use the emitted particle object’s attributes except for
color (and optionally opacity), regardless of which emitter emits them.
For example, suppose you add two surface emitters to a plane and
connect a single particle object to the emitters. The plane can emit
particles colored by a black and white checker texture at the same
time as particles colored by a purple to yellow ramp texture. The
particles are a single emitted particle object. You can display the
emitted particles as any render type, for example, spheres, by setting
the appropriate attribute in the Attribute Editor for the emitted
particle object.

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Work with emission randomness

If you create two emitters with identical attributes, the random
positioning of the emitted particles is identical, by default. You can cause
each emitter to emit particles in different random positions by giving each
emitted particle object a different value for its Seed attribute.
If a single emitter emits into several particle objects that have different
Seed values, the emission positioning differs for each. If they all have the
same Seed value, the positioning is the same.
The default value for each Seed entry is the same (1), so if you want two
identical emitters to emit to different positions, you must set one of the
Seed values to a different number. A new Seed value takes effect only
after you rewind. When you change the Seed used by one emitted object,
you won’t alter any other emission in the scene.
The size of a Seed value has no significance. For instance, a Seed value of 2
doesn’t create twice as much randomness as a Seed value of 1. Each
number, for example, 1, 17, or 1000, simply sets a different sequence of
random numbers.
To set the value of the Seed, select the emitted particle object and open the
Emission Random Stream Seeds section of the Attribute Editor. You’ll see
a data box and slider named for the associated emitter, for example,
emitter1. If you use several emitters to emit into a single particle object,
there is one data box and slider for each emitter. (Though the attribute
name is Seed, the name doesn’t appear in the Attribute Editor.)

The three emitters are identical. The emitted particle

shapes of the left and middle emitters have identical
Seed values. The one on the right differs.

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Tips You can use one emitter to emit two identical streams of
emission without having to duplicate an emitter. First, connect
two identical emitted particle objects to the emitter. Next, make
sure the Seed values are the same, and turn off Emission In
World (in the Emission Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor) for both emitted particle objects. Finally, move one of the
emitted particle objects away from the other.
If you connect several particle objects to multiple emitters and
want to know which Seed corresponds to a particle object,
examine the dependency graph in the Hypergraph.

Spread emission more evenly from NURBS

surfaces
You can spread the emission more evenly from NURBS surface emitters.
This is often beneficial for surfaces that have sharp curves or bends.

Particles not emitted evenly from Improved evenness of

surface of cone (viewed from top). emission.

To spread emission more evenly

1 Select the emitting NURBS surface.
2 Display the Attribute Editor.
3 Click the geoConnector tab. Expand the width of the Attribute Editor
if you don’t see the tab.
4 Increase the value of the Tessellation Factor, then rewind and play the
animation.

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The default value is 200. Try doubling the value as many times as
necessary to get the desired evenness. Higher values increase
processing time. If you add two or more surface emitters to an object,
each uses the same Tessellation Factor.

Tips You can also tune surface emission direction with the Normal
Speed and Tangent Speed attributes. See ”Tangent Speed” on
page 147.

If you add a surface emitter to a NURBS or polygonal surface,

you can use a MEL statement or expression to learn the UV
coordinates where each particle was emitted. You must add
parentU and parentV attributes to the emitted particle shape,
then turn on Need Parent UV in the emitter.

Work with goals

Create goals
You can make a particle object move towards one or more goal objects
with the following procedures. Note that you can create a soft body with
its original geometry as its goal (see ”Create soft bodies” on page 251).
If you make a trimmed NURBS surface a goal object, all its CVs become
the goal, including the CVs where the trimmed area exists. To correct this,
convert the NURBS surface to polygons with Modify > Convert > NURBS
to Polygons and then add the goal.

To connect a particle object to a single goal object

1 Select the particle object you want to be affected by the goal.
To select a soft body rather than a conventional particle object, you
can select the soft body’s original geometry or its child particle object.
2 Shift-select the object you want to become the goal.
3 Select Particles > Goal.
4 To adjust the goal’s influence, see ”Edit goal attributes” on page 108.
5 Play the animation to see the particles move towards the goal.

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Note To make particles follow the object’s transform rather than its
particles, CVs, vertices, or lattice points, you must select
Particles > Goal >  to display the Goal options window. Turn
on Use Transform as Goal in the Goal Options window before
you add the goal.

To connect a particle object to multiple goal objects:

1 Select the particle object or soft body you want to be affected by the
goals.
2 In the workspace, shift-select one of the objects you want to become a
goal.
3 Select Particles > Goal.
4 Deselect all objects and repeat the previous steps for the next object
you want to become a goal.
5 To adjust the goal’s influence, see ”Edit goal attributes” on page 108.
6 Play the animation to see the particles move towards the goal.

Edit goal attributes

The following sections describe how to edit attributes to tune the effect of
goals on trailing particle objects.

Setting goal weight on a per object basis

When you add a goal to an object, Maya adds a corresponding goal
weight attribute to the trailing particle object. The goal weight sets how
much all particles of the trailing object are attracted to the goal. You can
set the goal weight before you create the goal using the Goal options
window, or you can adjust the goal weight afterwards using the Attribute
Editor.
You can set goal weight to a value between 0 and 1. A value of 0 means
that the goal’s position has no effect on the trailing particles. A value of 1
moves the trailing particles to the goal object position immediately.
A value between 0 and 1 causes the particles to move toward the goal as if
bound to it by an elastic spring. The closer to 1, the faster the trailing
particles settle at their final position. The goal weight value is 0.5 by
default.

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Tips To make the trailing particle object follow the goal object with
less oscillation, set the trailing particle object’s Conserve
attribute to a value less than 1, for instance, 0.8. A value of 0
prevents oscillation.
You can turn the effect of a goal object off or on without setting
goal weight. With the trailing particle object attributes displayed
in the Attribute Editor, turn off the Goal Active attribute
associated with the goal object.

To display the Goal options window:

• Select Particles > Goal > . The attributes in this window affect goals
you create after you change an attribute setting.

To change the goal weight in the Attribute Editor

1 Select the particles (or soft body particles) affected by the goal.
2 Display the Attribute Editor.
3 Open the Goal Weights and Objects section.
The goal weight is next to the name of the goal object.

Set goal
weight here

If the particle object has multiple goal objects, you’ll see a goal weight
entry box for each object.

Tip In the Channel Box, the goal weight for the first goal object you
added is Goal Weight[0]. The second is Goal Weight[1] and so
on.

Set goal weight on a per particle basis

For more control of trailing particle motion, you can tune the goal weight
on a per particle basis. The per particle goal weight is controlled by the
trailing object’s goalPP attribute.
The per particle goalPP attribute is used for every goal object connected to
the particles. By default, the goalPP attribute has a value of 1 for each
particle.

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Tip Using the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool, you can set goal
weights on a soft body on a per particle basis by painting on the
soft body surface (see ”Paint Soft Body Weights Tool” on
page 253).

To set per particle goal weight

1 Select the trailing particle object and display the Attribute Editor.
2 Locate the goalPP attribute in the Per Particle (Array) Attributes
section of the Attribute Editor. See ”Set attributes on a per particle
basis” on page 54 for details on how to set per particle attributes.
The goalPP value is multiplied by the per object goal weight to create
the total goal weight for each particle.
For example, if you have a per object goal weight of 0.5 and you add a
per particle goal weight of 0.5 to some of the particles, the total goal
weight of those particles is 0.25. If you have a second goal object and
the corresponding per object goal weight is 0.1, the total goal weight
of the particles is 0.05.

Note If you create a ramp on goalPP, the ramp is mapped over the
lifetime of the particles; it’s not mapped over the surface of the
goal object. In addition, you cannot texture goals according to
emission.

Specify NURBS or polygonal UV positions for goals

When you use the CVs of a NURBS or polygonal surface as a goal, the
trailing particles move directly to the CVs. The CVs, however, are usually
positioned at distant or undesired positions. You can make the particles
move more directly or evenly to the surface by adding and setting the
predefined goalU and goalV attributes of the trailing particle object’s
shape node. These per particle attributes set exact locations on a NURBS
or polygonal surface where the particles are attracted.
You can also add and set the predefined goalOffset attribute to more
conveniently accomplish similar results (see ”Specify an offset to goal
positions” on page 111).
If the trailing object has multiple goal objects, the same per particle U and
V values are used for each goal object.

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If the attributes don’t specify a valid position on the object, the closest
position on the surface or curve is used as the goal position instead. A
position is invalid if it is out of the object’s U and V range or it’s on a part
of the curve or surface that you’ve trimmed. To ensure the closest point is
used, specify a value of -1.
See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34 for details on adding attributes.
You can set the value of these attributes with an expression, MEL script,
or other attribute editing technique.

Work with polymesh goal objects

When per-particle goalU/goalV attributes apply to polymesh goal objects,
you specify particular points on the goal mesh surface to which particles
will be attracted. Animation of goalU/goalV values, as well as the goal
object and its UV coordinates, is fully supported.
For each polymesh object, a UV Set control appears to let you decide
which UV set to use when determining the goal position of a particle
given its goalU/goalV values.
Since UV mappings on polymesh objects are arbitrary, it is possible that a
given goalU/goalV pair may map to more than one point on the goal
surface. If there are multiple potential goal points for a particle, Maya
selects the point that is closest to the particle’s current position in world
space, and uses that as the goal position. This decision is recomputed at
every frame, so if the particle moves closer to one of the other potential
goal positions, the particle will be attracted to that goal position instead of
the original goal position.
Similarly, it is also possible that no point on the object matches the
specified goalU/goalV values for a particular particle. In that case, the
mesh vertex that is closest in UV space to the specified goal point is used.
This decision is updated at every frame.

Note For polymesh goal objects, if a particle’s goalU/goalV values are

not present on the goal surface (that is, they are unmapped), the
particle is attracted to the vertex nearest to the specified values.
This may lead to the particle hopping between vertices of the
mesh if the goal UV values are animated through unmapped
space.

Specify an offset to goal positions

If you add the predefined goalOffset attribute to the trailing particle
object’s shape node, you can set an offset to the world space position of
the goal object. For example, if you have particles moving towards a goal

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that consists of a curve’s CVs, the offset directs the particles to each CV
plus the goalOffset. The goalOffset attribute is a per particle vector
attribute.
See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34 for details on adding attributes.
You can set the value of this attribute with an expression, MEL script, or
other attribute editing technique.

Tip To create an evenly distributed attraction to an object with

symmetrically positioned CVs, use a sphrand( ) function in an
expression to assign random values to goalOffset.

Animate goal behavior

The techniques for animating goal behavior follow:
• You can animate a goal’s influence off and on with a key, expression,
or other animation technique.
• You can set keys to animate the value of the per object goal weight.
• You can tune the effect of goal weight animation as the goal weight
increases or decreases over time.

To key a goal’s influence off (or on)

1 Select the trailing particle object.
2 Display the Attribute Editor and open the Goal Weights and Objects
section.
If the trailing particle object has multiple goal objects, there is one
Goal Active entry for each. Each is listed under the goal weight slider
named after the goal object.
3 Turn Goal Active off.
4 Key the attribute (see Animation).

To animate the value of per object goal weight

1 Set the value of the goal weight as described on page 108.
2 Key the attribute.
You cannot set keys for per particle goal weights.

To tune goal weight animation

1 Select the trailing particle object.
2 Display the Attribute Editor and open the Goal Weights and Objects
section.

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3 Set the Goal Smoothness to a value of 1 or greater, as follows:

With a Goal Smoothness of 1, the goal weight effect increases
proportionally as goal weight rises in small increments from 0 to 1.
For higher values of Goal Smoothness, the goal weight effect increases
slowly as values rise above 0, and quickly as the values approach 1.
Objects have a default Goal Smoothness of 3.

Effective
goal weight

0 Goal Weight 1
attribute value

The three curves contrast the

effective goal weights resulting
from Goal Smoothness values
of 1, 3, and 10 (from left to
right).

Create particle collisions

Make particles collide with a surface

You can make particle objects collide rather than pass through polygonal
or NURBS surfaces. Either or both objects can be moving at the moment of
collision. Particles cannot collide with other particles.
Note that in the context of this chapter, soft bodies are considered particle
objects. To make a pair of surfaces collide, see Chapter 4, “Soft and Rigid
Bodies.”

To make particles collide with geometry

You can make a particle object collide with only one geometry object
at a time. Repeat the following steps if you need to make the particles
collide with multiple objects.
1 Select the particles and Shift-select the geometry in the workspace.
To use a soft body rather than a conventional particle object, you can
select the soft body’s original geometry or its child particle object.
Select Particles > Make Collide.
2 Animate the particles or geometry (or both) to cause a collision.

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To disable a collision effect

1 Select the particle object that collides with the geometry.
2 Select Window > Relationship Editors > Dynamic Relationships to
display the Dynamic Relationships Editor.
3 In the Selection Modes section of the Dynamic Relationships Editor,
turn on Collisions.
The left column highlights the colliding particle object. The right
column highlights the collided geometry object.

This geometry object

collides with the particle
object highlighted in the
left column.

4 In the right column of the Dynamic Relationships Editor, click the

highlighted object.
The item is no longer highlighted, which means it’s disconnected. For
details on using the Dynamic Relationships Editor, see Chapter 8.

Edit particle collision attributes

After you’ve made particles collide with geometry, you can use the
Attribute Editor to set Friction and Resilience attributes to adjust the
bounciness. You can also set an attribute that alters the collision detection
sensitivity.
You can set the bounciness on a per geometry basis or on a per particle
object basis. If you set the bounciness on a per geometry basis, every
particle object that collides with the geometry bounces the same. If you set
the bounciness on a per particle object basis, every particle object that
collides with the geometry bounces differently.
You can also set the bounciness before you make collisions occur by
displaying the options window with Particles > Make Collide > . The
Friction and Resilience attributes in the options window set bounciness on
a per geometry basis.

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Tip You can speed up scene play in a scene that has particles
colliding with complex surfaces. Select the collided surface,
display the Attribute Editor, select the geoConnector tab, and set
Tessellation Factor to a lower number. Be aware that this lessens
collision detection sensitivity.

Set bounciness on a per geometry basis

By default, all particle objects that collide with a geometry object bounce
the same. The following steps show how to set the per geometry
bounciness.

To set the bounciness on a per geometry basis

1 Select the geometry object involved in the collision.
2 Open the Attribute Editor and click the geoConnector tab.
3 Set the attributes.

Set bounciness on a per particle object basis

The following steps show how to make different particle objects bounce
differently off the same geometry.

The two particle objects

bounce differently when
they collide with the same
object.

To set the bounciness on a per particle object basis

1 Select the desired particle object.
2 Display the Attribute Editor and open the Collision Attributes section.
3 Right-click the Resilience or Friction attribute to display a pop-up
menu, then select Break Connection.

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If the particle object collides with two or more geometry objects, you’ll
see independent Resilience and Friction attributes for each geometry
object. The name of the associated geometry object is above the
attributes.
4 Enter a new value for Resilience or Friction. See ”Set bounciness on a
per geometry basis” on page 115 for a description of the attributes.
This doesn’t alter the existing Resilience and Friction of other particle
objects that collide with the geometry.

Avoid unexpected particle penetration of geometry

In repeated or numerous collisions, particles might pass through the
geometry because of insufficient collision detection sensitivity. You can
increase sensitivity to avoid this problem.

To adjust the collision detection sensitivity

1 Select the particle object.
2 In the Attribute Editor’s Collision Attributes section, increase Trace
Depth.
The Trace Depth sets the maximum number of collisions Maya can
detect for the object in each animation time step. For instance, with a
setting of 2, Maya checks twice in a frame. Any more than two
collisions are ignored and the subsequent particles penetrate.
Increasing the setting increases processing.

Tips You can set Trace Depth to 0 to make a particle object pass
through geometry. You can optionally add a traceDepthPP
attribute to a particle shape node to set collision detection
sensitivity on a per particle basis (see ”Work with particle
attributes” on page 33). When added, traceDepthPP appears in
the Per Particle (Array) Attributes section of the Attribute
Editor. The traceDepthPP setting overrides the Trace Depth
setting.

Duplicate collision effects

You can duplicate the objects involved in a collision effect. For example, if
you make particles collide with a surface, you can duplicate the particles,
surface, and collision effect.

To duplicate the collision effect:

1 Select the particle object and geometry involved in the collision.

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2 Select Edit > Duplicate >  to display the Duplicate options window.
3 In the Duplicate options window, turn on Duplicate Input Graph and
click Duplicate.
4 Move the objects to a new location as desired.

Emit, kill, or split particles upon contact

You can make particles emit new particles, die, or split into multiple
particles when they collide with geometry. You can also execute a MEL
script upon collision. The actions that occur after contact are called events.

Initial particle
object before
collision

After collision,
new particles are
emitted.

Collided surface

To create a particle collision event:

1 Select the particle object you want to be affected by the event.
2 Make the particles and geometry collide.
3 Select Particles > Particle Collision Events.
4 In the Objects list of the Particle Collision Events Editor, make sure the
particle object you want to be affected by the event is highlighted.
5 Set the attributes.
6 Click Create Event.
7 If applicable, set attributes of the split or emitted particles to alter their
appearance and behavior.
8 Play the animation and watch the event.

To delete a particle collision event

1 Select Particles > Particle Collision Events.
2 In the Objects list of the Particle Collision Events Editor, select the
particle object the event is applied to.
3 Select the event you want to edit in the Events window.
4 Click Delete Event at the bottom of the window.

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To create and source a MEL procedure for use with an event

1 Create a MEL script that contains a procedure with this format:
global proc myEventProc (string $particleObject,
int $particleId, string $geometryObject)
{
Type MEL statements here;
}

After you complete the following steps, when you play the scene and
a collision occurs, the event executes and passes values to the three
arguments defined in the procedure:
$particleObject—name of the particle object that collides with the
geometry.
$particleId—particle id number of the particle that collides.
$geometryObject—name of the geometry.
Be aware of these issues as you create the procedure:
• You do not need to use the contents of the arguments in your
procedure, but they must exist in the procedure definition.
• Name the MEL script the same as the procedure so that the procedure
is loaded into memory when you source the script.
• Put the MEL script in the maya/scripts (Linux, IRIX) or
/Applications/Maya 6.0/Application Support/scripts
(Mac OS X) directory so the script and its procedure are sourced
automatically each time you start Maya.
2 In the Script Editor, select File > Source Script to source the script that
contains the procedure.
If the procedure creates objects, Maya doesn’t delete them when you
rewind. Note also that you can source a procedure without sourcing
the script that contains it. See MEL for more details on working with
scripts and procedures.

To edit a particle collision event

1 Select Particles > Particle Collision Events.
See the figure on the following page for details on window items that
help you select events for editing.
2 In the Objects list of the Particle Collision Events Editor, select the
particle object that the event is applied to.
3 Select the event you want to edit in the Events window.
4 Edit the option settings in the window.

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If multiple objects
are shown here,
click a particle
object to select it.
All events belonging
to the selected
particle object are
displayed here.

Click here if you

have added or
deleted particle
objects while the
editor is displayed.
This shows that you
are in Edit mode.

Render particles
Before you can preview or render hardware particles, you must set up the
Hardware Render Buffer. For complete information on setting up the
Hardware Render Buffer, see Rendering “Hardware Render Buffer.”
The following procedure describes a typical set up; you may decide to use
a slightly different procedure.

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To prepare to preview or render hardware particles

1 Select Window > Rendering Editors > Hardware Render Buffer.
The Hardware Render Buffer is displayed.
2 From the Cameras menu, select the camera you want to render from.

Tip You can adjust the camera’s view within the Hardware Render
Buffer using the Alt (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Option
(Mac OS X) key and the mouse buttons.

3 Select Render > Attributes.

The Hardware Render Globals Attribute Editor is displayed.
4 Set the following attributes:

Filename The base name for all rendered image files.

Extension The format of the extension(s) added to the base

name for all rendered image files.

Start Frame The first frame to render.

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End Frame The last frame to render.

By Frame The increment between frames that you want to

render.

Image Format The format for saving rendered image files.

5 Do one of the following:

• To use a standard image resolution, click the Select button to the
right of the Resolution attribute and select a preset image
resolution.
• To use a custom image resolution, in the Resolution field type:
<formatName> <width> <height> <deviceAspectRatio>
For example, type:
MyFormat 400 200 2
6 Do one of the following:
• If you plan to composite the hardware rendered image(s), set
Alpha Source to either Hardware Alpha (if your computer has a
hardware alpha buffer) or Luminance.
• If you do not plan to composite the hardware rendered image(s),
set Alpha Source to Off.
7 If you plan to composite the hardware rendered image(s), and will
need depth information during compositing (that is, the distance that
particles are from the camera), turn on Write ZDepth.

Preview hardware particles

After you have set up the Hardware Render Buffer, you may want to
preview particles. The following procedure describes a typical method for
previewing particles; you may decide to use a slightly different procedure.

To preview hardware particles

1 If the Hardware Render Buffer is not already open, select Windows >
Rendering Editors > Hardware Render Buffer to open it.
2 If the Hardware Render Globals Attribute Editor is not already open,
select Render > Attributes to open it.
3 Set Lighting Mode to either Default Light (a directional light), All
Lights (up to eight lights in your scene), or Selected Lights (the lights
in your scene that you’ve selected).

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4 If you want to preview particles and surfaces, set Draw Style

according to how you want surfaces to appear (Points, Wireframe, Flat
Shaded, or Smooth Shaded).
5 If Draw Style is Wireframe, or if you are rendering particles that have
a Particle Render Type of Streak or MultiStreak, turn on Line
Smoothing.
6 Turn off Full Image Resolution.
7 Do one of the following:
• To preview particles only, turn on Geometry Mask.
• To preview particles and surfaces, turn off Geometry Mask.
8 If you want to preview particles and surfaces, and you want surfaces
to be anti-aliased (that is, to have soft edges instead of sharp, jagged
edges), turn on Multi Pass Rendering and Anti Alias Polygons.
9 If you are rendering particles that have a Particle Render Type of
MultiStreak or MultiPoint, and you want the particles to be softened
or blurred, turn on Multi Pass Rendering and set Render Passes (the
higher the value, the more blurry particles will appear).
10 If you want particles to appear motion blurred, increase the Motion
Blur value (the higher the value, the more blurred particles will
appear), and set the Render Passes value to at least the Motion Blur
value minus 1. (For example, if the Motion Blur value is 4, set the
Render Passes value to at least 3.)

Important!To render particles with Motion Blur, you must either turn
on the particle’s Cache Data attribute or select Solvers > Create
Particle Disk Cache. Otherwise, the particle may behave
erratically when rendered.

11 If you want icons to appear in the preview, turn on the desired

Display Options.
12 If you want to have a colored background, set the Background Color.
13 Close the Hardware Render Globals Attribute Editor.
14 In the Hardware Render Buffer, select a reduced resolution from the
Render > Scale Buffer sub-menu.
15 To preview a single frame, select Render > Test Render.
• To preview an animation, select Render > Render Sequence.
The Hardware Render Buffer displays each frame as it is rendered.

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ImportantDo not move the Hardware Render Buffer or drag another

window over it during rendering. Disable any screen saver
software before you start rendering. (Maya saves hardware
rendered images by taking a screen shot of the Hardware Render
Buffer.)

• To cancel rendering, press Esc.

• To display the view of your scene after rendering is completed, click
inside the Hardware Render Buffer.
• To view a rendered animation, see ”View rendered hardware
particles” on page 124.

Render hardware particles at final production

quality
After you have set up the Hardware Render Buffer, and perhaps
previewed particles, you can render hardware particles at final production
quality. The following procedure describes a typical method for rendering
hardware particles; you may decide to use a slightly different procedure.

To render hardware particles

1 If the Hardware Render Buffer is not already open, select Window >
Rendering Editors > Hardware Render Buffer to open it.
2 If the Hardware Render Globals Attribute Editor is not already open,
select Render > Attributes to open it.
3 Set Lighting Mode to either Default Light (a directional light), All
Lights (up to eight lights in your scene), or Selected Lights (the lights
in your scene that you’ve selected).
4 If you are rendering particles that have a Particle Render Type of
Streak or MultiStreak, turn on Line Smoothing.
5 Turn on Full Image Resolution.
6 Turn on Geometry Mask.
7 If you are rendering particles that have a Particle Render Type of
MultiStreak or MultiPoint, and you want the particles to be softened
or blurred, turn on Multi Pass Rendering and set the Render Passes
value (the higher the value, the more blurred particles will appear).

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8 If you want particles to appear motion blurred, increase the Motion

Blur value (the higher the value, the more blurred particles will
appear), and set the Render Passes value to at least the Motion Blur
value minus 1. (For example, if the Motion Blur value is 4, set the
Render Passes value to at least 3.)

Important!To render particles with Motion Blur, you must either turn on
the particle’s Cache Data attribute or select Solvers > Create
Particle Disk Cache. Otherwise, the particle may behave
erratically when rendered.

9 Make sure all of the Display Options are off, and that the Background
Color is black.
10 Close the Hardware Render Globals Attribute Editor.
11 In the Hardware Render Buffer, select Render > Scale Buffer > 100%.
12 Select Render > Render Sequence.
The Hardware Render Buffer displays each frame as it is rendered.

ImportantDo not move the Hardware Render Buffer or drag another

window over it during rendering. Disable any screen saver
software before you start rendering. (Maya saves hardware
rendered images by taking a screen shot of the Hardware Render
Buffer.)

• To cancel rendering, press Esc.

• To display the view of your scene after rendering is completed, click
inside the Hardware Render Buffer.
• To view a rendered animation, see “View rendered hardware
particles” below.

View rendered hardware particles

After you have rendered hardware particles, you can view them either
from within Maya or from a Terminal, UNIX shell or a DOS window.

To view hardware rendered particles from within Maya

1 In the Hardware Render Buffer, select the sequence of images you
want to view from the Flipbooks menu.
The hardware rendered particles are displayed in an Fcheck display
window. See the online documentation for Fcheck.

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The play repeats continuously unless you specify otherwise with an

fcheck option. You can specify Fcheck options.
2 To close the Fcheck display window, press Esc (Windows, Linux, and
IRIX) or Command+q (Mac OS X).

Notes Inadequate memory or processing speed might cause play to be

choppy or slower than you anticipate for final production. If this
happens, scale down the hardware render buffer size before
rendering. Smaller images require less memory and give more
accurate speed.
You can play more than one sequence at time, up to the
limitations of your workstation’s memory.

To set fcheck options

1 Select Flipbooks > Options > Flipbook Flags. The Flipbook Options
window displays.
2 In the Options window, enter fcheck command options.
See the online documentation for “fcheck” in the Rendering Utilities
online documentation for more information on fcheck options.

Note Do not set options for the frame rate (-r) or for the frame range
and increment (-n). The existing Maya settings controls these
options.

Tip To improve fcheck play speed with large images, use options -s4
and -m4 to shrink and magnify the images. This decreases
memory usage and image quality, but displays the same image
size.

To view hardware rendered particles from a UNIX shell or

DOS window
1 Do one of the following:
• From a UNIX shell or DOS window, type:
fcheck <image>
• Select Start > Programs > Alias > Maya 6.0 > Fcheck.
For example, type:
fcheck fire

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The hardware rendered particles are displayed in an fcheck display

window. See “fcheck” in the Rendering Utilities online documentation.
2 To close the fcheck display window, press Esc.

To view hardware rendered particles from a Mac OS X fcheck

window
1 Click the Applications icon from the Finder window, open the Maya
folder, then double-click the FCheck icon.
The hardware rendered particles are displayed in an fcheck display
window. See “fcheck” in the Rendering Utilities online documentation.

2 To close the fcheck display window, press Command+q.

Apply shadow casting to particles

Maya supports shadow casting for hardware-rendered particle types
Point, MultiPoint, and Sphere. The particles will also cast shadows on
themselves (self-shadow). Due to the limited resolution of the depth map,
particles may cast rough or pixelated shadows.

Software rendered particles

If your scene contains only software particles—Blobby Surface, Cloud, or
Tube, you must software render your scene. See Rendering, “Rendering a
frame”and “Rendering an animation.”
If you are using Cloud render type, see ”Create raytraced shadows with
particles” on page 126.
To raytrace particle shadows, see ”Create raytraced shadows with
particles” on page 126.
To control shader attributes on a per-particle basis, or use the rgbPP and
opacityPP attributes in software rendering, see ”Particle Sampler Info
node” on page 25.

Important!To render particles in software with Motion Blur, you must

either turn on the particle’s Cache Data attribute or select
Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache. Otherwise, the particle
may behave erratically when rendered.

Create raytraced shadows with particles

You can render raytraced shadows with software-render type particles.

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How do I? > Create raytraced shadows with particles

To create raytraced shadows with particles

1 Create your particles and set the Render Type Cloud, Blobby, or Tube.
2 Add a directional, point, spot, or area light to the scene.
3 Display the Attribute Editor for the light and display the Shadows
Attributes.
4 Turn on Use Ray Trace Shadows (under Raytrace Shadow Attributes).
5 In the Render Globals window, display the Raytracing Quality
attributes and turn on Raytracing.
6 Do one of the following:
• If you want particles raytraced in a mirror, display the particle
Attribute Editor and turn on Visible in Reflections (under Render
Stats).
• If you want particles refracted in glass, turn on Visible in
Refractions (under Render Stats).

Note Make sure Casts Shadows is turned on (under Render Stats). It is

on by default.

Tip If you get strange looking or missing shadows when rendering

cloud or tube particles with raytraced shadows, it may be that
the Ray Depth Limit is too low. Increase the Ray Depth Limit for
the light that is using the raytraced shadows by an increment of
1 per software-rendered particle shape.

Create a Particle Sampler Info node

This is the general procedure for creating a Particle Sampler Info node.
These are general steps—we’ve included examples of specific tasks in
”Examples of using the Particle Sampler Info node” on page 128.

To create a Particle Sampler Info node

1 Create your particles and set the Render Type Cloud, Blobby, or Tube.
2 Determine which particle attribute you want to use to drive a shader
attribute.
3 Add that attribute to the particle shape, if necessary.

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4 Select the particles and display the Attribute Editor. Click the
Attribute Editor tab for the shader, and find the shader attribute you
want to drive with the particle attribute.

5 Click the (map) button next to that attribute to display the Create
Render Node window.
6 In the Create Render Node window, select the Utilities tab. Under
Particle Utilities, click the Particle Sampler Info button.
This displays the Connection Editor with the Particle Sampler Info
node on the From side and the shader on the To side.
In the case of color, transparency, and incandescence, the Connection
Editor is not displayed when you click the Particle Sampler Info
button. Instead, Maya creates the new Particle Sampler Info node for
you, and automatically makes the following default connections:
• outColor -> color
• outTransparency -> transparency
• outIncandescence -> incandescence
7 Using the Connection editor, connect Particle Sampler Info node
attributes to shader node attributes however you wish.
The connection between the particle shape and the Particle Sampler
Info node is implicit— you don’t actually make it. The only
connection you make is between the Particle Sampler Info node and
the shader.

Examples of using the Particle Sampler Info node

To help you use the Particle Sampler Info node: we’ve included the
following examples to help you learn how to use the Particle Sampler Info
Node to achieve some commonly used effects. Refer to ”Set Particle
Sampler Info node attributes” on page 137 for complete information on
Particle Sampler Info node attributes.
• ”Example: Using the particles’ age to color particles” on page 129
• ”Example: Using the Particle Sampler Info node with rgbPP” on
page 131
• ”Example: Creating fading particle” on page 133
• ”Example: Creating smoke” on page 135

Use the Particle Sampler Info node to drive a texture

placement node
Here is an example of the first strategy—using the Particle Sampler Info
node to drive a texture placement node, which textures the shader color.
In this example, we’ll use the particles’ age to color the particles.

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Example: Using the particles’ age to color particles

1 Make a cone emitter emitting upwards with a speed of 8, set the
particles’ Lifespan Mode to Constant with a Lifespan of 2, and set
their Render Type to cloud.
To do this, you can copy the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:
emitter -pos 0 0 0 -type volume -r 100 -vsh cone -
alx 8;
particle;
connectDynamic -em emitter1 particle1;
setAttr particleShape1.lifespanMode 1;
setAttr particleShape1.lifespan 2.0;
setAttr particleShape1.particleRenderType 8;
2 Select the particle shape and display the Attribute Editor.

3 Select the particleCloud tab, and press the button next to Life
Incandescence to display the Create Render Node window.

Tip Incandescence is the same as color but is self illuminating so you

don’t need to add a light.

4 Click the Ramp button.

This creates a new ramp, a texture placement node, and a Particle
Sampler Info node. Life Color isn’t actually an attribute at all—it’s just
a control in the Attribute Editor that tells Maya to set up these
connections to color for you.
5 Play the scene back and render.
You’ll see the particle color textured by the ramp as the particles age.

Now we’ll change some of the controls in the Particle Sampler Info
node.

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6 Select the particle shape and display the Attribute Editor. Click the
particleSamplerInfo1 tab.
7 Turn on Inverse Out Uv and re-render.

The colors are reversed—instead of the particles changing from red to

green to blue, they change from blue to green to red.
Now we’ll change a control on the texture node.
8 In the particle shape Attribute Editor, click the particleCloud tab.

9 Click the Input Connection button next to Life

Incandescence.
10 Click place2DTexture1.
11 Set Noise UV to 1.0 and 1.0 and re-render.

Noise is applied to the placement of the ramp creating randomness in

the red, green, and blue particles.
12 Change Noise UV back to 0.0 and 0.0.
13 Click Load Attributes and display the particle shape Attribute Editor.
14 Change Lifespan Mode to Live forever.
15 Select the tab for the Particle Sampler Info node.

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16 Change the Out Uv Type to Absolute Age and set a normalization

value of 1.
17 Rewind, play about 100 frames, and render.
Notice that the particles cycle through the ramp more than once as
they age.

Use the Particle Sampler Info node with per-particle

attributes
Here is an example of the second general strategy—driving shader color
directly with rgbPP. Use this strategy when you want to use expressions
or ramps driven by something other than age.

Example: Using the Particle Sampler Info node with rgbPP

1 Make a cone emitter emitting upwards with a speed of 8, set the
particles’ Lifespan Mode to Constant with a Lifespan of 2, and set
their Render Type to cloud.
To do this, you can copy the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:
emitter -pos 0 0 0 -type volume -r 100 -vsh cone -
alx 8;
particle;
connectDynamic -em emitter1 particle1;
setAttr particleShape1.lifespanMode 1;
setAttr particleShape1.lifespan 2.0;
setAttr particleShape1.particleRenderType 8;
2 Select the particle shape and select Fields > Gravity.
3 With the particle shape selected, display the Attribute Editor.
4 Under Add Dynamic Attributes, click Color.

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The Particle Color window is displayed.

5 Click Add Per Particle Attribute and click Add Attribute.
6 In the Attribute Editor, click the particleCloud1 tab.

7 Next to the Color attribute, press the map button to display the
Create Render Node window.
8 Click the Utilities tab, and under Particle Utilities, click the Particle
Sampler Info button.
This automatically creates a new Particle Sampler Info node and
connects its color output to the color attribute. (If you had already
created a Particle Sampler Info node, you could use that and connect it
directly, in the connection editor.)
9 Select the particle shape tab in the Attribute Editor. Under Per Particle
(Array) Attributes, right click on rgbPP and select Runtime Expression
(before or after dynamics calculation).
10 In the Expression Editor, enter the following expression:
particleShape1.rgbPP = <<
mag(particleShape1.velocity) /
10, 0.0, 1 -mag(particleShape1.velocity)/10 >>;
This tells Maya to change the particle color from blue to red as the
velocity increases.

Tip We used an expression in this example to achieve a specific

effect. However, you don’t have to use expressions with the
Particle Sampler Info node. You can also use a ramp, which will
give you a different effect.

11 Add a light to the scene. We recommend a directional light.

12 Play about 75 frames and render.

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Notice that the Particle Sampler Info node outIncandescence output

automatically uses rgbPP if that attribute is present. If there is no
rgbPP, it uses colorRed/colorGreen/colorBlue, if they are present.
The advantage of using rgbPP is that you can set or animate its value
in any of the ways available for per-particle attributes, and see the
results in software. You will also then be using the same color
attribute in both hardware and software rendering.
However, rgbPP can be animated only with expressions and ramps
(or the component editor). The advantage of using Life Color is that
you get a texture placement node and can make use of its additional
controls. In particular, you can use any texture, not just a ramp, since
you get both u and v control. You can connect any compatible Particle
Sampler Info node attribute you want.

Set transparency with the Particle Sampler Info node

As with color, Life Transparency is still available. It uses the outUvCoord
attribute of a Particle Sampler Info node in conjunction with a texture
placement node, instead of a particle transparency mapper and age
mapper.
As with color, you can use per-particle attributes such as opacityPP
directly. You use the outTransparency attribute of the Particle Sampler
Info node.

Example: Creating fading particle

1 Make a volume emitter with the shape of a flat cylindrical disk, with
Speed Away From Axis equal to 1 and other speeds zero.
To do this, you can copy the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:

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emitter -pos 0 0 0 -type volume -r 100 -sro 0 -spd

1 -vsh cylinder -afx 1;
scale -r 5 0.5 5 ;
particle;
connectDynamic -em emitter1 particle1;
2 Reduce emission rate to 50.
3 Set the particle’s render type to cloud. Click Add Attributes for
Current Render Type and set the Radius to 1.5.
4 In the Attribute Editor, under Add Dynamic Attributes, click Opacity.
Turn on Add Per Particle Attribute and click Add Attribute.
5 Under Per Particle Attributes, right click on opacityPP and select
Runtime Expression (before or after dynamics calculation).
6 In the Expression Editor, enter the following expression and click
Create:
opacityPP = 1 / (0.01 + mag( position ));

(We added 0.01 in the denominator to avoid dividing by zero when

particle is at the origin.)

7 Select the particleCloud shader tab and click the map button for
Transparency (not Life Transparency).
8 In the Create Render Node window, click the Utilities tab and click the
Particle Sampler Info button (under Particle Utilities).
This create a new Particle Sampler Info node and connects its
outTransparency to the shader transparency. As with color and
incandescence, the outTransparency output automatically uses
opacityPP, if that attribute is present, otherwise it uses opacity.
Opacity and transparency have an inverse relationship: the more
opaque something is, the less transparent it is. If you connect the
outTransparency output of the Particle Sampler Info node, then the
node automatically converts opacity to transparency so that you get
the right result.
9 Add a light, play the scene about 50 frames, and render. A camera
view from the top, looking down the y-axis, is best. The particles will
appear more transparent the further they are from the origin.

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Control noise on a per-particle basis

You can connect any per-particle attribute to the attribute in the shader
that you want to control. You can then put an expression on the per-
particle attribute to control it exactly the way you want.

Example: Creating smoke

1 Make a simple curve emitter emitting particles vertically upward.
To do this, you can copy the following Mel commands from the online
help and paste them into the Script Editor:
curve -d 3 -p -6.861087 0 7.36723 -p -2.43128 0
2.685247 -p 2.685247 0 -2.43128
-p 6.968851 0 -6.714884 -k 0 -k 0 -k 0 -k 1 -k 1 -k
1 ;
emitter -type curve -r 100 -sro 0 -nuv 0 -cye none
-cyi 5 -spd 6 -srn 0 -nsp 0
-tsp 0 -mxd 0 -mnd 0 -dx 0 -dy 1 -dz 0 -sp 0 ;
particle;
connectDynamic -em emitter1 particle1;
2 Set the particles’ lifespan mode to random range. Set lifespan to 2 and
lifespanRandom to 2.
3 Set the particle rendering type to cloud. Click Add Attributes for
Current Render Type, and set Radius to 1.5.
4 Select the particleCloud tab, and set the color to a light gray color, or
any other color you like.
Now we’ll use any per-particle attribute you aren’t using. For
example, we have no need of parentU and parentV here, so we’ll use
that.

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Note For simplicity, we used parentU and parentV in this example

because they are easily added and weren’t being used. However,
you can use any dynamic attribute—even those you define
yourself.

5 Select Attributes > Add Attributes. Click the Particle tab in the Add
attribute window.
6 Select parentU and click Add. Select parentV and click Add. Click OK.
7 Right-click on either parentU or parentV, select Runtime Expression
(before or after dynamics calculation) , and add the following
expression:
parentU = 0.7 + 2*(age/finalLifespanPP);
parentV = age /(1.5*finalLifespanPP);
We want the particles to get less dense and more noisy as they age,
the way smoke would.

Tip We used an expression in this example to achieve a specific

effect. However, you don’t have to use expressions with the
Particle Sampler Info node. You can also use a ramp, which will
give you a different effect.

8 In the particleCloud Attribute Editor, click the map button next

to noise.
9 The Create Render Node window, click the Utilities tab and click the
Particle Sampler Info button (under Particle Utilities).
The Connection Editor is displayed.
10 Connect the Particle SamplerInfo node’s parentU to Noise, and
connect parentV to Density.
11 Add a light. Play the scene to about frame 60 and render.

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How do I? > Set Particle Sampler Info node attributes

Set Particle Sampler Info node attributes

The Particle Sampler Info node attributes provide all the functionality of
the old particle color mapper, transparency mapper, incandescence
mapper, and age mapper.

To set the Particle Sampler Info node attributes

1 Select the particle shape and display the Attribute Editor. Click the
particleSamplerInfo tab.
The particle shape Attribute Editor includes a tab for each Particle
Sampler Info node associated with that shape. The two sections in the
Attribute Editor: Common Read-Only attributes and More read-Only
attributes list the attributes that the node knows about by default. You
can also use your own user-defined attributes.
2 You can set the attributes.

Re-use a Particle Sampler Info node

In most cases, you need to make a new Particle Sampler Info node only
the first time you want to map attributes for a particular shading node. If
you decide later that you want to map another attribute, you can re-use
the existing Particle Sampler Info node.
By reusing the Particle Sampler Info node, you can reduce clutter.
However, if you want different attribute settings for different purposes.
you can use more than one Particle Sampler Info node.

To re-use a Particle Sampler Info node

1 Select Window > Rendering Editors > Hypershade.
2 Locate the Particle Sampler Info node on the left side of the
Hypershade window.
3 Middle-mouse-drag it on top of the shading node.
The Connection Editor is displayed.

Tip If you are not sure which Particle Sampler Info node goes with
which shader, put the shader in the workspace and use Graph |
Up and Downstream Connections to display the associated
utility nodes.

Add user-defined attributes

To use any of these attributes, you must add an attribute of the identical
name and type to the particle shape.

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How do I? > Set Particle Sampler Info node attributes

You cannot add attributes of arbitrary names and use them with the
Particle Sampler Info node. However, you can assign the value of any of
your attributes to the one that the particle sampler info node recognizes,
using an expression.

To add a user-defined attribute

1 Create an emitter.
2 Display the Attribute Editor and select Attributes > Add Attributes.
3 Click the Particle tab in Add Attribute window.
4 Scroll down the list and select a userScalar#PP or userVector#PP
attribute. Click Add.

Example 1
Suppose you want to make the particles more noisy the further they are
from the origin. To do this you would animate the noise parameter of the
shader as a function of the magnitude of the particle’s position vector.
1 Create an emitter.
2 Select the particle shape and set the Render Type to Cloud.
3 Display the Attribute Editor and select Attributes > Add Attributes.
4 Click the Particle tab in Add Attribute window.
5 Add the userScalar1PP attribute to the particle shape.
6 Assign it a value with this runtime expression (before or after
dynamics calculation):
userScalar1PP = mag(position);

Tip Although this example uses an expression to achieve its effect.

you can use a ramp to animate userScalar1PP.

7 Select the particleCloud1 tab in the particle Attribute Editor.

8 Click the (map) button next to the Noise attribute.

9 In the Create Render Node window, select the Utilities tab. Under
Particle Utilities, click the Particle Sampler Info button.
10 In the left column of the Connection Editor, select UserScalar1 PP and
in the right column, select Noise. Click Close.
This connects the Particle Sampler Info node’s User Scalar1 PP output
to the shader’s Noise input.

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How do I? > Set Particle Sampler Info node attributes

The Particle Sampler Info node will fetch the value of userScalar1PP
and pass it to noise. In this example, we assigned userScalar1PP a
value using an expression, but we could have used a ramp to assign it
a value.
11 Add a light, play the scene. Select Window > Rendering Editors >
Render View and test render.

Example 2
Suppose you already had an attribute called myNoise, which you had
already written an expression on or connected to a ramp, and you wanted
to pass this value to the Particle Sampler Info node. Then you would do
this:
1 Add the userScalar1PP attribute to your particle shape.
2 Add this as the last line of your expression:
userScalar1PP = myNoise;
3 Select the particleCloud1 tab in the particle Attribute Editor.

4 Click the (map) button next to the Noise attribute.

5 In the Create Render Node window, select the Utilities tab. Under
Particle Utilities, click the Particle Sampler button.
6 In the left column of the Connection Editor, select UserScalar1 PP and
in the right column, select Noise. Click Close.
Now the Particle Sampler Info node fetches userScalar1 PP, which
gets the value of myNoise, as desired. Do this with expressions and do
not try to simply connect myNoise to userDefined1PP.

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Reference > Particle Collision Event Editor

Reference Windows and Editors

Particle Collision Event Editor

Particle Collision Event Editor

Lets you create and edit particle collision events.

Related Topics
• ”To edit a particle collision event” on page 118
To show the Particle Collision Event Editor, select Particles > Particle
Collision Events.

Particles > Particle Collision Events

Objects and Events
Click a particle object in the Objects list to select it. All events belonging to
the selected particle object are displayed in the Events window.
Update Object List
Updates the list of objects if you have added or deleted particle objects
while the editor is displayed.
Selected Object
Displays the selected object.
Selected Event
Displays the selected event.
Set Event Name
Edit or create an event name.
CREATING/EDITING EVENT
Label changes to indicate if you are creating or editing an event.
New Event
Click this button to create a new event.
All Collisions
Check this box to have the event occur on all collisions.
Collision Number
Adjust this value to have the event occur on a specific collision
number.

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Event Type
Emit
Check this box to set the particle event type to Emit.
Split
Check this box to set the particle event type to Split
Random # Particles
Check this box to instruct the event to use a random number of
particles.
Num Particles
Adjust this value to affec the number of particles involved in the
event.
Spread
Adjust this value to affect the spread of the particles involved in the
event.
Target Particle
Input a particle into this field to be used as a target for the event.
Inherit Velocity
Adjust this value to affect the percentage of velocity that particles
inherit during the event.

Event Actions
Original Particle Dies
Check this box if you want the original particle to die during the
event.
Event Procedure
The Event Procedure is a MEL script procedure that will be executed
whenever any particle in the particle object that owns the event
collides with an object. The procedure must have the following format
and argument list:
global proc myEventProc(string $particleName, int
$particleID, string $objectName)
where $particleName is the name of the particle object that owns the
event, $particleID is the ID number of the particle in that object that
has collided, and $objectName is the name of the object against
which the particle collided.

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Reference > Sprite Wizard

Create Event
Creates the event
Delete Event
Deletes the event.
Close
Closes the Particle Collision Event Editor.

Sprite Wizard

Sprite Wizard
The particle SpriteWizard simplifies the process for displaying a texture
image or image sequences on particles. The particle Sprite Wizard leads
you throughthe steps necessary to associate image files with sprites. You
can assign a single image or a sequence of images to each particle. The
images can be assigned randomly, or using various criteria such as the
particleID or a ramp. You can also edit the sprites once you’ve created
them with the Sprite Wizard.
The Sprite Wizard automatically:
• assigns a Lambert material to the particle object
• adds a creation expression and runtime expression that enables all the
wizard options
• connects a ramp to the spriteNumRamp attribute
• sets the particle render type to Sprites and adds the attributes for
sprites
• assigns the images you specify to the sprites
For more information, see ”To use the Sprite Wizard” on page 41

Menus
Dynamics menu set
Particles >

Particles > Particle Tool

This chooses the particle tool.

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Reference > Particles > Particle Tool

Particles > Particle Tool > 

These are the descriptions of the items in the Particle Tool options
window.
Particle Name
The name helps you identify the object in the Outliner. If you don’t
enter a name, the particle object receives a default name such as
particle1.
Conserve
Influences the motion of particles whose velocity and acceleration
attributes are controlled by dynamic effects. See ”Conserve” on
page 183.
Number of Particles
Enter the number of particles you want to create per mouse click
Maximum Radius
If you choose a number greater than 1 for Number of Particles, you
can distribute particles randomly in a spherical region where you
click. To choose a spherical region, set Maximum Radius to a value
greater than 0.
Sketch Particles
When this option is selected, drag the mouse to sketch a continuous
stream of particles.
Sketch Interval
This sets the pixel spacing between particles. A value of 0 gives you
nearly a solid line of pixels. The higher the value, the more space
between the pixels.
Create Particle Grid
Creates a particle grid.
Particle Spacing
Only active when creating a particle grid. Sets the spacing (in units)
between particles in the grid.
Placement
Choose with cursor, to set the volume with your cursor, or with text
fields, to set the grid co-ordinates manually.
Minimum Corner
The x, y, z co-ordinates of the lower left corner of the 3D particle grid.

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Maximum Corner
The x, y, z co-ordinates of the upper right corner of the 3D particle
grid.

Particles > Create Emitter

This creates an emitter.

Particles > Create Emitter > 

This sets the options when you create an emitter.

Basic Emitter Attributes

Emitter type
Select one of these choices from the pop-up menu:
Omni Sets the emitter type to an omnidirectional point
emitter. Particles emit in all directions.
Directional Sets the emitter type to a directional point emitter.
Particles emit in the direction you specify with the
Direction X, Y, and Z attributes.
Surface Emits particles from randomly distributed positions
on or near a NURBS or polygonal surface.
Curve Emits particles from randomly distributed positions
on or near a curve.
Volume Emits particles from a closed volume. You pick the
shape from the Volume Shape pulldown.
Rate
Sets the average rate at which particles are emitted per second. The
rate is absolute, unless you turn on “Scale Rate by Object Size”, see
below.
Note that emission occurs only if your animation plays two or more
consecutive frames with the emitter rate set to a positive value.
If you want to see how many particles have been emitted, select the
emitted particle object and examine the Count in the General Control
section of the Attribute Editor.
Scale Rate by Object Size
Only available when the current Emitter Type is Surface, Curve, or
Volume.

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If you turn on this attribute, the size of the object emitting the particles
affects the rate of particles emitted per frame. The larger the object, the
greater the rate of emission. The attribute is off by default.
For surface emission, the rate is particles per centimeter of area per
second. For example, a 2 cm by 2 cm plane has an area of 4 square cm.
If the emission rate is 3, the plane emits roughly 12 particles each
second. If you use inches or other units, Maya converts the units to
centimeters to make the rate calculation.
For curve emission, the rate is particles per cm length per time unit.
For example, a 4 cm curve with a rate of 3 emits roughly 12 particles
per second.
If this attribute is turned off (the default), the emission rate is
absolute, instead of relative to object size, which is how previous
versions of Maya behave.
Use Per-Point Rates(Rate PP)
See ”Vary emission from different points of point emitters” on
page 97.
Need Parent UV
(NURBS Surface emitters only.) If you turn this on in the Emitter
Options window (before you create the emitter), Maya adds parentU
and parentV attributes to the particle shape and sets the
needparentUV attribute to on. You can use parent UVs to drive the
value of some other parameter such as color or opacity.
If you turn this on in the Attribute Editor or Channel Box (after you
create the emitter). Maya sets the needParentUV attribute to on, it
does not add the attributes.
Cycle Emission
Cycle Emission lets you restart the random number sequence of the
emission. You can use it to create simple cycles for games work.
If you set it to Frame, the sequence is restarted after the number of
frames you specify in Cycle Interval.
If you set it to None, the random number generator is not restarted.
Cycle Interval
Defines the interval in frames for restarting the random number
sequence when using Cycle Emission. Only available when Frame in
selected in the Cycle Emission drop-down menu.

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Distance/Direction Attributes
Min Distance
Sets the minimum distance from the emitter at which emission occurs.
You can enter a value of 0 or greater.
Particles are emitted randomly and uniformly between the Min
Distance and Max Distance.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the emitter at which emission occurs.
You can enter a value of 0 or greater, but it must be greater than Min
Distance.
Direction X, Y, Z
Sets the emission direction relative to the emitter’s position and
orientation. Available only for directional, curve, and volume
emitters.

Note With point emitters, the emitter’s position and orientation are set
by its Translate and Rotate attributes—Scale and Shear have no
effect.
The original speed of particles emitted by a Directional emitter is
equal to the Speed attribute of the emitter, which, by default, is 1
unit (cm) per second. The Direction X, Y and Z attributes do not
affect the speed.
The original speed of particles emitted by an Omni emitter is 1
unit per second in whatever direction the particles are emitted,
unless it’s been modified by the “Speed Random” attribute.

Spread
Sets the emission spread angle. This angle defines a conical region
where the particles are emitted randomly. You can enter any value
between 0 and 1. A value of 0.5 is 90 degrees, a value of 1 is 180
degrees. Available for only Directional and Curve emitters.

spread angle
Particles are
randomly
distributed
within the
conical area.

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Basic Emission Speed Attributes

Speed
Sets a speed multiplier for the original emission speed of the emitted
particles. You can enter a value of 0 or more. A value of 1 leaves the
speed as is. A value of 0.5 reduces the speed by half. A value of 2
doubles the speed.
Speed doesn’t affect velocity resulting from expressions, fields, or
other dynamics.
Speed Random
The Speed Random attribute lets you add randomness to your
emission speeds without using expressions. If you set Speed Random
to a positive value, the emitter generates random speeds for each
particle. The Speed value is the mean speed; Speed Random defines
the range of the speed variation.
Each particle’s speed is a random value between:
Speed - Speed Random/2
Speed + Speed Random/2
Tangent Speed
Sets the magnitude of the tangent component of emission speed for
surface and curve emission (see the following figures). The default
value is 0. You can enter a value of 0 or greater. Valid for surface and
curve emitters only.
D
ire

Normal Speed
ct
io
n

Surface

The speed and direction of surface

emission is a result of Normal and
Tangent Speed vectors (in addition
Tangent Speed to a randomness factor).

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Normal Speed 2 Normal Speed 0

Tangent Speed 0 Tangent Speed 2

Normal Speed
Sets the magnitude of the normal component of emission speed for
surface and curve emission (see the following figures). The default
value is 1. You can enter a value of 0 or greater. Valid for surface and
curve emitters only.

Volume Emitter Attributes

In the Attribute Editor and the Create Emitter option window, attributes
not applicable to a volume emitter are dimmed. However, the Channel
Box does not support dimming. We recommend you use the Attribute
Editor instead of the Channel Box to edit volume field attributes until you
become familiar with the attributes that apply to each volume shape.
Volume Shape
Specifies the shape of the volume that the particles are emitted into.
Choose Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Cone, or Torus.
Volume Offset
Offsets the emitting volume from the location of the emitter. If you
rotate the emitter, you also rotate the offset direction because it
operates in local space.
Volume Sweep
Defines the extent of rotation for all volumes except cubes. This can be
a value between 0 and 360 degrees.

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Volume Sweep Volume Sweep

of 180o of 360o
Section Radius
(Torus only) Defines the thickness of the solid portion of the torus,
relative to the radius of the torus’s central ring. The radius of the
central ring is determined by the emitter’s scale. If you scale the
emitter, the Section Radius will maintain its proportion relative to the
central ring.

Section Radius

Die on Emission Volume Exit

If you turn this attribute on, the emitted particles die when they exit
the volume. Although this is a particle shape attribute, you can
initially set it using the Emitter options window.
If you want to edit this attribute after you create the emitter, display
the particle shape attributes in the Attribute Editor Volume Exit
(under Emission Attributes).

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Volume Speed Attributes

The Volume Speed Attributes apply only to the initial velocity of the
particles. To affect particles as they move through the volume, use the
Volume Axis field (see ”Volume Axis field” on page 223).
Away From Center
Specifies the speed at which particles move away from the center
point of cube or sphere volumes.
Away From Axis
Specifies the speed at which particles move away from the central axis
of cylinder, cone, or torus volumes.
Along Axis
Specifies the speed at which particles move along the central axis of
all volumes. The central axis is defined as positive-Y for cube and
sphere volumes.
Around Axis
Specifies the speed at which particles move around the central axis of
all volumes.
Random Direction
Adds irregularity to the direction and initial speed of the particle’s
Volume Speed attributes, somewhat like Spread does for other emitter
types.
Directional Speed
Adds speed in the direction specified by the Direction XYZ attributes
of all volume emitters.
Scale Speed by Size
If you turn this attribute on, when you increase the size of the volume,
the speed of the particles increases.
Display Speed
Turns on the display of arrows indicating speed.

Texture Emission Attributes

See ”Use a texture to color emission or scale the rate” on page 100.

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Tips You can cause emitted particles to inherit the velocity of a

moving emitter. Select the emitted particles and display the
Attribute Editor. Set Inherit Factor greater than 0 to have the
emitted particles inherit a decimal fraction of the emitter’s
velocity. For example, 0.5 makes the emitted particles inherit
half the emitter’s velocity.

Particles > Emit from Object

This makes an object into an emitter.

Particles > Emit from Object > 

This sets the options when you make an object into an emitter. These
options are the same as the Create Emitter options. For more information,
ee ”Particles > Particle Tool” on page 142.

Particles > Use Selected Emitter

This connects a particle object to a selected emitter. For more information,
see ”To connect a particle object to an emitter” on page 97.

Particles > Per-Point Emission Rates

This creates an attribute named emitterRatePP for the particle object that
emits. This attribute lets youvary emission rates on a per particle basis.
For more information, see ”To vary emission from particles” on page 98

Particles > Make Collide

Makes particles collide with geometry.

Particles > Make Collide > 

Here are the options you can set in the Collisions Options dialog box.
Resilience
Sets how much rebound occurs. A value of 0 makes particles collide
with no bounce. A value of 1 causes particles to rebound fully. A
value between 0 and -1 makes the particles pass through the surface
with refraction out the back side. Values greater than 1 or less than -1
add speed to the particles.

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Friction
Sets how much the colliding particle’s velocity parallel to the surface
decreases or increases as it bounces off the collision surface.
A value of 0 means that particles are unaffected by friction. A value of
1 makes particles reflect straight off along the normal of the surface. If
Resilience is 0 while Friction is 1, the particles don’t bounce.
Only values between 0 and 1 correspond to natural friction. Values
outside this range exaggerate the response.

Resilience 1 Resilience 1
Friction 0 Friction 1

Resilience 0 Resilience 0
Friction 1 Friction 0

Particles > Particle Collision Events

Opens the Particle Collision Events Editor. See ”Particle Collision Event
Editor” on page 140.

Particles > Goal

Sets a goal for a particle.

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Particles > Goal > 

Here are the options you can set in the Goal Options dialog box.
Goal Weight
The goal weight sets how much all particles of the trailing object are
attracted to the goal. You can set the goal weight before you create the
goal using the Goal options window.
You can set goal weight to a value between 0 and 1. A value of 0
means that the goal’s position has no effect on the trailing particles. A
value of 1 moves the trailing particles to the goal object position
immediately.
A value between 0 and 1 causes the particles to move toward the goal
as if bound to it by an elastic spring. The closer to 1, the faster the
trailing particles settle at their final position. The goal weight value is
0.5 by default.

Tips To make the trailing particle object follow the goal object with
less oscillation, set the trailing particle object’s Conserve
attribute to a value less than 1, for instance, 0.8. A value of 0
prevents oscillation.
You can turn the effect of a goal object off or on without setting
goal weight. With the trailing particle object attributes displayed
in the Attribute Editor, turn off the Goal Active attribute
associated with the goal object.

Use Transform as Goal

Makes particles follow the object’s transform rather than its particles,
CVs, vertices, or lattice points.

Particles > Instancer (Replacement)

Particles > Instancer (Replacement) > 
The options that follow are available when you select Particles > Instancer
(Replacement) > . If you want to modify the options after you use the
particle instancer, select the instanced particle object and display the
Attribute Editor. Most of the options are in the Instancer Attributes section
of the particle shape node tab. A few options are in the instancer node,
available by clicking the instancer node tab in the Attribute Editor after
you select the particle object. You can also select the instancer node in the
Outliner.

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Note You can apply the particle instancer two or more times to the
same particle object. When you select the particle object and
display the Instancer Attributes section of the Attribute Editor,
you’ll see an Instancer Nodes menu that lets you choose the
instancer node associated with the settings you want to modify.

Particle Instancer Name

Optional name of the instancer node. A default name is created if you
leave this entry empty.
Rotation Units
If you set the Rotation settings for you particles, this option specifies
whether the value is interpreted as degrees or radians. See
”particleShape” on page 156.
Rotation Order
If you set the Rotation settings for your particles, this option sets the
precedence order of rotation, for instance, XYZ, XZY, or ZXY. See
”particleShape” on page 156.
Level of Detail
Sets whether the source geometry appears at the particle locations or
whether a bounding box or boxes appear instead. Bounding boxes
speed up scene play.
Geometry The source geometry appears at the particle
locations.
BoundingBox Displays a single box for all the objects in the
instanced hierarchy.
BoundingBoxes Displays individual boxes for each object in the
instanced hierarchy.
Cycle
None Instance a single object.
Sequential Cycle through the objects in the Instanced Objects
list.

If you select None and the Instanced Objects list has more than one
object listed, only the first object listed will be used as the instanced
object.

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Note If you select Sequential, Maya cycles through the objects in the
Instanced Objects list in the order shown. You can select a
different starting object for each particle with the
CycleStartObject (see ”particleShape” on page 156), but the order
of the cycling remains the same. For instance, one particle might
cycle through objects 0-1-2-3, while another cycles through 2-3-0-
1. No particle can cycle through 3-2-1-0.
To use an order different than the Instanced Objects list, select
None, create a custom attribute, select the custom attribute as
input to the Object Index option (see ”particleShape” on
page 156), then write a creation and runtime expression to set
the custom attribute appropriately as the scene plays.

Cycle Step Unit

If you’re using an object sequence, select whether frames or seconds
are used for the Cycle Step Size value.
Cycle Step Size
If you’re using an object sequence, enter the particle age interval at
which the next object in the sequence appears. For example, a Cycle
Step Size of 2 (seconds) displays the next object in the sequence at the
frame where a particle’s age exceeds 2, 4, 6, and so on. See the Age
attribute in ”particleShape” on page 156 for details on how to alter the
age of particles.
If you use an object sequence, you’ll typically use unanimated objects
displayed in sequence. You can use animated objects effectively if you
set the Cycle Step large enough to portray their animation.

Particles > Sprite Wizard

For more information, see ”Sprite Wizard” on page 142 and ”Use the
Sprite Wizard” on page 40.

Particles > Connect To Time

Reconnects the Current Time to the scene time for a particle shape node.

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Nodes
Particle nodes

particleShape
All but one of the following options display a menu that lets you choose a
custom or static attribute as input. It is most common to use an expression
to set the value of a custom attribute being used as input to the options.
The options themselves are not attributes.
Not all static attributes in the menus have a practical application. For
instance, using worldVelocity as the input to the object’s Rotation might
not have a useful effect. The validity of each input attribute depends on
the context.
Except for the first three of the following options, you can set the input
attributes with per particle attribute values. You therefore can set values
differently for each particle.

General Control Attributes

Is Dynamic
A value of true toggles dynamics on for the object. A value of false
toggles dynamics off for the object.
Dynamics Weight
A value of 0 causes fields, collisions, springs, and goals connected to
the particle object to have no effect. A value of 1 provides the full
effect. A value less than 1 sets a proportional effect. For example, 0.6
scales the effect to 60% of full strength.
Expressions are unaffected by Dynamics Weight.
Conserve
The Conserve value controls how much of a particle object’s velocity
is retained from frame to frame. Specifically, Conserve scales a
particle’s velocity attribute at the beginning of each frame’s execution.
After scaling the velocity, Maya applies any applicable dynamics to
the particles to create the final positioning at the end of the frame.
Conserve doesn’t affect motion created by keyframes. Keyframes
affect only a particle object’s worldVelocity attribute, not its local
velocity attribute.

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If you set Conserve to 0, none of the velocity attribute value is

retained. The velocity is reset to 0 before each frame. At the end of
each frame, the velocity is entirely the result of dynamics applied
during that frame.
If you set Conserve to 1, the entire velocity attribute value is retained.
This is the real-world physical response.
If you set Conserve to a value between 0 and 1, a percentage of the
velocity attribute value is retained. For example, if you set Conserve
to 0.75, each frame Maya first reduces the velocity attribute 25%, then
it calculates any dynamic or expression effects on the object.
For example, suppose you create a particle falling with the
acceleration of gravity, 9.8 units per second per second. The following
table compares how Conserve values of 1 (default), 0.5, and 0 affect
the velocity attribute after several frames execute.

Frame Velocity with Velocity with Velocity with

Conserve = 1 Conserve = 0.5 Conserve = 0

2 <<0,0,0>> <<0,0,0>> <<0,0,0>>

3 <<0,-0.41,0>> <<0,-0.41,0>> <<0,-0.41,0>>

4 <<0,-0.82,0>> <<0,-0.61,0>> <<0,-0.41,0>>

5 <<0,-1.23,0>> <<0,-0.71,0>> <<0,-0.41,0>>

6 <<0,-1.63,0>> <<0,-0.77,0>> <<0,-0.41,0>>

With Conserve set to 1, velocity increases each frame at the exact

acceleration rate of gravity.
With Conserve set to 0, velocity stays a constant value—the particles
do not accelerate. At the beginning of each frame, velocity is reset to 0.
The gravity field’s acceleration is then added to the velocity of 0,
which results in the same number <<0,-0.41,0>> being used at the end
of each frame.
With Conserve set to 0.5, velocity increases each frame at a much
slower rate than gravity. At the beginning of each frame, velocity is
scaled to 50% of the value it had at the end of the prior frame. The
acceleration of gravity is then added to this scaled value to create the
slowly increasing velocity used at the end of the frame.

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Forces In World
If you prefer that a field affect a particle object in its local space, select
the particles, display the Attribute Editor, and turn off Forces In
World.

Local
axis

When Forces In World is on, When Forces In World is off,

gravity makes the particles gravity makes the particles
fall down in world space move down the local Y axis.
regardless of the local axis
orientation.

Note that the orientation of the local axes of a particle object matches
the orientation of the world space axes unless you rotate the object.

Tip If you have not keyed, parented, or otherwise controlled the

transform attributes of a particle object, you can turn off Forces
In World to speed up dynamic calculations for the object. When
Forces In World is on, Maya does extra computations to convert
world space to local space coordinates.

See ”Apply forces in an object’s local space” on page 74.

Cache Data
You can alternatively turn memory caching on or off in the Attribute
Editor by turning off the Cache Data attribute. The location of the
attribute in the Attribute Editor depends on the type of object. If you
turn caching on for a rigid body, Maya also turns caching on for all
rigid bodies in that rigid body’s solver.
If you cache data in memory for emitted particles and later change the
rate or another attribute of the emitter or emitted particles, you must
disable the cache to see the effect of the attribute change.
Count
Contains the total number of particles in the object. This is a read-only
attribute.

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Total Event Count

Contains the total number of collisions which have occurred for this
object. All collisions are counted regardless of whether any collision
events were actually executed. In other words, totalEventCount is the
sum of the per-particle “event” attribute.

Emission Attributes
Max Count
Contains the maximum count of particles this shape will allow. If
some particles die off, new particles will again be accepted up to the
max count, and so on.
Level Of Detail
This attribute is currently only used to scale the amount of emission to
be used for quick motion tests without having to change emitter
values. This attribute affects only emitted particles.
Inherit Factor
Contains the fraction of emitter velocity that particles emitted into this
object inherit.
Emission In World
This boolean attribute tells the particle object to assume that particles
created from emission are in world space, and to transform them into
object space before adding them to the particle array. This makes the
particles respond as if they were in the same space as the emitter
when they are in some non-identity hierarchy.
Die on Emission Volume Exit
When this boolean attribute is set to true, if the particles were emitted
from a volume, they die when they exit that volume. By derfault, this
attribute is set to false.

Lifespan Attributes
Lifespan Mode
Live forever All particles live forever, unless killed by collision
events or emission volume exit.
Constant This setting allows you to input a constant lifespan
for the particles. The particles will die at the
specified time.
Random range This attribute must be set to enable Lifespan
Random (see below).

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lifespanPP only Pre-Maya 3.0 expressions that refer to lifespanPP

work correctly as long as you select lifespanPP only
as the lifespan mode.
Lifespan
This setting allows you to input a lifespan for the particles.
Lifespan Random
This attribute is used only if lifespanMode is set to “Random Range”.
The attribute identifies a range of random variation for the lifespan of
each particle. If set to a non-zero value, each particle’s lifespan varies
randomly up to plus or minus lifespanRandom/2, with the “lifespan”
attribute as the mean (the average lifespan). For example, lifespan 5
and lifespanRandom 2 will make the lifespans vary between 4 and 6.
In Constant or Random Range Mode, the finalLifespanPP attribute
stores the values generated from lifespan and lifespanRandom.

Note Changes in the values of lifespan and lifespanRandom affect

only new particles, not particles that already exist. For example,
if you key the value of lifespan to be 2 up until frame 50 and 5
thereafter, then particles generated from frame 1 to 50 will have
finalLifespanPP 2 and particles generated after frame 50 will
have finalLifespanPP 5. The finalLifespanPP values of particles
born prior to frame 50 will not change.

General Seed
This attribute represents the seed for random number generation. It is
independent of all other random number streams.

Time Attributes
Start Frame
This attribute represents the frame after which dynamics will be
solved. No dynamics will play back for this object prior to startFrame.
Current Time
This attribute represents the current time in the timeline.

Collision Attributes
Trace Depth
This attribute represents the maximum number of consecutive
collisions that are detected within a frame for each particle. Particles
may collide fewer times, of course.

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Soft Body Attributes

For more information, see ”Soft bodies” on page 245.
Input Geo Space
This attribute lets you choose which coordinate space Maya uses to
position point data provided by the input geometry to the particle
shape. The original geometry is the geometry being converted to a soft
body. The input geometry refers to the node in Maya that creates the
original geometry. An example of input geometry for a NURBS sphere
is the Make Sphere node:

Input geometry

Soft body particles

Target geometry (soft body)

Geometry Local Provides the point positioning data from the input
geometry’s local space. No world space
transformation is applied to the positions.
World Provides the point positioning data from the input
geometry’s world space. The world space
transformation is applied to the positions.
Particle Local Provides the point positioning data from the particle
object’s local space. The point positioning data from
the geometry are transformed into world space as
above, then into the particle object’s local space
using the inverse of the particle object’s world space
transformation. This puts the points in the same
space as the particle object’s position attribute.
Target Geo Space
This attribute lets you choose the coordinate space Maya uses to
position point data provided by the particle shape to the target
geometry.
Geometry Local Takes positions from the particle object’s position
attribute and transforms them into the target
geometry’s local space. It uses both the particle
object’s world space transformation and the target
geometry’s inverse world space transformation

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before setting them into the target geometry.

Wherever the particle object or target geometry is
transformed in the scene, the points in the target
geometry will have the same world space positions
as the particles.
World Takes positions from the particle object’s position
attribute and transforms them into world space. It
uses the inverse of the particle object’s world space
transformation before setting them into the target
geometry.
Particle Local Sets position attribute values directly in the target
geometry without transforming them in any
coordinate space.
Enforce Count From History
If this attribute is turned on and you change the original geometry’s
construction history in a way that alters the number of CVs, vertices,
or lattice points, Maya updates the corresponding number of particles
of the soft body.
For example, if you add spans or sections to a NURBS surface soft
body, Maya adds CVs to the surface and corresponding particles to
the soft body. The updating of particles ensures the soft body deforms
correctly according to the new points added or removed.
In some instances, you won’t want this updating to occur. For
instance, if you connect a soft body’s particles to an emitter, you can
emit the soft body into view.

Goal Weights and Objects

Goal Smoothness
This value is used to control the “smoothness” of the change in the
goal forces as the weight changes from 0.0 to 1.0. This is purely an
aesthetic effect, with no scientific basis. The higher the number, the
smoother the change.

Instancer (Geometry Replacement)

Instancer Nodes
Selects which instancer is used for the instanced objects. Available in
Attribute Editor only.

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Allow All Data Types

When on, this expands the list of attributes you can choose as input to
the options in the following pages. The expanded list includes
attributes whose data type differs from the option’s data type.
If the data type of an input attribute differs from the receiving option,
Maya converts the data type to the receiving option’s data type. (See
Expressions for details on data types.) For example, if you select an
integer attribute as input to a vector array option, Maya uses the
integer value in each of the three vector components for each element
of the array.
When Allow All Data Types is off, only attributes whose data type is
the same as the receiving option’s are included as possible selections.
Particle ObjectTo Instance
The particle object to which the geometry is applied. This option is
available in the Particle Instancer Options window only.

General Options
Position
Position of the instanced objects. The default setting is worldPosition.
Maya interprets the values of the selected attribute in the local space
of the Instancer node, not in world space. So if you move the Instancer
node, you move the instances also.
If you are an API developer, note that you can write an API to send
point data to the Instancer.
Scale
Scale of the instanced objects. The default setting is None, which use
the value of 1, 1, 1.
Shear
Shear of the instanced objects. The default value setting is None,
which use the value of 0, 0, 0.
Visibility
Sets whether display of each instanced object is on or off. The default
setting is None, which turns on the display of instances of all particles.
ObjectIndex
If you set the Cycle option of the Instancer to None, this option sets
which object from the Instanced Objects list is instanced for each
particle. If you set Cycle to Sequence, ObjectIndex is ignored.

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There are a few common techniques for using this option. In each case
you select a custom attribute as input to ObjectIndex, then write
expressions to control the attribute.
One technique is to use a creation expression to assign different values
for each particle to the custom attribute. Each value selects a different
object in the Instanced Objects list. The value 0 selects the first object
in the list, 1 selects the second, 2 selects the third, and so on.
Another expression-writing technique is to assign specific numbers
from the Instanced Objects list or use a random number function such
as rand( ) to assign each particle a different random object from the
list.
You can alternatively use a creation expression and runtime
expression to increment a custom attribute through an unusual object
sequence, for instance, 2-4-6-8.
The default setting is None, which sets the value to 0, the first object
on the list.

Rotation Options
RotationType
For the instanced objects, you can choose one of three methods to set
their orientation: Rotation, AimDirection, and AimPosition. Though
typically you’ll select the same method for all instanced objects, you
can select a different method for each object by using a per particle
expression to set the RotationType attribute.
To set the RotationType attribute, use a value of 0 for Rotation, 1 for
AimDirection, or 2 for AimPosition.
If you don’t provide a number, Maya uses whichever of the Rotation,
AimDirection, and AimPosition options that has an attribute input
selected. For instance, if you select an attribute input for AimPosition,
Maya uses AimPosition as the default.
If you select an attribute input for two or three of the RotationTypes,
Maya uses the first from this list: Rotation, AimDirection, and
AimPosition. For instance, if you select an input to both AimPosition
and AimDirection, Maya uses AimDirection. If you select an input to
Rotation, AimPosition, and AimDirection, Maya uses Rotation.
If you select no attribute inputs to Rotation, AimPosition, and
AimDirection, Maya uses Rotation.
Rotation
Sets the orientation of the instanced objects relative to their initial
orientation. See RotationType for details. Also see Rotation Units and
Rotation Order in the prior section.

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AimDirection
Sets the orientation of the instanced objects by specifying the direction
along which each instanced object points relative to the original
position of its local origin. The default setting is None, which uses the
value of 1, 0, 0. Also see RotationType.
Note that you can make an object point in the direction the particles
are moving by selecting velocity. See ”Aim instanced geometry” on
page 70 for more information.
AimPosition
Sets the orientation of the instanced objects by specifying the location
where each instanced object points relative to the original position of
its local origin. The default setting is None, which uses the value of 0,
0, 0. See RotationType for important details.
AimAxis
Specifies the object axis that points directly at the AimDirection or
AimPosition.
AimAxis is a vector attribute that works only with AimDirection and
AimPosition rotation types. The default setting is None, which uses
the value of 1, 0, 0.
AimUpAxis
Specifies the object axis that points up (as much as possible) relative to
how the AimAxis points at the AimDirection or AimPosition.
In this context, up is the direction the world up-axis points (see
AimWorldUp). AimUpAxis is a vector attribute that works only with
AimDirection and AimPosition rotation types. The default setting is
None, which uses the value of 0, 1, 0.
For example, suppose the AimPosition is set to the origin of the
workspace, and the world space Y-axis (0, 1, 0) is the AimWorldUp
value. An instanced object’s X-axis (1, 0, 0) is the AimAxis value, and
the object’s Y-axis (0, 1, 0) is the AimUpAxis value. As the instanced
object moves from left to right in the workspace, the object has the
following orientation:

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Origin

The object’s X-axis points directly at the origin wherever the object
moves in the workspace. The object is rolled around its X-axis as
necessary to keep its Y-axis aiming up as much as possible. Up is
defined by the AimWorldUp setting, which in this case is set to the
world’s Y-axis.
AimWorldUp
Sets, in world coordinates, the axis that indicates the up direction used
by the AimUpAxis. AimWorldUp is a vector attribute that works only
with AimDirection and AimPosition rotation types. The default
setting is None, which uses the value of 0, 1, 0. This attribute is
unaffected by the setting for the World Coordinate System’s Up Axis
found in the Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences > Settings
window.

Cycle Options
CycleStartObject
If you set the Cycle option of the Instancer to Sequence,
CycleStartObject specifies the cycle’s starting object from the
Instanced Objects list. For example, suppose the list has four objects. If
the attribute that provides input to CycleStartObject is set to 3 for each
particle, each particle cycles through objects 3-0-1-2 repeatedly. The
default value is 0.
Age
If you set the Cycle option of the Instancer to Sequence, Age works
with the Instancer’s Cycle Step setting to set how often Maya changes
from one object to another.
For example, you can create an attribute named myAge, select it as
input to the Age option, then write a runtime expression to control
myAge as follows:
if (particleId == 0)
myAge = age;
if (particleId == 1)

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myAge = age * 2;
if (particleId == 2)
myAge = age * 4;
This causes the particle with particleId 1 to cycle through the objects
twice as quickly as particleId 0. The particle with particleId 2 cycles
four times as fast as particleId 0.
The default value is the particle age attribute setting.

Emission Random Stream Seeds

For details on working with this option, see ”Work with emission
randomness” on page 105.

Render Attributes
Depth Sort
This boolean attribute toggles depth sorting of particles for rendering
on or off. By default, it is set to false (off).
Particle Render Type
This attribute specifies the hardware rendering method for the
particles.

Render Stats
Render Stats are accessible from any object’s Attribute Editor.
For more information, search the online help for “Render Stats”.

Per Particle (Array) Attributes

For more information, search the online help for Understand per particle
and per object attributes.
Details on particle expressions can be found in the MEL and Expressions
book.

Add Dynamic Attributes

For more information, search the online help for Add dynamic attributes
Details on particle expressions can be found in the MEL and Expressions
book and in the Tutorials.

Clip Effects Attributes

These attributes are present only when a clip effect (such as Fireworks) is
being created or modified.

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For more information, search the online help for “clip effect”.

Sprite Attributes
For more information, see ”Sprite attributes” on page 188.

Extra Attributes
For information on the ghosting attributes, see the Ghost Selected options
window section of the Animation guide.

Emitter
Many of the emitter node attributes are the same as the options available
in the Emitter Options window. See ”Particles > Create Emitter” on
page 144.

Basic Emitter Attributes

Use Per-Point Rates (ratePP)
This attribute determines if the node uses RatePP or Rate. By default,
this node uses Rate.
Need Parent UV (NURBS/Poly surfaces only)
Only available when the current Emitter Type is Surface.
If you add a surface emitter to a NURBS or polygonal surface, you can
use a MEL statement or expression to learn the UV coordinates where
each particle was emitted. You must add parentU and parentV
attributes to the emitted particle shape, then turn on Need Parent UV
in the emitter.

Texture Emission Attributes (Nurbs Surface only)

Particle Color
Inherit Color Particles emit from the texture with the same color
as the texture.
Inherit Opacity Particles emit from the texture with the same
opacity as the texture.
Use Luminance Particles emit from the texture with the same
luminance as the texture.
Invert Opacity Particles emit from the texture with the opposite
opacity as the texture.

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Texture Rate
Enable Texture
Rate Allows you to connect textures to emitters to set
how many particles are emitted.
Emit From Dark When Emit From Dark is off, fully luminous parts of
the texture emit at 100% of the specified emitter rate.
Parts of the texture that lack luminance don't emit at
all. Other parts emit between 0 and 100% in
proportion to the luminance. In simple terms, bright
colors emit more than dark colors.
When Emit From Dark is turned on, the opposite
luminance scheme applies. Parts of the texture that
lack luminance emit at 100% of the specified rate,
while fully luminous parts don't emit at all.

geoConnector
Many of the geoConnector attributes are the same os the options in the
Collision Options window. See ”Particles > Particle Tool” on page 142.

Geo Connector Attributes

Tessellation Factor
This attribute represents the approximate number of polygons in the
tesselated surface.

List of particle attributes

The following table gives a summary of the particle shape node attributes
you can set or examine in expressions or MEL. The attributes affect the
particle object within which they exist. For more details on the attributes,
use this book’s Index. Note these issues:
• The table shows attribute spellings required in expressions and MEL.
User interface spellings typically use capital letters and spaces
between words.
• Attributes with a data type of vector array or float array are per
particle attributes. All other attributes are per object attributes. For
details on data types, see Expressions and the online MEL
documentation.
• Attributes marked by an asterisk (*) are dynamic attributes that exist
only if you or Maya add them to the object. Attributes that list the
attribute’s short name in parentheses exist in each particle object by
default.

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• If you are an API developer, be aware that there are more attributes
described in the online documentation. Use your internet browser to
go to the main Maya documentation page, then go to the Dependency
Graph Nodes page, and finally to the Particle page.
• The table omits the compound attributes centroid and worldCentroid.
Compound attributes consist of two or more component attributes.
The centroid attribute consists of centroidX, centroidY, and centroidZ
attributes. The worldCentroid attribute consists of worldCentroidX,
worldCentroidY, and worldCentroidZ You can use compound
attributes with MEL commands such as setAttr. For details, see the
online MEL documentation.

Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

acceleration Sets the rate of change of velocity vector

(acc) on a per particle basis. array

age Contains the number of seconds float

(ag) each particle in the object has array
existed since the first frame. This is
a read-only attribute.

attributeName* Specifies the name of the attribute string

whose values are to be displayed at
particle positions. By default,
particle id numbers are displayed.
Valid for Numeric render type.

betterIllumination* Provides smoother lighting and boolean

shadowing at the expense of
increased processing time. Valid
for Cloud render type.

birthPosition Stores the position at which each vector

particle was born in the particle’s array
local space.

birthTime Contains the Current Time value at float

(bt) which each particle in the object array
was created. This is a read-only
attribute.

cacheData Turns on or off dynamic state boolean

(chd) caching for the object.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

castsShadows Turns on or off the object’s ability boolean

(rsh) to cast shadows in software
rendered images. Valid for Cloud,
Blobby Surface, and Tube render
types.

centroidX, centroidY, Contains the X, Y, and Z elements float

centroidZ of the average position of its
(ctdx, ctdy, ctdz) particles. These are read-only
attributes.

collisionFriction Sets how much the colliding float

(cfr) particle’s velocity parallel to the (multi)
surface decreases or increases as it
bounces off the collision surface.
This attribute is displayed as
Friction in the user interface. It
works on a per geometry basis.

collisionResilience Sets how much rebound occurs float

(crs) when particles collide with a (multi)
surface. This attribute is listed as
Resilience in the user interface. It
works on a per geometry basis.

collisionU, collisionV* U and V positions of the NURBS float

surface where a particle collided in
the current frame. For polygonal
surfaces, the values are always 0.
The values are reset to -1 at the start
of each frame. Values change only
in frames where collision occurs.
These are read-only attributes.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

colorAccum* Adds the RGB components of boolean

overlapping particles. Also adds
opacity values of overlapping
particles. Generally, colors become
brighter and more opaque as they
overlap. To see the effect of Color
Accum, you must add an opacity
attribute to particles displayed as
Points. Valid for MultiPoint,
MultiStreak, Points, and Streak
render types.

colorBlue* Sets blue component of RGB color. float

Valid for all render types except
Numeric and Tube.

colorGreen* Sets green component of RGB float

color. Valid for all render types
except Numeric and Tube.

colorRed* Sets red component of RGB color. float

Valid for all render types except
Numeric and Tube.

conserve Sets how much of a particle object’s float

(con) velocity attribute value is retained
from frame to frame.

count Contains the total number of integer

(cnt) particles in the object. This is a
read-only attribute.

currentTime Sets the time value for the particle time

(cti) object’s independent clock.

depthSort Turns on or off depth sorting of boolean

(ds) particles for rendering. This
prevents unexpected colors when
you hardware render overlapping
colored, transparent particles.
Valid for MultiPoint, MultiStreak,
Points, Streak, and Sprites render
types.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

dynamicsWeight Scales the effect of fields, collisions, float

(dw) springs, goals, and emission on
particles.

emissionInWorld When on, emission occurs in the boolean

(eiw) world coordinate system. This is
the default setting. When off,
emission occurs in the emitted
particle object’s local space.

emitterRatePP* Sets the per particle emission rate. float

array

enforceCountFromHis In a soft body, if you change the boolean

tory original geometry’s construction
(ecfh) history in a way that alters the
number of CVs, vertices, or lattice
points, Maya updates the number
of particles of the soft body
correspondingly.

event* Contains the number of times each float

particle in the object has hit array
something. This is a read-only
attribute.

expressionsAfterDyna Sets whether expressions are boolean

mics evaluated before or after other
(ead) dynamics.

force Contains the accumulation of all vector

(frc) forces acting on the particle object. array
This is a read-only attribute. If you
use this attribute in an expression,
first turn on
expressionsAfterDynamics.

forcesInWorld Sets whether forces are applied to boolean

(fiw) the object in world space or in its
local space.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

goalActive For a goal object, turns each goal on boolean

(ga) or off. It has the same effect as (multi)
setting the corresponding
goalWeight to 0, except the
animation processing is more
efficient. This attribute works on a
per object basis.

goalOffset* Sets an offset to the world space vector

position of the goal object. array

goalPP* Sets how much the particles try to float

follow the goal on a per particle array
basis.

goalSmoothness Sets how smoothly goal forces float

(gsm) change as the goal weight changes
from 0 to 1. The higher the number,
the smoother the change.

goalU, goalV* Set the exact locations on a NURBS float

surface where the particles are array
attracted.

goalWeight Sets how much all particles of the float

(gw) object are attracted to the goal. (multi)

incandescencePP* Sets glow color in conjunction with vector

a software rendering Particle array
Incand Mapper Node (see
Rendering.) Valid for Cloud and
Tube render types.

inheritFactor Sets the (decimal) fraction of float

(inh) velocity an emitted particle object
inherits from an emitter.

inputGeometrySpace For a soft body, this sets the integer

(igs) coordinate space Maya uses to
position point data provided by the
input geometry to the particle
shape.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

isDynamic Turns on or off dynamic animation boolean

(isd) of the object.

isFull Contains 1 if an emitted particle boolean

(ifl) shape is full, or 0 if not full. An
emitted particle shape is full when
the number of emitted particles
equals the maxCount. This is a
read-only attribute.

lifespan* Sets when all particles in the object float

die.

lifespanPP* Sets when particles die on a per float

particle basis. array

levelOfDetail Scales the number of particles that float

(lod) can be emitted into the emitted
particle object.

lineWidth * Sets the width of streaking float

particles. Valid for MultiStreak and
Streak render types.

mass Specifies the physical mass of float

(mas) particles. Mass values affect the array
results of dynamic calculations. By
default, each particle of a particle
object has a mass of 1.

mass0 Initial state counterpart to mass. float

(mas0) array

maxCount Sets a limit on the number of int

(mxc) particles the emitted particle shape
accepts from an emitter.

multiCount* Sets number of points you want float

displayed for each particle in the
object. Valid for MultiPoint and
Points render types.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

multiRadius* Sets radius of spherical region in float

which particles are randomly
distributed. Valid for MultiPoint
and MultiStreak render types.

needParentUV* Turns on or off the ability to read boolean

the parentU and parentV
attributes. If you add a surface
emitter to a NURBS or polygonal
surface, parentU and parentV
contain the UV coordinates where
each particle was emitted. You can
use these attributes in expressions
and MEL scripts.

normalDir* Sets direction of normal for integer

particles. Use with useLighting. (1-3)
Valid for MultiPoint, MultiStreak,
Points, and Streak render types.

opacity* Sets amount of transparency for all float

particles in the object. Valid for all
render types except Numeric and
Tube.

opacityPP* Sets amount of transparency on a float

per particle basis. Valid for all array
render types except Numeric,
Tube, and Blobby Surface.

particleId Contains the id number of each float

(id) particle. Valid for Numeric render array
type. This is a read-only attribute.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

parentId* If you emit from a particle object, float

this contains the id of all particles array
that emit the particles. You can use
the id to query the emitting object’s
attribute values, for example,
acceleration, velocity, and
lifespanPP. This is a read-only
attribute.
Note that if you use the MEL emit
command to create the particles
that emit, the parentId attribute of
those emitted particles is always 0.

parentU, parentV* If you add a surface emitter to a float

NURBS or polygonal surface, these array
attributes contain the UV
coordinates where each particle
was emitted. To use these read-
only attributes, you must turn on
Need Parent UV in the emitter. You
can use these attributes in
expressions and MEL scripts.

particleRenderType* Sets render display type of integer

particles, for example, Streak.

pointSize* Sets how large particles are float

displayed. Valid for MultiPoint,
Numeric, and Points render types.

position Sets the object position in local vector

(pos) space coordinates on a per particle array
basis.

position0 Initial state counterpart to position. vector

(pos0) array

radius* Sets radius size of all particles. float

Valid for Blobby Surface, Cloud,
and Sphere render types.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

radius0* Sets starting point radius for Tube float

render type.

radius1* Sets ending point radius for Tube float

render type.

radiusPP* Sets radius size on a per particle float

basis. Valid for Blobby Surface, array
Cloud, and Sphere, render types.

rampAcceleration Controls acceleration with a ramp. vector

(rac) Any other animation of array
acceleration is added to the ramp-
controlled acceleration.

rampPosition Controls position with a ramp. Any vector

(rps) other animation of position is array
added to the ramp-controlled
position.

rampVelocity Controls velocity with a ramp. Any vector

(rvl) other animation of velocity is array
added to the ramp-controlled
velocity.

rgbPP* Sets color on a per particle basis. vector

Valid for MultiPoint, MultiStreak, array
Points, Spheres, Sprites, and Streak
render types.

seed Sets the id of the random number float

(sd) generator of the associated emitter. (multi)
This attribute works on a per object
basis.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

sceneTimeStepSize Contains the value of the time time (in

(sts) difference between the last current
displayed frame and current frame. units)
This contains 1 if you’re simply
playing the animation or clicking
the frame forward or backward
button. If you click widely
separated frames in the Time
Slider, the attribute contains the
difference in time between the two
frames. This is a read-only
attribute.

selectedOnly* Turns on or off display of id boolean

numbers only for selected particles.
Valid for Numeric render type.

spriteNum* Sets the image number index for a integer

Sprite image sequence.

spriteNumPP* Sets the image number index for a integer

Sprite image sequence on a per array
particle basis.

spriteScaleX, Sets the Sprite X- and Y-axis image float

spriteScaleY* scale.

spriteScaleXPP, Sets the Sprite X- and Y-axis image float

spriteScaleYPP* scale on a per particle basis. array

spriteTwist* Sets the Sprite image’s rotation float

angle.

spriteTwistPP* Sets the Sprite image’s rotation float

angle on a per particle basis. array

startFrame Sets the animation frame after float

(stf) which dynamics (including
emission) are computed for the
object.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

surfaceShading* Sets how sharply the spheres of float

Cloud render type are displayed.
Use a value between 0 and 1. A
value of 1 displays spheres more
distinctly; a value of 0 creates a
cloudier effect.

tailFade* Sets the opacity of tail fade. Valid float

for MultiStreak and Streak render
types.

tailSize* Sets the length of the tails for float

MultiStreak, Streak, and Tube
render types.

targetGeometrySpace For a soft body, sets the coordinate integer

(tgs) space Maya uses to position point
data provided by the particle shape
to the target geometry.

threshold* Controls surface blending between float

Cloud or Blobby surface spheres.
This is a read-only attribute.

timeStepSize Contains the animation frame time

(tss) increment in current units. For
example, if your animation is set to
Film (24 fps), timeStepSize has a
value of 1 (frame).
Keying or otherwise setting the
Current Time value alters the
timeStepSize. For instance, with a
frame rate of 24 frames per second,
suppose you set the Current Time
to 0 at frame 0, and to 100 at frame
50. Because you’re compressing
twice as much time between frames
0 and 50, the timeStepSize is twice
as large, in other words, 2. This is a
read-only attribute.

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

totalEventCount Contains total events that have integer

(evc) occurred for all particles of the
object. This is a read-only attribute.

traceDepth Sets the maximum number of integer

(trd) collisions Maya can detect for the
object in each animation time step.

traceDepthPP* Sets the trace depth on a per float

particle basis. array

UseCurrentUVSet Selects the UV set on the poly boolean

emitter that is used for textured
emission effects. The same UV set
is used for all textures attached to
all textured emission effects (color/
opacity and emission rate). If the
UseCurrentUVSet option is
selected, then the active UV set on
the surface emitter is used.

useLighting* Turns on or off whether scene boolean

lighting lights up particles. Valid
for MultiPoint, MultiStreak, Points,
Sprites, and Streak render types.

userScalar1PP Predefined outputs for user- float

userScalar2PP defined attributes used in Particle array
userScalar3PP Sampler Info node.
userScalar4PP
userScalar5PP

userVector1PP Predefined outputs for user- vector

userVector2PP defined attributes used in Particle array
userVector3PP Sampler Info node.
userVector4PP
userVector5PP

velocity Sets speed and direction on a per vector

(vel) particle basis. array

velocity0 Initial state counterpart to velocity vector

(vel0) array

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Attribute long Description Data

name Type
(and short name)

visibleInReflections Turns on or off whether the object boolean

(rrl) is visible in reflections when
software rendered. Valid for
Cloud, Blobby Surface, and Tube
render types.

visibleInRefractions Turns on or off whether the object boolean

(rrr) is visible in refractions when
software rendered. Valid for
Cloud, Blobby Surface, and Tube
render types

worldBirthPosition Stores the position at which each vector

particle was born in world space. array

worldCentroidX, Contains the world space X, Y, and float

worldCentroidY, Z elements of the average position
worldCentroidZ of its particles. These attributes are
(wctx, wcty, wctz) a read-only attributes.

worldPosition Contains the world space vector

(wps) counterpart to position. This is a array
read-only attribute.

worldVelocity Contains the world space vector

(wvl) counterpart to velocity. This is a array
read-only attribute.

worldVelocityInObjec Contains the local space equivalent vector

tSpace to the object’s world space velocity. array
(wvo) This is a read-only attribute.

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Section of Attribute Contents

Editor
General Control Attributes Attributes that set various operation characteristics of the entire
particle object. These attributes are described in various places:
Is Dynamic
See ”Create rigid bodies” on page 259.
Dynamics Weight
See ”Scale the effect of dynamics” on page 18.
Conserve
See ”Adjust frame-to-frame velocity conservation” on
page 74.
Forces In World
See ”Apply forces in an object’s local space” on page 74.
Expressions After Dynamics
See ”Control execution time of particle dynamics” on
page 76.
Cache Data
See ”Memory caching” on page 378.
Count
See ”Attribute long name (and short name)” on page 170.
Total Event Count
See ”Attribute long name (and short name)” on page 170
Emission Attributes Attributes that determine some of the behavior of particles that are
emitted. See ”Edit particle attributes” on page 36. Also see the Emitter
tab in the Attribute Editor of more attributes that affect emitted
particle behavior.

Lifespan Attributes Attributes that determine the particle lifespan, which can make
particles disappear from the scene after they reach a specified age.
Lifespan is typically used with emitted particles. See ”Set particle
lifespan” on page 51.

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Section of Attribute Contents

Editor
Time Attributes Attributes that set the start frame and timing of dynamic influences on
particles. See ”Change the start frame for a particle object” on page 76
and ”Control the timing of particle dynamics” on page 77.

Collision Attributes Attributes that set how precisely collision detection occurs. See
”Avoid unexpected particle penetration of geometry” on page 116.

Soft Body Attributes Attributes for advanced users who want to tune soft body effects (see
Chapter 4, “Soft and Rigid Bodies”).

Goal Weights and Objects Attributes you can set if you add a goal to an object and connect it to a
particle object or soft body. See ”Goals” on page 21.

Instancer (Geometry Attributes that affect geometry instanced to animated particles. See
Replacement) ”Instance geometry to particles (single and animated)” on page 67.

Particle Seeds Attributes that alter the random number stream used by Maya to
create the random positions of emitted particles. See ”To make
particles live forever” on page 52.

Render Attributes Attributes that affect how particles are displayed and rendered. See
”Choose how particles render” on page 37.

Render Stats Attributes that set aspects of particle software rendering. See ”Add
reflections, refractions, and shadows” on page 46.

Per Particle (Array) Attributes Attributes you can set on an individual particle basis for several
commonly used motion and display features. See ”Per particle and per
object attributes” on page 36 and ”Set attributes on a per particle
basis” on page 54.

Add Dynamic Attributes Buttons for adding attributes that control commonly desired features
(see ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34).

Extra Attributes Any custom per object attributes you’ve added. See ”Per particle and
per object attributes” on page 36.

Add Attributes For Current Render Type button

The added attributes follow:
Color Accum
Adds the RGB components of overlapping particles. Also adds
opacity values of overlapping particles. Generally, colors become
brighter and more opaque as they overlap. To see the effect of Color
Accum, you must add an opacity attribute to particles displayed as
Points. See ”Set particle opacity” on page 50.

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Normal Dir
Lets you tune the illumination of moving particles lit by a light added
to the scene. See ”Use lights with moving particles” on page 47 for
more details.
Point Size
Sets the size of the particle points. Point size is unaffected by camera
distance. Both far and near particles appear the same size in the
workspace.
Use Lighting
Illuminates particles using lights added to the scene. See ”Use lights
with moving particles” on page 47 for details.

Note After you add attributes for a particle render type, you can
change the render type and add its default Particle Render Type
attributes. Any attributes that don’t apply to the new render type
are dimmed.

Add Attributes For Current Render Type button

The added attributes follow:
Color Accum
Adds the RGB components of overlapping particles. Also adds
opacity values of overlapping particles. Generally, colors become
brighter and more opaque as they overlap. To see the effect of Color
Accum, you must add an opacity attribute to particles displayed as
MultiPoint. See ”Set particle opacity” on page 50.
Multi Count
Sets the number of points you want displayed per particle.
Multi Radius
Sets the radius of the spherical region within which the particles are
randomly distributed.
Normal Dir
Lets you tune the illumination of moving particles lit by a light added
to the scene. See ”Use lights with moving particles” on page 47 for
details.

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Point Size
Sets the size of the particle points. Point size is unaffected by camera
distance. Both far and near particles appear the same size in the
workspace.
Use Lighting
Illuminates particles using lights added to the scene. See ”Use lights
with moving particles” on page 47 for details.
Add Attributes For Current Render Type button
The added attributes follow:
Color Accum
Adds the RGB components of overlapping particles. Also adds
opacity values of overlapping particles. Generally, colors become
brighter and more opaque as they overlap.
Line Width
Sets the width of each streak.
Normal Dir
Lets you tune the illumination of moving particles lit by a light added
to the scene. See ”Use lights with moving particles” on page 47 for
details.
Tail Fade
Sets the opacity of the tail fade, from 0 to 1. A value of 1 makes the tail
completely opaque; a value of 0 makes the tail transparent.
Tail Size
Scales the length of the tail. A value of 1 gives the default length.
Values less than 1 shorten the tail; values greater than 1 lengthen the
tail.
Use Lighting
Illuminates particles using lights added to the scene. See ”Use lights
with moving particles” on page 47 for details.

Add Attributes For Current Render Type button

The added attributes follow:

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Color Accum
Adds the RGB components of overlapping particles. Also adds
opacity values of overlapping particles. Generally, colors become
brighter and more opaque as they overlap.
Line Width
Sets the width of each streak.
Multi Count
Sets the number of points you want displayed per particle.
Multi Radius
Sets the radius of the spherical region within which the particles are
randomly distributed.
Normal Dir
Lets you tune the illumination of moving particles lit by a light added
to the scene. See ”Use lights with moving particles” on page 47 for
details.
Tail Fade
Sets the opacity of the tail fade, from 0 to 1. A value of 1 makes the tail
completely opaque; a value of 0 makes the tail transparent.
Tail Size
Scales the length of the tail. A value of 1 gives the default length.
Values less than 1 shorten the tail; values greater than 1 lengthen the
tail.
Use Lighting
Illuminates particles using lights added to the scene. See ”Use lights
with moving particles” on page 47 for details.

Render attributes
Sprite Num
Sets the filename extension number of the texture file to be displayed
as part of a sequence of images. When you use the Sprite Wizard, the
Sprite Num attribute is ignored.The Sprite Wizard adds the per-
particle attribute SpriteNumPP, which overrides the Sprite Num
attribute.

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Sprite Scale X
Scales the image along the X-axis by a percentage. For example, a
value of 0.5 scales the image by 50%; a value of 2 scales the image by
200%.
Sprite Scale Y
Scales the image along the Y-axis by a percentage. For example, a
value of 0.5 scales the image by 50%; a value of 2 scales the image by
200%.
Sprite Twist
Sets the rotation angle of the image’s position in the scene. For
example, a value of 45 rotates the image 45 degrees counter-clockwise
about the Z axis.
Use Lighting
Illuminates particles using lights added to the scene. See ”Use lights
with moving particles” on page 47 for details.

Tips To set the transparency of the entire sprite, add an opacity or

opacityPP attribute to the particle shape, then set the attribute
value between 0 and 1. For example, the value 0.25 creates 25%
opacity. See ”Set particle opacity” on page 50.
To set the scale and twist of sprites on a per particle basis, add the
spriteScaleXPP, spriteScaleYPP, and spriteTwistPP attributes, then
set their values. See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34 and
”Set attributes on a per particle basis” on page 54.
If you need to select the particle object but it disappears from the
workspace after you add these attributes, select the object in the
Outliner. If you need to see the particles to select individual
particles and set their per particle attribute values, temporarily
select Points as the Particle Render Type.

Sprite attributes
Sprite Animation
Specifies how images are assigned to the sprites. Select one of the
following:
off - Each particle uses some fixed image throughout its lifetime.
on - Each particle displays a sequence of images in turn.

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Sprite Start Option

Selects the technique used to assign the initial sprite to each particle.
Select one of the following:
first - Every particle uses the first image in the sequence.
particleid - The particle uses its particleId value to pick an image. If
the particleId is greater than the number of images in the sequence, it
starts over with the first image.
random - Each particle uses a random image from the sequence.
custom - The particle uses its spriteNumPP value to select the image.
You must set the spriteNumPP values by editing the particle creation
expression. See ”To customize the selection of the initial sprite image”
on page 42.
ramp - Connects a ramp to the spriteNumRamp attribute of the
particle object. The ramp determines the image selection. You can
modify this ramp to determine which sprite receives each image.
Sprite Cycle Pattern
Specifies how the images are cycled for each particle. Select one of the
following:
linearUp - Plays through the image sequence at an even speed.
easeUp - Eases in and eases out the rate that the image sequence is
played. The first and last images in the sequence will be used for
longer times.
linearUpDown - Plays through the image sequence at an even speed.
When the end of the sequence is reached, it plays in reverse.
easeUpDown - Eases in and eases out the rate that the image
sequence is played. When the end of the sequence is reached, it plays
in reverse.
custom - The particle uses its spriteNumPP value to select the image.
You must set the spriteNumPP values by editing the particle runtime
expression. See ”To customize sprite cycling” on page 43.
ramp - Connects a ramp to the spriteNumRamp attribute of the
particle object. The ramp determines the image selection. You can
modify this ramp to determine which sprite receives each image.
Sprite Cycle Length
Controls the length of each animation cycle. this is valid only if the
Cycle only once during lifespan option is disabled.

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Sprite Invert Cycle

Invert the meaning of the ramp’s values. Higher values use images
closer to the start of the sequence.

Add Attributes For Current Render Type button

The added attribute follows:
Radius
Sets the radius of the spheres. To set the radius on a per particle basis,
add the radiusPP attribute, then set its values. See ”Add dynamic
attributes” on page 34 and ”Set attributes on a per particle basis” on
page 54.

Numeric
Add Attributes For Current Render Type button
The added attributes follow:
Attribute Name
Name of the attribute whose values are to be displayed. You can use
static, dynamic, or per particle attributes. See ”Work with particle
attributes” on page 33 for details.
Point Size
Sets the size of the particle points. Point size is unaffected by camera
distance. Both far and near particles appear the same size in the
workspace.
Selected Only
Displays the attribute value of currently selected particles only.
Click (the Select by Component Type icon) to select individual
particles.

Blobby Surface
Add Attributes For Current Render Type button.
The added attributes follow:
Radius
Sets the radius of the Blobby Surfaces.

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To set the radius on a per particle basis, add the radiusPP attribute,
then set its values. See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34 and ”Set
attributes on a per particle basis” on page 54.
Threshold
Controls surface blending between the particles. A value of 0 creates
no blending. Generally, blending increases as the value approaches 1,
then decreases again above 1. The Blobby Surfaces disappear if you
set the value too high.
Increasing Threshold displays the Blobby Surfaces smaller. Increase
the Radius if necessary. An example of the relationship between these
attribute values follows:

Radius

Threshold

Cloud
Add Attributes For Current Render Type button
The added attributes follow:
Better Illumination
Provides smoother lighting and shadowing at the expense of
increased processing time. See ”Use lights, reflections, refractions, and
shadows” on page 46 for details on using lights and shadows.
Radius
Sets the radius of the Clouds.

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To set the radius on a per particle basis, add the radiusPP attribute,
then set its values. See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34 and ”Set
attributes on a per particle basis” on page 54.
Surface Shading
Sets how sharply the Clouds are displayed. Enter a value between 0
and 1. A value of 1 displays the Clouds more distinctly; a value of 0
creates a cloudier effect.
Threshold
Controls surface blending between the Clouds. A value of 0 creates no
blending; a value of 1 creates maximum blending.
Increasing the Threshold displays the Clouds smaller, so you might
need to increase the Radius as you increase Threshold.
Maya assigns the default particle cloud shader to the particle object.
We recommend that you create and assign a unique particle cloud
shader. Using default shading groups can cause problems if you
duplicate the object. See ”Create raytraced shadows with particles” on
page 126 for information on setting particle cloud shader attributes.

Tube
Add Attributes For Current Render Type button
The added attributes follow:
Radius0
Sets a radius for the tube at its starting point. See the figure that
follows.
Radius1
Sets a radius for the tube at its ending point.
Tail Size
Scales the length of the tube. This value is multiplied by the particle's
velocity to set the tube length. The faster the particle moves, the
longer the tube.

Direction of motion

radius0 radius1

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Maya assigns the default Cloud particle material to the particle object.
This material is part of the default initialParticle shading group. You
can create and assign a different shading group with your own
custom material.

The predefined vector array attributes are listed below:

ramp for a vector array (per particle) attribute

Attribute To add this attribute:

rgbPP See ”Set particle color” on page 48.

(color)

rampPosition, No action necessary. A particle object has

rampVelocity, or these attributes by default.
rampAcceleration

goalOffset See ”Create goals” on page 107 and ”Add

dynamic attributes” on page 34.

a ramp for a float array (per particle) attribute

The predefined float array attributes are listed below:

Attribute To add this attribute:

opacityPP See ”Set particle opacity” on page 50.

(opacity)

radiusPP See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34.

(radius of Blobby Surfaces,
Clouds, or Spheres)

emitterNameRatePP (emission See ”Vary emission from different points of point

rate of a point emitter) emitters” on page 97.

goalPP See ”Setting goal weight on a per object basis” on

(goal weight) page 108.

goalU and goalV See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34.

(NURBS U and V position for
goals)

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Attribute To add this attribute:

mass No action necessary. A particle object has this

attribute by default.

spriteNumPP, See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34.

spriteScaleXPP,
spriteScaleYPP, and
spriteTwistPP
(filename extension, X-axis
image scale, Y-axis image scale,
and image rotation angle of
Sprites)

traceDepthPP See ”Add dynamic attributes” on page 34.

(collision detection sensitivity)

Input U or Input V menu

None
No attribute affects the ramp component. This is the default setting for
Input U.
Particle’s Age
The particle object’s ageNormalized attribute. This attribute contains
the particle’s age, normalized to values between 0 and 1 from birth to
death. This is the default setting for Input V.

Note Maya normalizes only the particle’s age (ageNormalized) values

from 0 to 1. All other attributes control the ramp component
with their literal values. If the attribute exceeds the range 0 to 1,
the values in the ramp repeat. For example, a value of 1.5
represents the same position in the ramp as a value of 0.5.

attributeUPP or attributeVPP
Creates a custom attribute that controls the ramp component. The
attribute is named attributeUPP or attributeVPP, where attribute is the
name of the attribute that appears in the menu. You can set this
attribute with an expression, ramp, or the Component Editor.

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Note that you can also select attributeUPP or attributeVPP from the
Attribute Editor. Simply right-click the attribute box of the per particle
attribute that’s connected to a ramp, slide the pointer to the arrow to
the right, and select attributeUorVPP > arrayMapper2.outValuePP.
Other attributes
The Input U and Input V menus also lists all float array attributes in the
particle object. You can select one of the listed attributes to control the
ramp component.

per particle attribute that’s connected to a ramp

Break Connection
Breaks the array mapper’s input to the particle shape. This menu item
doesn’t delete the ramp node or array mapper. Use this menu item if
you don’t want to remove the ramp when you break the connection.
Delete Array Mapper
Breaks the array mapper’s input to the particle shape by deleting the
array mapper. The ramp will also be deleted if it has no other
connections. Use this menu item if you no longer need the ramp in the
scene.

emitted particle object

Max Count Sets a limit on the number of particles the emitted
particle object accepts from an emitter.
For example, if you set Max Count to 20, the particle
object accepts new particles until it has 20 particles,
then the emission turns off. If particles die and
reduce the count below 20, more particles emit until
the count reaches 20.
The default value of -1 means there is no limit.
Level Of Detail Scales the number of emitted particles. You can
enter a value between 0 and 1 to scale the emission
rate between 0 and 100%. Scaling down the emission
rate speeds scene play.

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Inherit Opacity Gives the particles the texture’s transparency using

the alpha information—Alpha Gain, Alpha Offset,
and Contrast (if present). If you turn on Inherit
Opacity, you can use the following attributes:
Use Luminance Uses the texture’s luminance rather than alpha
information as the source of transparency.
Invert Opacity Gives the particles a transparency opposite the
texture’s transparency, whether from alpha or
luminance.

geoConnector attributes
Resilience
Sets how much rebound occurs. A value of 0 makes particles collide
with no bounce. A value of 1 causes particles to rebound fully. A
value between 0 and -1 makes the particles pass through the surface
with refraction out the back side. Values greater than 1 or less than -1
add speed to the particles.
Friction
Sets how much the colliding particle’s velocity parallel to the surface
decreases or increases as it bounces off the collision surface.
A value of 0 means that particles are unaffected by friction. A value of
1 makes particles reflect straight off along the normal of the surface. If
Resilience is 0 while Friction is 1, the particles don’t bounce.
Only values between 0 and 1 correspond to natural friction. Values
outside this range exaggerate the response.

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Resilience 1 Resilience 1
Friction 0 Friction 1

Resilience 0 Resilience 0
Friction 1 Friction 0

Particle Collision Event

Set Event Name
Specifies the name of the event so you can identify it for editing later.
All Collisions
By default, the event occurs each time a particle in the object collides
with the geometry, whether or not it’s a repeat collision. If you want
the event to occur only on a specific collision, for instance, on a second
(repeat) collision, turn off All Collisions and set the Collision Number
to the desired value. For example, if you set the Collision Number to
2, the event happens on each particle’s second collision.
Emit
When on, colliding particles emit new particles. The number of
particles is specified in the Num particles box. The new particles start
with an age of 0 and have the point render type by default.

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Split
When on, colliding particles split into new particles. The number of
particles is specified in the Num particles box. The new particles
inherit the current age of the particles that split. The new particles
have the Points render type by default.
When you turn on Emit or Split, you can set the following attributes.
Random # Particles
When off, the particles will split or emit the number of particles in
Num particles. When on, a random number between 1 and the
number specified in Num particles is used.
Num particles
Number of particles that are split or emitted.
Spread
Sets the angle of a conical region where the particles are emitted
randomly. You can enter a value between 0 and 1. A value of 1 means
180 degrees.

Spread angle
Particles are
randomly
distributed
within the
conical area.

Target Particle
Specifies the particle object whose attributes are used by the new
particles. (The new particles become part of this object.) The target can
be an existing particle object or a new particle object. If you don’t
specify a target, a default name is assigned. To use the original
particle object’s render type, specify that object as the target.
Inherit Velocity
Sets how much velocity of the original particle is inherited by the new
particles after collision.
A value of 0 means the new particles do not inherit the velocity of the
original particle and do not bounce. A value of 1 means the new
particles inherit all the velocity of the original particles, so the
particles bounce. Values between 0 and 1 create a diminished bounce.
To make the new particles collide with the same surface, you must do
the steps in ”Make particles collide with a surface” on page 113.

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Note You can use the following attributes to execute a MEL script or
make particles die regardless of whether you are emitting or
splitting particles. You can also apply multiple events to the
same particle object to create various simultaneous effects.

Original Particle Dies

Makes particles disappear upon collision.
Event Procedure
Lets you specify the name of a MEL procedure to be executed upon
particle collision. Do not use a .mel extension in the name. You’re
specifying a procedure, not a script name. You must create and source
a MEL procedure before the collision event occurs (see page 118).

Particle Cloud attributes

Common Material Attribute

You can set these attributes to a fixed value, or texture map them over the
particles’ lifetime. If mapped, the V values of the map are mapped onto
the particles’ lifetime. You can also control them with per-particle
attributes using the Particle Sampler Info node.
Color
The basic color of the particle cloud. The default color is a green-blue.
Transparency
Controls how much you can see through the particle cloud. It is a
color, so that you can control the transparency of the red, green, and
blue channels separately. To make the cloud more opaque, set
transparency to be darker. To make the cloud more transparent, set
transparency to be brighter (transparency = 1-opacity).
Incandescence
Use Incandescence to make the particle cloud brighter, as though it
were a light source. By default, Incandescence is black, meaning no
glow will be added.

Note When Incandescence is turned on, although the particle cloud

will glow, it will not cast light on other objects in the scene.

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Life Color
Determines the color at a particular time in the life of the particle. You
can use the Particle Sampler Info node to animate this parameter over
a particle’s lifetime (see ”Particle Sampler Info node” on page 25).
Life Transparency
Determines the transparency at a particular time in the life of the
particle. You can use the Particle Sampler Info node to animate this
parameter over a particle’s lifetime (see ”Particle Sampler Info node”
on page 25).
Life Incandescence
Determines the incandescence at a particular time in the life of the
particle. You can use the Particle Sampler Info node to animate this
parameter over a particle’s lifetime (see ”Particle Sampler Info node”
on page 25).
Glow Intensity
Controls how much of a halo-like glow effect will be added to the
particle cloud. This glow effect is added as a post-process, after the
rendering is completed. Glow Intensity is zero by default, meaning
that no glow is added.

Transparency
Density
Similar to transparency; it controls how dense the cloud of particles
appears to be, and therefore how much of the background can be seen
through it. Increase this value to make the cloud more dense.
Blob Map
Specifies a scaling factor applied to the transparency of the particle
cloud. You can connect a 3d texture to it in order to give some internal
texture or shape to the cloud beyond what it gets from the particles.
Roundness
Controls the noise’s irregularity. The smaller the value, the less
rounded the shape.

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Roundness=1 Roundness=0

Translucence
Specifies a scaling factor for density that is used to compute shadows
only. The larger the translucence value, the more light penetrates. The
formula is:
density * (1 - translucence)

Translucence=0.4 Translucence=0.6

Built-in Noise
Noise
Controls the jitteriness within the particle cloud. If it is set to zero, the
cloud will look very smooth and uniform throughout. As the amount
of noise increases, the cloud will appear noisier, like static on a
television screen. Noise is set to 0.75, by default.
Noise Freq
Determines the size of the noise artifacts when Noise is turned on.
Higher values of Noise Frequency produce smaller, finer artifacts, and
lower values produce larger, coarser artifacts. If Noise Frequency is
set to zero, that is the same as turning Noise off.

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Noise Aspect
Controls the distribution of the noise (when Noise is turned on). It is
zero by default, meaning that the noise is equally distributed in X and
Y. Positive values make the noise run perpendicular to the particle’s
path. Negative values make the noise run more parallel to the path.
Noise Anim Rate
Specifies a scaling factor that controls the rate of built-in noise changes
during an animation.
Solid Core Size
Determines the size of the core, which is the area where the particle is
opaque.

Surface Shading Properties

Diffuse Coeff
Controls how much of the light in the scene is reflected from the
particles. Most materials absorb some of the light falling on them, and
scatter the rest.
The default value is 0.0. If you set this to 1.0, all the light falling on the
material is reflected. Use a high value when you are creating dense
clouds. If you set this to 0.0 (the minimum), no light is reflected and
no surface shading occurs.
The surface color is modulated by the transparency. This value can be
greater than 1.0, so the surface property can still appear even when
the material is transparent.
Surface Color
Specifies the basic color of the particle cloud surface (as opposed to
the inside of the cloud). Diffuse Coeff must be set to a value greater
than 0 to enable this option.
Bump Mapping
Makes the surface appear rough or bumpy by altering surface normals
(during rendering) according to the intensity of the pixels in the bump
map texture. Diffuse Coeff must be set to a value greater than 0 to
enable this option.
A bump map does not actually alter the surface. A silhouette of the
surface will appear smooth.
Translucence Coeff
Simulates the way light diffusely penetrates through translucent
objects. This means that when light shines on one side of the object,
the other side is partially illuminated. You can use this to create effects

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such as clouds, fur, hair, marble, jade, wax, paper, leaves, etc. If you
set Translucence Coeff to 0 (the default), no light shows through the
object. If you set Translucence Coeff to 1, all the light shows through.
Diffuse Coeff must be set to a value greater than 0 to enable this
option.
Surface Shading Shadow
Determines if the surface shading is combined with the pre-
illumination, which contains shadows, if enabled (see the “Filter
Radius” attribute). Diffuse Coeff must be set to a value greater than 0
to enable this option.

This cloud shader uses

Surface color and
Surface Shading
Shadow to create an
explosion.

Pre-illumination Controls
Filter Radius
Volumetric particles use pre-illumination, which evaluates the
lighting at each particle’s center by default. This can sometimes cause
popping if the illumination changes too fast in an animation, and is
especially noticeable if Surface Shading Shadow is on.
Filter radius lets you filter the pre-illumination results so the value at
each particle’s center will be the average of all the pre-illumination
results within the filter radius. Higher values increase render time but
produce smoother images.

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Particle Sample Info Node

Out Uv Coord
By default, Out U Coord and Out V Coord give you the normalized
age of the particles. The outUv Coord attribute is comprised of Out U
Coord and Out V Coord.They are provided in this form so that you
can use this attribute to control texture placement nodes.
Out Uv Type
Specifies how Out Uv Coord is computed. You have four choices:
Normalized age
The particle’s age divided by its finalLifespanPP. The finalLifespanPP
attribute is used for the particle’s age. This works in all Lifespan
Modes of the particle shape. But if Lifespan Mode is set to Live
forever, all lifespans are effectively infinite, so normalized age is
always zero.
Out UV Type set to Normalized age is the default; you don’t need to
set a use relative age attribute as you did in previous releases.
You can use this output of the Particle Sampler Info node regardless
of whether the particle shape has an ageNormalized attribute.
Absolute age
Uses the Normalization Value attribute of the Particle Sampler Info
node, in place of finalLifespanPP. This is useful if you want to have
the particles live forever, or if you want to cycle through a texture a
number of times during the lifespan.
Parent UV and Collision UV
Use these attributes of the particle shape as the u and v values. This
gives you more power than you had before, because in addition to
age, you can use these attributes to define your own texture
coordinates for the particles.
Normalization Method
(Applies only if the Out UV Type is set to Absolute age.) Specifies how to
apply Absolute Age and particle age to compute the Out UV Coord.
The age ranges from 0 to the value specified by the Normalization
Value.
Oscillate
As the particle’s actual age increases, Maya cycles through the
normalization range repeatedly. For example, if the normalization
value is 2, as the particle age, Maya uses the following values:

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Actual particle Value Maya uses

age

0 0

0.1 0.1

1 1

2 2

2.1 0.1

3 1

4 2

Clamp
If the actual age exceeds the normalization value, Maya uses the
normalization value. For example, if the normalization value is 2, as
the particle age, Maya uses the following values:

actual age value to use

0 0

0.1 0.1

1 1

2 2

2.1 2

3 2

4 2

Normalization value
(Applies only if the Out UV Type is set to Absolute age.) Specifies upper
value of the age range. For example, if you use a value of 2, the
particles’ ages range from 0 to 2.

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Reference > Particle Sample Info Node

Inverse Out Uv
Uses 1 - Out Uv Coord in the final computation (instead of Out Uv
Coord). For example, if you have out Uv Type set so that the value is 1
when the particle is born and 0 when it dies. This applies to all Out
UV types.

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3 Fields

About Dynamics
Fields

Fields
You can simulate the motion of natural forces with dynamic fields. For
example, you can connect a vortex field to emitted particles to create
swirling motion.

Vortex field
connected to
emitted particles

Fields are forces that you use to animate the motion of particles, soft
bodies, and rigid bodies. A soft body is a polygonal surface, NURBS
surface, NURBS curve, lattice, wire, or wrap deformer that you convert as
described in ”Soft bodies” on page 245. A rigid body is a polygonal or
NURBS surface that you convert as described in ”Rigid bodies” on
page 246. You can create a field on an object or as a stand-alone force.
To combine the influence of fields with the keyed translation of particles
or soft bodies, see page 18. To combine the influence of fields with the
keyed translation of rigid bodies, see page 262.

Stand-alone fields
Stand-alone fields influence objects from a stationary or moving position
in the workspace. A stand-alone field is not owned by geometry. It is
represented by an icon in the workspace and by an independent node in
the Outliner.

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About > Fields

Object fields
Object fields are owned by an object and exert influence from the object.
An object field is represented by an icon on or near the object in the
workspace, and by an entry under the owning object in the Outliner. An
object can own multiple fields.
You can add fields to polygons, NURBS curves or surfaces, particle
objects, lattices, or curves on surfaces. You can make the field have
influence from some or all CVs, edit points, vertices, or lattice points.
Alternatively, you can make the influence occur from the average position
of the points.
You can add a field to all particles of a particle object, not just to some of
the particles. For a curve on surface, you can add fields to the entire curve
or to specific edit points, not to specific CVs. If you use edit points, add a
field only to the end edit points for best results.

For a curve on surface, add

a field to end edit points, not
middle edit points.

Volume fields
You can select a volume to define the region in space in which particles or
rigid bodies are affected by any field in Maya. The volume shapes you can
use are cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, and torus.

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How do I? > Create fields and connect objects to them

Sphere Cylinder
Cube

Cone Torus

For example, if you create a Turbulence field and set its volume shape to
cube, only particles or rigid bodies within the region of the cube are
affected by the turbulence.
This works with all fields in Maya, as well as with the “Volume Axis
field”.

How do I? Simulate dynamic effects

Work with fields

Create fields and connect objects to them

When you create a field, you typically also connect it to the objects you
want the field to influence. You can alternatively connect objects to the
field’s influence after creation (see Chapter 8, “Dynamic Relationships
Editor”). As long as a connected object lies within the influence of the
field, it will be affected by the field.
Although each field has a different effect, the technique for creating all
fields is similar. For information on the effect of each field and how to
adjust those effects, see ”Edit field attributes” on page 212.
The following applies to all fields:
• you can select more than one field at once
• selection order is not important
• all selected objects are affected by all selected fields.

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How do I? > Create fields and connect objects to them

To create a stand-alone field and connect objects to the field

1 Select the objects you want the field to affect.
You can select geometry, particles, rigid bodies, or soft bodies.

Tip By default, Maya converts a NURBS or polygonal surface to an

active rigid body when you connect it to a field’s influence. The
option that controls this feature is Auto Create Rigid Body,
located in Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences >
Dynamics.

2 Select Fields > fieldname.

The field is created at the origin and everything you’ve selected is
connected to it. You can move the field icon away from the origin to
change the range and direction of influence. To change the field
settings, see ”Edit field attributes” on page 212.
3 Click the play button to see the field affect the connected objects.

To add a field to an object and connect objects to the field

1 Select Fields > fieldname to create the field. If it’s already created, select
the field.
2 Shift-select the object (or objects) to which you want to add the field.
3 Select Fields > Use Selected as Source of Field to add the field to the
object.
By default, most fields are added to all CVs or vertices of the object.
The field emanates from each point with equal strength. See the field’s
Apply Per Vertex attribute description for more details.
4 In the Outliner, select the objects you want the field to influence and
Ctrl-select or Command-select the field itself.
The field is indented under the owning object.
5 Select Fields > Affect Selected Object.
6 Click the play button to see the field influence the connected objects.

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How do I? > Create fields and connect objects to them

Tips If you create a field before selecting the objects to be influenced,

no objects will be connected to the field. To connect the objects
to the field, use the Dynamic Relationships Editor (see Chapter
8).
The Dynamic Relationships Editor is also useful if you’ve added
multiple fields to an object and want to connect (or disconnect)
objects to a selected field or fields.
To connect to all fields owned by an object, you can simply
select the objects to be influenced, move the pointer over the
owning object, then right-click and select Connect Field from the
pop-up menu.

To create a volume field

1 Select the objects you want the field to affect.
You can select particles, rigid bodies, or soft bodies.
2 Select Fields fieldname > .
3 In the field’s options window, from the Volume Shape pulldown,
select a shape (other than None).
None means the field affects all the particles to which is connected.
4 Set the volume field attributes as desired. See ”Set volume control
attributes” on page 213.
5 Click Create.
The implicit shape of the volume field is displayed on the screen. You
can move, rotate, scale, or shear the field.

Note You can’t deform the volume or use an arbitrary volume.

To add a field to selected points and connect objects to the

field
You can add a field to selected CVs, edit points, vertices, or lattice points
of an object in the scene (not a referenced scene).
1 Select Fields > fieldname to create the field. If it’s already created, select
the field.
2 Shift-select the desired points on the object.
For example, select several CVs of the object. See Basics for details on
selecting components.
3 Select Fields > Use Selected as Source of Field.

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How do I? > Edit field attributes

This adds the field to the selected points of the object. It also creates a
set of the points named fieldnameSet. You can edit set membership to
change the field points. See Basics.
4 In the Outliner, select the objects you want the field to influence and
Ctrl-select (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Command-select (Mac OS
X) the field.
The field is indented under the owning object.
5 Select Fields > Affect Selected Object.
6 Click the play button to see the field influence the connected objects.

To delete a field
1 Select the field in the Outliner or workspace.
In the Outliner, an object field is indented under the owning object.
2 Press the Backspace (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Delete (Mac OS X)
key.

To add additional fields to an object

1 Select Fields > fieldname to create the field. If it’s already created, select
the field.
2 In the Outliner, Ctrl-select (Windows, Linux, and IRIX) or Command-
select (Mac OS X) the object to which you want to add the field.
3 Select Fields > Use Selected as Source of Field.

Edit field attributes

The type of field and its attributes specify the kind of effect it has. You can
set the field attributes before you create the field, or you can create a
default field and set the attributes after creation.

To set field attributes before creating the field

1 Select Fields > fieldname >  to display the options window for the
field.
2 Set the attributes.
To enter a value that exceeds a default slider range, type the value in
the text box.
3 Click the Create to create the field.

To edit field attributes after creating the field

1 Select the field you want to edit.

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How do I? > Edit field attributes

Tip You can select the particle object connected to the field and the
Attribute Editor displays a tab for the field.

2 Do one of the following:

• Use the Attribute Editor or Channel Box to set the attributes. The
attributes are described in the field descriptions in this chapter.
• Use the workspace manipulators to edit commonly used field
attributes (see ”Set field attributes with workspace manipulators”
on page 215).

Tip You can animate field effects by setting the field attribute values
with keys or expressions. To turn off the effect of a field at some
frame, you can key the value of its Magnitude attribute to 0.
Make sure the key Tangents are Stepped if you want the
Magnitude to change abruptly to 0 rather than with a gradual
interpolation.

Set volume control attributes

In the Attribute Editor and the Create Emitter option window, attributes
not applicable to a volume shape are dimmed. However, the Channel Box
does not support dimming. We recommend you use the Attribute Editor
instead of the Channel Box to edit volume field attributes until you
become familiar with the attributes that apply to each volume shape.

To set volume field attributes

1 Select the field and display the Attribute Editor.

Tip You can select the particle object connected to the field and the
Attribute Editor displays a tab for the field.

2 Enter values for the volume shape attributes. xref

Tips on using volume fields

• The action of a vortex field is still controlled by its Axis attribute, even
for a Torus field. If you want a circular motion around the section axis
of the torus, use the Volume Axis field (see ”Volume Axis field” on
page 223).

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How do I? > Work with per-particle field attributes

• You cannot deform or tweak the field volume. You are restricted to
the volume types we provide—you can’t use general volumes.
• The field Max Distance attribute still applies with volumes.
• There is no API support for volume fields in 3.0 but there is some
support for the Volume Axis field.
• There are no manipulators for the field attributes.

Work with per-particle field attributes

You can manipulate field attributes on a per-particle level. This
functionality works for the case where particleShape is used as the source
of the field, as well as the case where the particleShape is affected by a
field. In the case where the attribute is affected by both, the value from the
particleShape acting as the source of the field will take precedence.
If the particleShape is acting as the source of the field, this feature allows
each field to behave its own way. If the particleShape is simply affected by
a field, this feature allows each particle to be affected by a unique set of
field attributes.

To apply per-particle field attributes

1 Apply a field to a set of particles.
2 In the particleShape Attribute Editor, expand the Add Dynamic
Attributes section, if necessary.
3 Click the General button. The Add Attribute dialog box is displayed.
4 Create a per-particle attribute of float or vector type on the
particleShape with the name fieldName_attributeLongNameOnTheField
or fieldName_attributeShortNameOnTheField. The type for the per-
particle attribute you use must match the attribute type on the field.
For example, create airField1_magnitude to control the magnitude on
airField1.
5 Write an expression to control this attribute.
6 In the field’s Attribute Editor, go to the Special Effects tab, and turn on
Apply Per Vertex.

Keep particles inside the volume

You can keep particles inside a volume by using a radial field that affects
only particles outside the volume you are interested in, and pushes the
particles back in. You can also use this procedure to keep particles inside a
volume emitter.

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How do I? > Set field attributes with workspace manipulators

To keep particles inside the volume

1 Create the particles (or emitter) and the field whose volume you want
the particles to stay inside.
2 Select the particles and select Fields > Radial > .
3 Set the volume shape of the radial field to be the same as for the field
you created in step 1.
4 Turn on Volume Exclusion.
5 Set the radial field magnitude to a negative value.
Try a value which is about one-half the magnitude value of your first
field, but is negative. For example, if the first field has magnitude of
10 or -10, use a radial field magnitude of -5.
6 Parent the radial field to the first field, and reset the radial field’s
transform to be the identity.
This makes the radial field have the same volume as the original field.
Whenever particles move outside the original field volume, the radial
field pushes them back in. You may want to tune the radial field
magnitude and/or transform values to get the exact look you want.

Set field attributes with workspace

manipulators
You can use manipulators in the workspace to edit the most commonly
used attributes of fields. The manipulators offer an interactive alternative
to typing entries in the Attribute Editor.

To use a manipulator on an attribute

1 Select the field.
2 Select the Show Manipulator Tool from the Tool Box.

Attribute manipulators appear next to the field icon (see following

figure). The manipulators show names and values for Magnitude,
Attenuation, and Max Distance. Also displayed are curves and lines
that graphically illustrate the values. The names and graphs always
face directly out for easy visibility.

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3 | Fields
How do I? > Use manipulator icons

Attribute toggle

An attribute toggle also appears near the field. If necessary, dolly

towards the toggle to get a clearer view. For most fields, the attribute
toggle switches between the different attributes you can manipulate.
(Some fields have only one group of attributes you can manipulate, so
the toggle has no effect.)
3 Drag the dot next to an attribute to change its value.
4 Click the attribute toggle to display a different attribute.
Each time you click the attribute toggle, you display different
attributes. The manipulators are icons you typically drag to change an
attribute value. Details specific to attributes are in ”Use manipulator
icons” on page 216.
The color of the manipulators and attribute toggle indicates which is
active. Yellow is active, blue is inactive.
After clicking the attribute toggle a number of times, you’ll see a
display mode where all the manipulator icons are displayed without
the attribute names. When you click an icon in this mode, the attribute
name appears next to it. You can then manipulate the attribute. Click
the attribute one more time and you’ll see the first manipulators
displayed in the cycle: Magnitude, Attenuation, and Max Distance.

Use manipulator icons

Different fields have different attributes you can manipulate. Specifically,
you can work with:
• Magnitude, Max Distance and Attenuation for all fields.
• Direction (X, Y, Z) for air, drag, gravity, and uniform fields.
• Axis (X, Y, Z) for the vortex field.
• Speed and Spread for the air field.
• Min Distance for the Newton field.
• Phase and Frequency for the turbulence field.

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How do I? > Use manipulator icons

Most attribute manipulators work the same way. Drag the manipulator
icon away from the field icon to increase the value. Drag toward the field
icon to decrease the value. Attribute manipulators that require different
techniques follow.

Note In some instances, the line that represents an attribute is a

relative value. For example, if you drag a Magnitude value over
10, the line snaps to a fixed position. This occurs so that you can
drag the value as high as desired without losing sight of the
manipulator in the workspace. Some lines and curves represent
actual measurements, for example, Max Distance and
Attenuation.

Attenuation
Attenuation is represented by a curve that shows how quickly the field’s
strength falls off from the field’s position to the end of Max Distance. If
Max Distance is infinite, the curve is drawn 100 units long.

Higher attenuation values

steepen the curve.

Direction X, Y, Z or Axis X, Y, Z
Click inside the blue box to display a manipulator that’s the same as the
Move tool. Drag the center to move in all directions, or drag one of the
arrows to move with directional constraint.

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3 | Fields
How do I? > Duplicate fields

Click inside the blue box

to display a Move Tool
manipulator.

Air field’s Spread

Drag the dot icon in various directions until you see a cone that indicates
the Spread angle. When you begin to drag the dot, a line appears in the
workspace indicating the direction you can drag.

Duplicate fields
You can duplicate a an object connected to a field or an object that owns a
field. When you duplicate, you get a duplicate object and field.

To duplicate fields and objects

1 Select the object connected to the field or the object that owns the field.
2 Select Edit > Duplicate >  to display the Duplicate options window.
3 In the Duplicate Options window, turn on Duplicate Input
Connections.
4 Click Duplicate.
This duplicates the object and field. The field has the same attribute
values as the original.

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How do I? > Air field

Types of fields

Air field

An air field simulates the effects of moving air. The objects you connect to
the air field accelerate or decelerate so their velocities match that of the air
as the animation plays.
You can parent an air field to a moving part of an object to simulate a
wake of air from the moving part. For example, if you have a character
walking through leaves or dust on the ground, you can parent an air field
to the foot.

Wake air fields parented to Gunbot’s Gunbot walking through

feet displace particles as he walks. particle field created by
Corban Gosset

You can use the following buttons and attributes in air fields. Note that
the Wind, Wake, and Fan buttons set the Air field attributes to default
settings suited to each effect. If you click one of these buttons, you can still
tune settings as desired.

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How do I? > Drag field

Example: Creating an air wake from a moving object

1 Create a grid of particles.

2 Create and select a sphere.
3 Keyframe the sphere to move through the grid of particles (on the XZ
plane).
4 Select Fields > Air >  to display the options window.
5 Click Wake.
6 Click Create.
7 Select the particle grid. Move the pointer over the sphere. Right-click
the mouse and select Connect Field.
8 Play the animation.

Drag field

A drag field exerts a friction or braking force on an object that’s animated

with dynamic motion. See ”Fields > Drag” on page 230.

Gravity field

A gravity field simulates the Earth's gravitational force. It accelerates

objects in a fixed direction. See ”Fields > Gravity” on page 232.

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How do I? > Newton field

Newton field

A newton field pulls objects towards it. This lets you create effects such as
orbiting planets or tethered, colliding balls. This field is based on the
principle that a mutual attractive force exists between any two objects in
the universe, proportional to the product of their masses. As the distance
between the objects increases, the force of the pull decreases.
You can use a newton field to:
• attract objects to a stand-alone newton field.
• attract objects to a NURBS, polygonal, or particle object that owns a
newton field.
The newton field is influenced by the mass value of the connected objects.
See ”Mass values of objects” on page 221. Alos, see ”Fields > Newton” on
page 233.

Mass values of objects

All objects that own or are connected to a newton field have a default
mass value. A rigid body has a mass attribute of 1 by default. You can
alter the value by displaying the rigid body in the Attribute Editor.
If you add a newton field to a NURBS or polygonal object and the object is
not a rigid body, the object has a non-attribute mass equal to its total
number of CVs or vertices. For example, a 10-CV object has a mass of 10.
A particle object’s per particle mass attribute controls its mass value. Each
particle of the object has a mass value of 1, by default.
A stand-alone newton field lacks a mass attribute but has a default mass
value of 1. You cannot alter this value.

Example: Creating an orbiting object

To create an orbiting object
1 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences and click
Dynamics in the Categories list. Make sure Auto Create Rigid Body is
turned on.
2 Create a sphere and position it away from the origin as follows.

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How do I? > Radial field

3 With the sphere selected, choose Fields > Newton > .

4 Select Edit > Reset Settings to use default values, then click Create.
5 In the Attribute Editor, set the Attenuation to 0.
6 Select the sphere, then click the rigid body tab in the Attribute Editor.
In the Initial Settings section, set Initial Velocity Z to 5.

Radial field

A radial field pushes objects away or pulls them toward itself, like a
magnet. See ”Fields > Radial” on page 234.

Turbulence field

A turbulence field causes irregularities in the motion of affected objects.

These irregularities are also called noise or jitter. You can combine
turbulence with other fields to mimic the random motion in fluid or
gaseous mediums such as water and air. See ”Fields > Turbulence” on
page 236.

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How do I? > Uniform field

Soft body before Soft body after

being connected being connected
to turbulence field to turbulence field

Uniform field

A uniform field pushes objects in a uniform direction. See ”Fields >

Uniform” on page 237.

Vortex field

A vortex field pulls objects in a circular or spiraling direction. You can use
this field with particles to create effects such as whirlpools or tornados.
See ”Fields > Vortex” on page 239.

Volume Axis field

The Volume Axis field lets you move particles in various directions in a
volume. The motion imparted on the object is relative to the axis of the
volume.

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Reference > Fields > Air

You can use the Volume Axis field to create effects such as particles
flowing around obstacles, solar flares, mushroom clouds, explosions,
tornadoes, and rocket exhaust.
For example, you can specify the speed at which particles move around
the central axis of a volume. If you use a a cylinder volume shape, this can
create swirling gaseous effects.
The Volume Axis field provides most of the volume speed controls of the
volume emitter in the form of a field, and its attributes work just like the
corresponding volume emitter attributes. You can also invert the
attenuation (see the Invert Attenuation attribute on page 242).
Like the volume emitter, the volume field draws arrows to illustrate the
speed values you have set. These are not manipulators. As with the
emitter, you can turn them off, if you wish. See ”Fields > Volume Axis” on
page 240.

Reference Menus
Dynamics menu set
Fields

Fields > Air

This creates an Air field.

Fields > Air > 

This sets the options when you create an Air field.

Air Field Predefined Settings

Wind
Sets the Air Field attributes to default settings that approximate the
effects of wind. The connected objects increase their velocity until they
match 5 units per frame in an X-axis direction.
Wake
Sets the Air Field attributes to default settings that approximate the
movement of air disrupted and pulled along by a moving object. The
default settings for wake have no effect on the object unless the air
field is moving.

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You can animate the motion of the air field or the object that owns the
air field, or you can parent the air field to a moving object (see
”Example: Creating an air wake from a moving object” on page 220).
If you want the effect of the wake with a stationary air field, set Speed
to a value greater than 0.
Fan
Sets the Air Field attributes to default settings that approximate a local
fan effect. The connected objects move in a 45 degree spread along the
X-axis at 5 units per frame.
By default, the fan air field creates an air pattern similar to this:

Fan air field

Magnitude
Sets the strength of the air field, which sets the speed along the
direction the air is moving. The Magnitude and Direction X, Y, and Z
attributes set the wind velocity.
The larger the number, the stronger the force. You can use a negative
number to reverse the direction of the force.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance. Negative numbers are not
valid.

Note The strength of the air field drops quickly to zero when an object
approaches the Max Distance from the field. For a graphical
representation of how Attenuation affects the strength of a field
with distance, see ”Set field attributes with workspace
manipulators” on page 215.

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Direction X, Y, Z
Specifies the direction the air blows.
Speed
Controls how quickly the connected objects match the velocity of the
air field. If you set Speed to 0, the objects do not move. If you set
Speed to 1, the objects match the velocity of the air field almost
instantaneously.
Inherit Velocity (or Inherit)
When an air field is moving or parented to a moving object, Inherit
Velocity specifies how much the moving air field’s velocity that is
added to the Direction and Magnitude. Use a value from 0 to 1.

Velocity of
moving object
that air field
is parented to.
Effective velocity
with Inherit Velocity
set to 1.

Velocity of air field

Inherit Rotation
If you turn on Inherit Rotation and the air field is rotating or parented
to a rotating object, the air flow undergoes that same rotation. Any
changes in the rotation of the air field changes the direction that the
air field points. This is similar to a rotating fan or air coming from the
mouth of a character whose head is moving. Turning on Inherit
Rotation affects the effective velocity of the air field.
Inherit Rotation is turned on if you turn on the Wind or Fan buttons.
Component Only
If Component Only is off, the air field applies whatever force is
necessary to make the affected object's velocity match the air field's
velocity.
If Component Only is on, the air field applies force only in the
direction specified by the combination of its Direction, Speed, and
Inherit Velocity attributes. Also, no force is applied to slow an object
along that direction; force is applied only to increase the speed.
Only objects moving slower than the air field are affected. Objects
moving faster than the air field continue at that speed.

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Component Only is turned on when you turn on the Wake button.

The option has effect only when Inherit Velocity has a nonzero value.

Air field stops here.

Component Only On Component Only Off

The particles continue in The particles slow
the original direction after down significantly after
the air (wake) field stops. the air field stops.

Spread
Enable Spread
Specifies whether to use the Spread angle. If Enable Spread is turned
on, only connected objects within the area specified by the Spread
setting are affected by the air field. The motion is spread radially
outward in a cone-like shape. If Enable Spread is off, all connected
objects within the Max Distance setting are affected by the air field.
The motion is uniform in direction.
If you set the Magnitude attribute to a negative value when Enable
Spread is turned on, the particles are attracted toward the field center.
You can use this to create an effect where the particles get “sucked
in.”
Spread
Represents the angle from the Direction settings within which objects
are affected by the air field. When Enable Spread is on, the air field
pushes from its point of origin in a cone-like shape.

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Reference > Fields > Air

With a value of 1, any object in front of the air field are blown 180
degrees along the direction vector. With a value of 0, only objects
exactly in front of the air field are blown along the direction vector.
Values between 0 and 1 blow objects in cone-like shape along the
direction vector.

Air (wind) field with

Enable Spread turned on
and Spread set to 0.34.

Tip If you set Spread to 0 and you don’t see your particles move, the
particles are not exactly in front of the air field. Use a Spread
greater than 0.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the air field. Any
connected objects outside the Max Distance are not affected by the air
field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by
the air field regardless of distance.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the air field at which the field is
exerted. You must also turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to
take effect.

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Note Max Distance limits a field’s range of influence. However, if a

field moves an object outside the range of influence, the object
typically continues moving because of momentum.

Special Effects
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.
If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute. Available for object fields only.

Volume shape
Volume determines the region where the field affects particles/rigid
bodies.
Volume
Choose one of None, Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Cone or Torus.
Volume Exclusion
When Volume Exclusion is turned on, the volume defines the region
in space where the field has no effect on particles or rigid bodies.
Volume Offset X, Y, Z
Offsets the volume from the location of the field. If you rotate the
field, you also rotate the offset direction because it operates in local
space.

Note Offsetting the volume changes only the volume’s location (and
therefore, which particles the field affects). It does not change
the actual field location for purposes of computing field force,
attenuation, etc.

Volume Sweep
Defines the extent of rotation for all volumes except cubes. This can be
a value from 0 to 360 degrees.

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Section Radius
Defines the thickness of the solid portion of the torus, relative to the
radius of the torus’s central ring. The radius of the central ring is
determined by the field’s scale. If you scale the field, the Section
Radius will maintain its proportion relative to the central ring.

Fields > Drag

This creates a Drag field.

Fields > Drag > 

This sets the options when you create a Drag field.
Magnitude
Sets the strength of the drag field. The greater the magnitude, the
greater the braking force on the moving object.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance. Available in Attribute Editor
only.
Use Direction
Specifies that the braking force is exerted only against the object’s
velocity that lies along Direction X, Y, Z. Available in Attribute Editor
only.
For example, if you turn on Use Direction and your object is moving
in the same direction as the drag force, the full braking force of the
drag field is applied to it. If the object is moving perpendicular to the
drag force, no braking force is applied. If the object is moving in the
opposite direction, it speeds up.
Direction X, Y, Z
Sets the direction of the drag force’s influence along the X, Y, and Z
axes. You must turn on Use Direction for Direction X, Y, and Z to take
effect.

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Drag field on an emitter

with Use Direction on
and Y Direction set to 1.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the drag field.
Any connected objects outside the Max Distance are not affected by
the drag field. Available in Attribute Editor only.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by
the drag field, no matter how far away they are from the drag field.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the drag field at which the field is
exerted. You must also turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to
take effect. Available in Attribute Editor only.

Volume shape

See ”Volume shape” on page 229.

Special Effects
Available in the Attribute Editor for object fields only.
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.

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Reference > Fields > Gravity

If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute. Available in the Attribute
Editor for object fields only.

Fields > Gravity

This creates a Gravity field.

Fields > Gravity > 

This sets the options when you create a Gravity field.
Magnitude
Sets the strength of the gravity field. The greater the magnitude, the
faster the objects will accelerate in the direction of the gravitational
force.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance.
Direction X, Y, Z
Sets the direction of the gravitational force.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the gravity field.
Any connected objects outside the Max Distance are not affected by
the gravity field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by
the gravity field, no matter how far away they are from the gravity
field.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the gravity field at which the field is
exerted. You must also turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to
take effect. Available in Attribute Editor only.

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Note By default, the gravity field and most other fields have Max
Distance set to a value of -1 and Use Max Distance turned off.
The -1 value for Max Distance has no effect because the Use Max
Distance setting is turned off. If you turn on Use Max Distance,
the -1 value has the same effect as a value of 0—no objects are
affected by the field at any distance.
The -1 value is included for compatibility with previous releases
of Maya. If you turn on Use Max Distance and change the value
of Max Distance, you can enter a positive number only.

Volume shape
See ”Volume shape” on page 229.

Special Effects
Available in the Attribute Editor for object fields only.
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.
If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute.

Fields > Newton

This creates a Newton field.

Fields > Newton > 

This sets the options when you create a Newton field.
Magnitude
Sets the strength of the newton field. The larger the number, the
stronger the force. A positive number pulls objects toward the field. A
negative number pushes objects away.

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Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance.
Min Distance
Sets the minimum distance from the newton field at which the field is
exerted.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the newton field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, connected objects are affected by the
newton field no matter how far away.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the newton field at which the field is
exerted. You must turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take
effect.

Volume shape
See ”Volume shape” on page 229.

Special Effects
Available in the Attribute Editor for object fields only.
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.
If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute.

Fields > Radial

This creates a Radial field.

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Fields > Radial > 

Magnitude
Sets the strength of the radial field. The larger the number, the
stronger the force. A positive number pushes objects away. A negative
number pulls objects toward the field.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases.The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance. Negative numbers are not
valid.
Radial Type
Specifies how the radial field’s effect diminishes with Attenuation. A
value of 1 causes the effect of the radial field to drop quickly to zero
when an object approaches the Max Distance from the field.
A value of 0 causes the effect of the radial field to gradually approach
(but never reach) 0 as it approaches the Max Distance from the field.
Specifically, the force at any position is determined by the ratio of the
distance and Max Distance. If you use a value between 0 and 1, Maya
uses a linear blend between the two attenuation effects.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the radial field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, connected objects are affected by the
radial field no matter how far away.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the radial field that the field is
exerted. You must turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take
effect.

Volume shape
See ”Volume shape” on page 229.

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Reference > Fields > Turbulence

Special Effects
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.
If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute.

Fields > Turbulence

This creates a Newton field.

Fields > Turbulence > 

Magnitude
Sets the strength of the turbulence field. The larger the number, the
stronger the force. You can use positive or negative values to move
the influenced objects in random directions.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance.
Frequency
Sets the frequency of the turbulence field. Higher values cause more
frequent irregularities in the motion.
Phase X, Y, Z
Sets the phase shift of the turbulence field. This determines the
direction of the disruption.
Interpolation Type
Linear specifies a linear interpolation between values in the noise
table. This can create noticeable breaks along lines of force. Quadratic
interpolation creates a smoother look but requires noticeably more
execution time.

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Noise Level
The greater the value, the more irregular the turbulence. The Noise
Level attribute specifies the number of additional lookups you want
done in the noise table. A value of 0 does only one lookup and is
equivalent to previous versions of Maya. The total turbulence value is
a weighted average of the lookups.
Noise Ratio
Specifies the weighting of successive lookups. The weights are
cumulative. For example, if you set Noise Ratio to 0.5, then successive
lookups are weighted 0.5, 0.25, and so on. Noise ratio has no effect if
the Noise Level is set to 0.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the turbulence
field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by
the turbulence field, no matter how far away they are from the
turbulence field.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the turbulence field that the field is
exerted. You must turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take
effect.

Volume shape
See ”Volume shape” on page 229.

Special Effects
Available in the Attribute Editor for object fields only.
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.

Fields > Uniform

This creates a Uniform field.

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Fields > Uniform > 

Magnitude
Sets the strength of the uniform field. The larger the number, the
stronger the force. A positive number pushes the influenced object
away. A negative number pulls the object toward the field.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance.
Direction X, Y, Z
Specifies the direction the uniform field pushes objects.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the uniform field.
Any connected objects outside the Max Distance are not affected by
the uniform field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by
the uniform field, no matter how far away they are from the uniform
field.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the uniform field that the field is
exerted. You must turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take
effect.

Special Effects
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.
If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute.

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Reference > Fields > Vortex

Fields > Vortex

This creates a Vortex field.

Fields > Vortex > 

Magnitude
Sets the strength of the vortex field. The larger the number, the
stronger the force. A positive number moves the influenced object
counterclockwise. A negative number moves the object clockwise.
Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the
affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with
distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0,
the force remains constant over distance.
Axis X, Y, Z
Specifies the axis around which the vortex field exerts its force.

Distance
Use Max Distance
If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area
defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the vortex field.
Any connected objects outside the Max Distance are not affected by
the vortex field.
If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by
the vortex field, no matter how far away they are from the vortex
field.
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance from the vortex field that the field is
exerted. You must turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take
effect.

Volume shape
See ”Volume shape” on page 229.

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Reference > Fields > Volume Axis

Special Effects
Apply Per Vertex
Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply
Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen
object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply
Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the
specified points.
If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section
to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute. Available for object fields only.

Tip If you use a vortex field with a particle object, you can set the
Conserve attribute of the particle object to influence of the
motion. If you set Conserve to 0, the particle object moves in a
circular motion. If you set Conserve greater than 0, you get a
spiraling motion.

Vortex field applied to emitted particles Vortex field applied to emitted

with Conserve set to 0. The particles particles with Conserve set to 0.25.
move in a circle. The particles move in a spiral.

Fields > Volume Axis

This creates a Volume Axis field.

Fields > Volume Axis > 

Magnitude
Specifies the strength of the volume axis field.

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Attenuation
Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes from the central
axis of the volume axis field.
If you set Attenuation to 1, the strength of the field diminishes in a
linear manner from full strength at the central axis to zero strength at
the edge of the volume axis field. Values greater than 1 make the
strength of the field diminish to zero in an exponential manner—the
greater the value, the more rapidly the strength decreases.
A value of 0 makes the strength remain constant from the central axis
of the volume axis field to its edge (see also the “Invert Attenuation”
attribute on page 242).

Distance
Max Distance
Sets the maximum distance at which the field has an effect. You must
also turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take effect.

Note The Max Distance and Attenuation attributes operate in a special

way for the Volume Axis field. For all volume axis shapes except
sphere, distance (for both the Max Distance and Attenuation
attributes) is defined as the distance from the volume’s central
axis to the point.
For cylinder, cone, and cube, the central axis is the positive Y
axis. For torus, the central axis is the ring in the center of the
solid part of the torus. The sphere volume is an exception— it
uses the center point, not the center axis (it works like the other
fields).
This special definition of distance applies only to the Volume
Axis field. It does not apply to other fields even when they are
using volumes.

Volume Control Attributes

Volume Shape
Specifies the closed volume that defines the area in which the volume
axis field affects particles and rigid bodies. You can choose from five
volume shapes: cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, and torus.
The implicit shape of the volume axis field is displayed on the screen.
You can move, rotate, scale, or shear the field.

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Note You can’t deform the volume or use an arbitrary volume.

Volume Offset X, Y, Z
Offsets the volume axis field from the actual location of the field.
Volume Sweep
Defines the extent of the rotation for all volume shapes except cube.
This can be a value from 0 to 360 degrees.
Section Radius
Defines the thickness of the solid portion of a torus volume shape.

Section Radius

Volume Speed Attributes

Invert Attenuation
When you turn on Invert Attenuation and you have Attenuation set to
a value greater than 0, the strength of the volume axis field is
strongest at the edge of the volume and diminishes to 0 at the central
axis of the volume axis field (see also the Attenuation attribute on
page 241).

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Reference > Fields > Volume Axis

Cylinder volume axis field with the Cylinder volume axis field with the
Attenuation set to 2 and Invert Attenuation set to 2 and Invert
Attenuation turned off. Notice the Attenuation turned on. Notice the
particles are moving faster in the particles are moving faster along the
center of the cylinder. edge of the cylinder.

Away From Center

Specifies the speed at which particles move away from the center
point of cube or sphere volumes. You can use this attribute to create
explosive effects.
Away From Axis
Specifies the speed at which particles move away from the central axis
of cylinder, cone, or torus volumes. For torus, the central axis is the
ring in the center of the solid part of the torus.
Along Axis
Specifies the speed at which particles move along the central axis of
all volumes.
Around Axis
Specifies the speed at which particles move around the central axis of
all volumes. When used in conjunction with a cylinder volume shape,
this attribute can create swirling gaseous effects.
Directional Speed
Adds speed in the direction specified by the Direction XYZ attributes
of all volumes.
Direction X, Y, Z
Moves particles in the directions specified by the X, Y, and Z axes.

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Tip When working with volumes, it’s sometimes useful to set the
Conserve attribute to 0 in the particle shape. This keeps the
particles within the volume. Particles will not exit the volume
unless other forces act on them to make them do so. Also, see
”Keep particles inside the volume” on page 214.

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4 Soft and Rigid
Bodies
About Dynamics
Soft bodies

Soft bodies
You can recreate a geometric object as a flexible object called a soft
body. You can use various animation techniques to make the soft
body bend, ripple, and bulge like soft objects in nature.

This flag is a soft body with the Soft body flag created by Rob Tesdahl
influence of turbulence, gravity,
and per particle goal weights.

When you make a soft body from geometry or a lattice, Maya creates
a corresponding particle object. The particle object is indented under
the geometry in the Outliner. The combination of the geometry and
particles is a soft body.
The particle object has one particle for each CV or vertex in the
geometry. For a polygonal object, the particles exist at the vertices. For
a NURBS object, the particles exist at the CVs and are visible in the
workspace.

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About > Rigid bodies

When a field, collision, or expression moves the particles, the

corresponding CVs or vertices move in response to the movement of
the counterpart particles. You do not render the particles; they exist
only so you can influence the geometry with dynamics. You render
the geometry (see ”Render soft bodies with motion blur” on page 252
for additional information).
Because a soft body includes a particle object, it has the same static
and dynamic attributes as a particle object. You can set these
attributes the same as for other particle objects.
You can make the soft body trail or move towards a goal object made
from the original or duplicate geometry. Using the Paint Soft Body
Weights Tool, you can set goal weights on a soft body on a per
particle basis by painting on the soft body surface (see ”Paint Soft
Body Weights Tool” on page 253).
You can create springs on a soft body to alter its deformations and
resilience. If you select only the soft body and create the springs, the
springs exist between its particles. You can also create springs
between the soft body particles and other particle objects or geometry.
See ”Springs” on page 249.
Note also that you can emit particles from the soft body’s surface or
particles. Select the appropriate item before you use Particles > Create
Emitter. Emitting from the particles is the same as emitting from its
CVs. See ”Emitters” on page 19.

Rigid bodies

Rigid bodies
A rigid body is a polygonal or NURBS surface converted to an unyielding
shape. Unlike conventional surfaces, rigid bodies collide rather than pass
through each other during animation. To animate rigid body motion, you
use fields, keys, expressions, rigid body constraints, or collisions with
particles.

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About > Rigid bodies

Rigid body collision created by Chris Ford

Maya has two kinds of rigid bodies—active and passive. An active rigid
body reacts to dynamics—fields, collisions, and springs—not to keys. A
passive rigid body can have active rigid bodies collide with it. You can key
its Translate and Rotate attributes, but dynamics have no effect on it.
For instance, to bounce a ball on a floor, you would make the ball an
active rigid body because it needs to fall with gravity and rebound after
colliding with the floor. You would make the floor a passive rigid body so
it doesn’t careen away from the ball when the ball bounces off it.
Dynamic animation of rigid bodies is controlled by a Maya component
called a rigid body solver. Dynamic animation of rigid bodies is motion
created by fields and collisions.

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About > Rigid body constraints

Note • You can create only one rigid body per object or object
group.
• Only one side of a rigid body surface can collide—the side
with normals facing outward. Error messages occur if rigid
bodies penetrate each other.
• Do not animate the scale or other deformations of a rigid
body.
• A curve cannot be a rigid body.
• A subdivision surface cannot be a rigid body.
• You can make a rigid body collide inside another. Place the
object inside the other object, reverse the normals or surface
of the outer object, then animate the inner object in an
outward direction.
• When you key a passive rigid body’s Translate and Rotate
attributes, the Time Slider doesn’t show key markers. Use
the Graph Editor to see the keys. You cannot remove keys on
these attributes with the usual techniques. See ”Warning
when you delete rigid body connections” on page 284.
• With rigid bodies, avoid using the Edit > Duplicate menu
item with Duplicate Input Connections or Duplicate Input
Graph. Use the Dynamics Relationship Editor to connect the
duplicate rigid body and fields.

Rigid body constraints

Rigid body constraints

Rigid body constraints restrict the motion of rigid bodies. The constraints
simulate the behavior of real-world items you’re familiar with: pins, nails,
barriers, hinges, and springs.
You can constrain rigid bodies to a position in your scene or to other rigid
bodies. If you create a constraint on an object, Maya automatically makes
the object a rigid body.

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About > Springs

Newton’s pendulum by Tristan Ikuta

Rigid body constraints restrict
the motion of the balls.

This chapter describes how to work with rigid body constraints. For
details on error messages that may occur as you work with rigid body
constraints, see ”Fix rigid body problems” on page 282.

Springs

Springs
You can add springs to a soft body’s particles to give the soft body
internal structure and improve your deformation control. You can also
add springs to regular particles to give them reactive, interconnected
motion. The number of springs and their stiffness alters the effect of the
springs.

Springs on the soft body cube cause it

to flex when it collides with the floor.

You can create springs between particles and:

• CVs or vertices of soft bodies

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4 | Soft and Rigid Bodies
About > Springs

• CVs of curves or surfaces

• vertices of polygonal objects
• lattice points
• other particles
At least one of the endpoints of each spring must be a particle (or soft
body particle). If one of the endpoints is not a particle, the spring does not
affect the endpoint’s motion, but the endpoint’s motion affects the spring.

Particles

Springs

CVs

These springs connect selected

particles of a particle grid to selected
CVs of a torus.

You can create springs on specific object components. For example, you
can select a pair of particles from different objects and create springs on
just those particles.

Object 2

Springs

Object 1

You can also create springs on emitted particles. This provides a cohesive
mass of particles, for example, a gas cloud.

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 4 | Soft and Rigid Bodies
How do I? > Create soft bodies

The springs on these emitted particles

give them a cohesive, interactive motion.

How do I? Create dynamic effects

Create soft bodies

Create soft bodies

You can create soft bodies from:
• polygonal surfaces
• NURBS curves and surfaces, including curves for IK splines and wires
• lattices
You cannot make soft bodies from:
• IK skeletons
• anything in the underworld of a shape, such as a curve-on-surface
• trimmed NURBS surfaces, unless you convert them to polygons first

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How do I? > Duplicate soft bodies

Tips The more CVs or vertices the original geometry has, the more
deformations that occur when you apply dynamics to the
resulting soft body. For instance, applying a field to a polygonal
cube with eight vertices per face causes less bulge and wiggle
than one with 16 vertices per face.

To create a soft body

1 Select the object you want to make a soft body.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 Set the options in the Soft Body Options window. See ”Soft/Rigid
Bodies > Create Soft Body” on page 297.

Duplicate soft bodies

You can duplicate a soft body to create a new soft body with the same
attributes as the original.

To duplicate a soft body

1 Select the soft body.
2 Select Edit > Duplicate >  to display the options window.
3 In the options window, turn on Duplicate Input Graph and click the
Duplicate button.

Render soft bodies with motion blur

Because a soft body includes a particle object, special circumstances
arise when you render the soft bodies with motion blur. See Rendering
for more information on rendering.

To render soft bodies with motion blur

1 In the Attribute Editor for the soft body geometry, turn on Motion
Blur in the Render Stats.
2 In the Render Globals Window, turn on Motion Blur.
3 Do one of the following:
• Set the Blur by Frame in the Render Globals window to 1.
• Select Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache to create a particle disk
cache before rendering (see ”Use particle disk caching” on
page 379.

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How do I? > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool

Paint Soft Body Weights Tool

Paint particle goal weights on soft bodies
Using the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool, you can set goal weights on a
soft body on a per particle basis by painting on the soft body surface.
The tool provides color feedback so you know which parts of the soft
body have particles with different goal weights. Weights display as a
range of grayscale values, with a weight of 1 displaying as white and
0 as black.

To paint goal weights on a soft body

1 Select the soft body you want to paint goal weights on. The soft body
must have been created with goal weights. For information on
creating soft bodies with goal weights, see the option description for
”Make Non-Soft a Goal” on page 300.
2 Select the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool and open the Tool Settings
editor (Soft/Rigid Bodies > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool > ).
The Paint Soft Body Weights Tool automatically detects the soft body
and goalPP attributes and selects the soft body for painting.

Tip You can select the soft body for painting without opening the
Tool Settings window by right-clicking the soft body and
selecting the particle node from the Paint command submenu.

3 Check that Color Feedback is turned on in the Display section of the

Tool Settings editor. Color feedback helps you identify the weights on
the surface by representing them as grayscale values (smaller values
are darker, larger values are lighter).

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How do I? > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool

Tip You can use the default hotkey Alt + c (Linux, IRIX, and
Windows) or Option-c (Mac OS X) to turn Color Feedback on
and off outside the Tools Settings Editor.

4 Select a brush, paint operation, and value and define other settings as
required. See ee ”Soft/Rigid Bodies > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool”
on page 303.
5 Drag the brush across the soft body.

Flooding soft body goal weights

Flooding soft body goal weights is like taking a huge brush and applying
its settings to all the particles on the soft body. When you flood a soft
body, Maya changes the goal weight of each particle on the soft body
according to the value and operation set for the Paint Soft Body Weights
Tool.
To flood a soft body, follow the steps under ”To paint goal weights on a
soft body” on page 253, but instead of painting in step 5, click the Flood
button or use the hotkey Alt + f (Windows, IRIX, and Linux) or Option+f
(Mac OS X).

Tip To smooth the transition between goal weights on a soft body,

select the Smooth paint operation and flood the soft body.

Before Smooth Flood After Smooth Flood

Map soft body goal weights

Using the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool you can map particle attribute
values onto a surface. The tool applies the mapped values to the soft body
particle goal weights. For details on mapping, see Map attributes in the
Paint Effects, Artisan, and 3D Paint guide.

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Paint soft body goal weight values on restricted areas

When you paint goal weights over selected vertices on a soft body, your
strokes are applied only to the goal weights for the particles
corresponding with the selected vertices. In effect, the unselected vertices
act as a mask, where only selected vertices are affected by any weight
painting or flooding you do.
Before defining the restricted area you must first create the soft body. For
details on restricting the paint area surfaces, see “Restrict an area for
painting” in the Paint Effects, Artisan, and 3D Paint guide.

Paint Soft Body Weights Tool settings

See ”Soft/Rigid Bodies > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool” on page 303. For
details on Brush, Stroke, Stylus Pressure, Attribute Maps, and Display
settings, see “Common Artisan Brush Tool Settings” in the Paint Effects,
Artisan, and 3D Paint guide.

Tip You can define hotkey combinations to change most of the

settings without opening the Tool Settings editor. For details on
setting hotkey combinations, see Define Artisan hotkeys in the
Paint Effects, Artisan, and 3D Paint guide.

Special uses of soft bodies

This section suggests ways to use soft bodies with other Maya
features. For details on the features themselves, see the applicable
documentation.

Make a skin a soft body

A skin is geometry that deforms with the movement of a skeleton.
You can make the skin a soft body to cause it to jiggle with the
movement of the skeleton.

To make a skin a soft body

1 Select the skin.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 From the Creation Options menu, select Duplicate, Make Copy Soft.
4 Turn on Hide Non-Soft Object and Make Non-Soft a Goal.
5 Set Weight less than 1.
The lower the Weight, the more the skin jiggles.

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6 Click the Create button.

7 To increase jiggle in certain areas, add per particle goal weights to the
soft body and decrease the goal weights in those areas. See ”Setting
goal weight on a per object basis” on page 108 for details.

Make a lattice a soft body

To add an overall jiggle to an object, you can add a lattice to it and
make the lattice a soft body. When the lattice is a soft body, it is
affected by fields. The lattice deforms the object according to the field
affecting it.
By making the lattice a soft body rather than the object itself, Maya
calculates dynamics faster. Also, it is easier for you to add springs to a
lattice than to complex geometry.

Tip If you are going to use the lattice as a collision object, match the
size of the lattice closely to the size of the object’s bounding box.

To make a lattice a soft body

1 Select the lattice.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 From the Creation Options menu, select Make Soft.
4 Click the Create button.
5 Connect the soft body to the field you want to use to deform the
object.

Make a wire a soft body

A wire is a curve that deforms an object. If you make a wire a soft
body, you can connect it to fields to deform it.

To make a wire a soft body

1 Select the wire.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 From the Creation Options menu, select Make Soft.
4 Click the Create button.
5 Connect the soft body to the field you want to use to deform the
object.

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Make an IK spline curve a soft body

An IK spline curve is a curve that controls a skeleton. If you make an
IK spline curve a soft body, you can use fields to affect its motion.

To make an IK spline curve a soft body

1 Select the IK spline curve.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 From the Creation Options menu, select Make Soft.
4 Click the Create button.
5 Connect the soft body to the field you want to use to deform the
motion.

Make a motion path a soft body

A motion path is a curve that controls the motion of an object. If you
make a motion path a soft body, you can connect it to fields to change
the motion.

To make a motion path a soft body

1 Select the motion path.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 From the Creation Options menu, select Make Soft.
4 Click the Create button.
5 Connect the soft body to the field you want to use to deform the
motion.

Make a model from a soft body

If you make an object a soft body, you can use fields or expressions to
deform the object, then duplicate the deformed object at a frame to
create a new object.

To make a model from a soft body:

1 Select the object.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body >  to display the options
window.
3 From the Creation Options menu, select Make Soft.
4 Use a field or expression to deform the soft body.

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5 Play the animation and stop it when the soft body is deformed as
desired.
6 Select the soft body.
7 Select Edit > Duplicate >  to display the options window.
8 In the options window, turn off Duplicate Input Graph and turn off
Duplicate Input Connections, then click the Duplicate button.
The copy is a snapshot of the soft body at the current frame.
9 In the Outliner, delete the particle object indented under the copy.
You can continue to adjust the field or expression to make additional
copies.

Use attributes for advanced applications

The following soft body attributes are for API developers and other
advanced users:
• Enforce Count From History
• Input Geom Space
• Target Geom Space
The attributes are available in the Soft Body Attributes section of the
Attribute Editor when you select the particle object of the soft body.

To emit a soft body into view

1 Set the Lifespan Mode to Constant and the lifespan of the emitted
particles to 0.
2 Play the animation to remove the particles and soft body geometry.
3 Select the particles and choose Solvers > Initial State > Set For
Selected.
4 Turn off Enforce Count From History.
5 Set the lifespan of the particles to some positive value so they don’t
die immediately.
When Maya updates the number of particles, any springs that you
previously applied to the particles will no longer work as before.
You’ll need to create new springs. If you wrote an expression that uses
the value of the particle object’s particleId attribute, you’ll need to
rewrite the expression.
To avoid unexpected results, do not animate the original geometry’s
construction history in a way that alters the number of CVs, vertices,
or lattice points over time. You can edit, but not animate, the
construction history.
Enforce Count From History is turned on by default.

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Note In the following explanations, the term world space transformation

refers to the values Maya uses internally to calculate an object’s
translate, rotate, scale, and shear in world space. The term points
refers to CVs, vertices, or lattice points.

Create rigid bodies

Create rigid bodies

You can create a passive or active rigid body from an object or hierarchy
of objects. To have multiple objects react as one rigid body, you must
create a rigid body from a hierarchy of objects. By default, Maya
automatically makes an object an active rigid body when you connect it to
a field.

To create a rigid body from a single object

1 Select the object.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body.
• Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Passive Rigid Body.
A rigid body is created with default settings. See ”Edit attributes
of a rigid body” on page 260.

To create a rigid body from several objects

1 Group the NURBS or polygonal objects under a parent node.
For instance, select the objects and select Edit > Group.
2 Select the group node.
3 Do one of the following:
• Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body.
• Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Passive Rigid Body.
A single rigid body is created for the group with default settings.
See ”Edit attributes of a rigid body” on page 260.

To turn off automatic creation of rigid bodies

1 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences.
2 Click Dynamics in the Categories list.

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3 Turn off Auto Create Rigid Body.

To delete a rigid body

1 Select the rigid body (or parent group node).
2 Select Edit > Delete by Type > Rigid Bodies.

To delete all rigid bodies in a scene

• Select Edit > Delete All by Type > Rigid Bodies.

Create rigid bodies from trimmed surfaces

If you’ve trimmed a NURBS surface and made it a rigid body, unwanted
collisions might occur on the trimmed part. To prevent this, you can either
convert the NURBS surface to polygons or delete the construction history
before making it a rigid body. For information on how to convert NURBS
to polygons, see the Polygon Modeling guide.

Create rigid bodies from objects with deformer, skin

or flexor
If you create a rigid body from an object that has a deformer, skin, or
flexor applied to it, Maya applies the rigid body to the original,
undeformed object that is hidden when you apply the deformer. When the
rigid body collides, it might seem to do so at the wrong time or wrong
part of its surface.
For example, suppose you animate an active rigid body sphere bulging
from a lattice deformation. The bulging area penetrates rather than
collides with a nearby passive rigid body cube. You won’t see a collision
until the original, undeformed part of the sphere moves against the cube.

Edit attributes of a rigid body

You can set rigid body attributes before or after you create the rigid body.

To set rigid body options before you create the emitter

1 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body >  or Create
Passive Rigid Body >  to display the options window.
The same options window is displayed for both menu selections.
2 Set the attributes described in the following pages.
3 Select the objects you want to make rigid and click the Create button.

To edit attributes after you create the rigid body

1 Select the rigid body.

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To select the rigid body in the workspace, select the x-shaped icon that
exists near the surface. To select the rigid body in the Outliner, select
Display > Shapes in the Outliner, open the surface node, and select the
indented rigid body node.
2 Open the Attribute Editor and set the attributes.

Notes For many attributes, you can enter values that exceed the default
slider range by typing the value in the text box.
If you change attributes, rewind to ensure correct animation.

Edit attributes of a rigid body solver

Dynamic animation of rigid bodies and rigid body constraints is
controlled by a Maya component called a rigid body solver. Dynamic
animation of rigid bodies refers to motion created by fields and collisions.
You can change attributes of the rigid body solver to adjust aspects of the
dynamic animation.

To edit the rigid body solver attributes

1 Select Solvers > Rigid Body Solver.

Note If you’ve created multiple solvers, first select the solver from the
list in Solvers > Current Rigid Solver >. For details on multiple
solvers, see ”Segregate collisions with multiple solvers” on
page 265.

The Attribute Editor is displayed with the rigid body solver attributes.
2 Set the Rigid Solver attributes.

Control complex motion and forces

The following sections describe techniques for controlling complex motion
and forces, including,
• ”Keying impulses to rigid bodies” on page 261
• ”Combine rigid body dynamics and keys” on page 262
• ”Get data on velocity, forces, and collisions” on page 264

Keying impulses to rigid bodies

You can key an impulse on and off to instantaneously change a rigid
body’s velocity, for instance, when a bat hits a baseball.

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How do I? > Control complex motion and forces

To key the impulse

1 Select the rigid body.
2 At the first frame of the animation, use the Attribute Editor to key the
Impulse X, Y, Z and Spin Impulse X, Y, Z to 0, 0, 0.
3 Go to the frame where you want the impulse.
4 Key new values for the Impulse X, Y, Z and Spin Impulse X, Y, Z.
5 Go to the frame after the one where you keyed the attributes.
6 Key Impulse X, Y, Z and Spin Impulse X, Y, Z to 0, 0, 0.
7 Set the tangents of all keys to stepped in the Graph Editor or Time
Slider.
For example, select a keyframe in the Time Slider, select the attributes
in the Channel Box, then right-click the Time Slider and select
Tangents > Stepped. Repeat this for each keyframe.

Combine rigid body dynamics and keys

When a rigid body is passive, you can animate it by keying its Translate
and Rotate attributes. When the rigid body is active, you can animate it
with dynamics, specifically fields and collisions. Sometimes you’ll want to
use a combination of keys and dynamics. For instance, you can roll a ball
off a table with keys then cause the ball to fall with gravity.

Motion from keys Motion from keys plus gravity.

The ball retains the rolling motion
it had immediately before control
switched from keys to dynamics.

To use dynamics after keys

1 Select the object.

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2 Key the object’s Translate and Rotate attributes to give the object
motion.
3 At the first frame of keyed motion, select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set
Passive Key.
This keys the Active attribute to the off setting and keys the object’s
current Translate and Rotate attribute values.
4 At the first frame where you want the dynamics to have control, select
Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Active Key.
This keys the Active attribute to the on setting and keys the object’s
current Translate and Rotate attribute values.
5 Apply the dynamics to the object.
At a subsequent frame, you can switch control from dynamics to
Translate and Rotate keys by selecting Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Passive
Key.

To use keys after dynamics

1 Select the object.
2 Make the object a rigid body and use dynamics to control its motion.
3 At the first frame where dynamics control the motion, select Soft/
Rigid Bodies > Set Active Key.
This keys the Active attribute to the on setting and keys the object’s
current Translate and Rotate attribute values.
4 At the first frame where you want the Translate and Rotate keys to
have control, select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Passive Key.
This keys the Active attribute to the off setting and keys the object’s
current Translate and Rotate attribute values.
5 Set keys to control the motion.
At a subsequent frame, you can switch control from Translate and
Rotate keys to dynamics by selecting Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Active
Key.

Tip When you animate rigid body motion with dynamics after keys,
the velocity that exists immediately before the switch to
dynamics is added to the dynamic motion. When you animate
rigid body motion with dynamics followed by keys, the rigid
body adopts the keyed position immediately when you switch to
keys. The prior dynamic velocity is not added to the keyed
motion.

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Get data on velocity, forces, and collisions

A rigid body has read-only attributes that contain its current velocity and
any forces and collisions applied to it. This section describes these
attributes.

Force, velocity, spin, and torque attributes

When you select a rigid body, the Attribute Editor shows the current X, Y,
and Z component values for Velocity, Spin, Force, and Torque. You can
also query these attributes in MEL commands or expressions by using the
attribute names in the following table.

Example runtime expression

print (velocityX + "\n");
This displays the contents of velocityX in the Script Editor each frame.

Contact attributes
A rigid body has read-only attributes that contain data on the contact
made with it during collisions. You can query the attributes in MEL
commands or expressions by using the attribute names in the table that
follows.
To accumulate data in these attributes, select the solver that controls the
rigid body, display the Rigid Solver States section of the Attribute Editor,
then turn on Contact Data attribute. The attribute values are zeroed out
each time you turn on Contact Data. Turning on Contact Data slows
playback.

Example runtime expression

print (rigidBody1.contactCount +"\n");
This displays the number of contacts each frame.

Convert rigid body animation to keys

You can convert an active rigid body’s dynamic animation to keys, a
process known as baking the simulation. This is useful if you want to
adjust an active rigid body’s motion at certain frames by altering keyed
values.

To convert an active rigid body’s dynamic animation to keys

1 Create the rigid body’s dynamic animation.
2 Select the active rigid bodies for which you want to bake the
simulation. If a rigid body is a hierarchy of objects made into a single
rigid body, select the parent transform node of the hierarchy.

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3 Select Edit > Keys > Bake Simulation >  to display the options
window.
4 If you are baking rigid bodies that exist in a hierarchy, turn on the
Below setting for Hierarchy. If the rigid bodies are not in a hierarchy,
turn on Selected.
5 For the Channels setting, turn on From Channel Box.
This creates keys only for the attributes you select in the Channel Box.
You’ll select the attributes in a subsequent step.
6 For Time Range, turn on one of the following:
• Time Slider to convert the entire frame range.
• Start/End to specify a Start Time and End Time.
7 For the Sample By option, enter the frame increment by which you
want to create keys.
For example, if you leave it set to the default setting of 1, a key is
created at every frame.
8 Turn on Disable Implicit Control.
9 Select the Translate and Rotate attributes in the Channel Box.
This selects the Translate and Rotate attributes of all selected rigid
bodies.
10 Click Bake.
Maya creates the keys.

Tips Use the Graph Editor to simplify the animation curves created
when you bake the simulation. See Animation for details.
Simplifying the curves reduces the number of keys, which eases
your ability to edit the animation. If you simplify the curve too
much, you might alter the motion of the rigid body.
If you bake the simulation for a rigid body, you no longer need
the object’s rigid body node. You can remove such nodes to
speed scene processing.

Segregate collisions with multiple solvers

You can create multiple solvers, one for each collection of colliding
objects. By using the same solver only for objects that collide with each
other, each rigid body solver avoids tracking the presence of unnecessary
objects and therefore uses less processing time.

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The ball and cones collide together, but they

don’t collide with the torus and cylinders.
Processing time is saved by using two solvers,
one for the ball and cones, and one for the torus
and cylinders.

When you create the first rigid body in a scene, Maya creates a rigid body
solver that controls that rigid body and all others you create thereafter
unless you create a different solver. If you create a different solver, it
controls rigid bodies you create thereafter. Each solver has its own
independent attributes that affect the behavior of the rigid bodies it
controls. Note that you can connect a field to any rigid bodies, regardless
of the solver.

To create a new solver

• Select Solvers > Create Rigid Body Solver.
The Solver receives a default name such as rigidSolver1. The name
appears at the bottom of the list displayed when you select
Solvers > Current Rigid Solver > rigidSolver#.

To assign a rigid body to a solver

1 Select the solver from the list in Solvers > Current Rigid Solver >
rigidSolver#.
2 Create the rigid body.
The rigid body is controlled by the solver selected in the prior step.
For example, if you select rigidSolver3 then make a sphere an active
rigid body, the sphere is controlled by rigidSolver3.

To move rigid bodies to a different solver

1 Select the rigid bodies.
2 In the Command Line or Script Editor, enter this command:

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rigidBody -edit -solver solverName

where solverName is the name of the solver to be used by the rigid

bodies.

Work with rigid body constraints

Create a Nail constraint

A Nail constraint nails a single active rigid body to a position in the
workspace. It works as if a solid bar connects the rigid body to the
constraint position. You cannot use a Nail constraint on a passive rigid
body.
If you animate an active rigid body with a field such as gravity, you can
use a Nail constraint to create effects such as a ball swinging from a cord.

To create a Nail constraint

1 Select the active rigid body you want to constrain.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint >  to display the
options window.
3 For the Constraint Type, select Nail.
4 Turn on Set Initial Position and enter X, Y, and Z values for the nail
position.
If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position, Maya puts the constraint at
the rigid body’s center of mass.
5 Click Create in the Constraint Options window.
To alter the constraint after creation, see ”Edit constraints” on
page 273.

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How do I? > Create a Pin constraint

Create a Pin constraint

A Pin constraint links two rigid bodies at a specified position. It works as
if the two objects are connected by a metal pin with a ball joint between its
ends. You can use a Pin constraint to create effects such as a link in a chain
or a robotic arm. You can pin together two active rigid bodies or an active
and a passive rigid body

To create a Pin constraint

1 Select the two rigid bodies you want to constrain.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint >  to display the
options window.
3 For the Constraint Type, select Pin.
4 If you want the rigid bodies to penetrate each other rather than collide
upon contact, turn on Interpenetrate.
If you turn on Interpenetrate, animation playback is faster.
5 If you want to specify the constraint’s initial position, turn on Set
Initial Position and enter X, Y, and Z values for the position.
If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position, a Pin constraint is created at
the midpoint between the two rigid bodies. It extends from one rigid
body’s center of mass to the other’s center of mass.
6 Click Create in the Constraint Options window.
To alter the constraint after creation, see ”Edit constraints” on
page 273.

Initial position

Pin constraint
created with Set
Initial Position
turned off.

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How do I? > Create a Hinge constraint

Initial position

Pin constraint
created with Set
Initial Position set
to 0, 3, 0.

Create a Hinge constraint

A Hinge constraint constrains rigid bodies along a specified axis by a
hinge. You can use a Hinge constraint to create effects such as a door on a
hinge, a link connecting train cars, or a pendulum of a clock. You can
create a hinge constraint between:
• one active or passive rigid body and a position in the workspace.
• two active rigid bodies.
• an active and passive rigid body.
The Hinge constraint is able to react to forces. Its axis rotates when torque
is applied, which gives it a realistic look when your hinge is flying
through the air or bouncing against other rigid bodies.

To create a Hinge constraint

1 Select the one or two rigid bodies you want to constrain.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint >  to display the
options window.
3 For the Constraint Type, select Hinge.
4 If you are constraining two rigid bodies and want them to penetrate
each other rather than collide upon contact, turn on Interpenetrate.
If you turn on Interpenetrate, playback of rigid body animation is
faster.
5 Turn on Set Initial Position and enter X, Y, and Z values for the
position.

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If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position when you constrain a single
rigid body to a position, the Hinge constraint is created at the rigid
body’s center of mass.
If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position when you constrain a pair of
rigid bodies, the constraint is created at the midpoint between their
centers of mass.
Though a passive rigid body has a center of mass that Maya uses for
default positioning of Hinge constraints, Maya doesn’t use the center
of mass in dynamic calculations of passive rigid bodies.

Tip After you create the constraint, you can use the Move and Rotate
tools to change its position and orientation conveniently in the
workspace.

6 To set the initial orientation of the constraint axis, enter X, Y, and Z

values in degrees for the Initial Orientation.
By default, the hinge constraint lies parallel to the world space Z-axis.
7 Click Create in the Constraint Options window.
To alter the constraint after creation, see ”Edit constraints” on
page 273.

Direction of Motion

The Initial Orientation of this Hinge The Initial Orientation of this Hinge
constraint is along the X-axis. This constraint is along the Z-axis. The rigid
orients the hinge parallel to the body can swing like a pendulum
direction of the motion of the rigid around the Z-axis.
body. The rigid body does not swing.

Tip You can make a directional hinge, which always maintains the
direction of its axis. This is how the original hinge constraint
worked prior to Maya 4.5. After you create the hinge constraint,
set the Constraint type to directionalHinge in the Attribute
Editor or Channel Box.

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How do I? > Create a Spring constraint

Create a Spring constraint

A Spring constraint simulates an elastic cord. You can use a Spring
constraint to create effects such as a man bungee-jumping off a building.
You can create a spring constraint between:
• one active or passive rigid body and a position in the workspace.
• two active rigid bodies.
• an active and passive rigid body.

To create a Spring constraint

1 Select the one or two rigid bodies you want to constrain.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint >  to display the
options window.
3 For the Constraint Type, select Spring.
4 If you are constraining two rigid bodies and want them to penetrate
each other rather than collide upon contact, turn on Interpenetrate.
If you turn on Interpenetrate, playback of rigid body animation is
faster.
5 If you’re using a Spring constraint on a single rigid body, turn on Set
Initial Position and enter X, Y, and Z values for the constraint’s
position.
If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position when you constrain a single
rigid body to a position, the Spring is created at the rigid body’s
center of mass.
If you create a Spring constraint for two rigid bodies, the constraint
will extend from one center of mass to the other. The Set Initial
Position option is invalid for Spring constraints between two rigid
bodies.
Though a passive rigid body has a center of mass that Maya uses for
default positioning of Spring constraints, Maya doesn’t use the center
of mass in dynamic calculations of passive rigid bodies.
6 To set the attributes of the Spring, open the Spring Attributes section
of the Constraint Options window.
7 Click Create in the Constraint Options window.
To alter the constraint after creation, see ”Edit constraints” on
page 273.

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How do I? > Create a Barrier constraint

Create a Barrier constraint

A Barrier constraint creates an infinite barrier plane beyond which the
center of mass of the rigid body will not move. You can use a Barrier
constraint to create objects that block other objects, for instance, a wall or
floor.
You can save processing time by using this type of constraint in place of a
collision effect. However, objects will deflect but not bounce off the plane.
To constrain multiple objects, you must create a Barrier constraint for each
object.
This constraint works only with a single active rigid body; it does not
constrain a passive rigid body.

To create a Barrier constraint

1 Select the rigid body you want to constrain.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint >  to display the
options window.
3 For the Constraint Type, select Barrier.
4 Turn on Set Initial Position and enter X, Y, and Z values for the Initial
Position of any position on the plane. The position is irrelevant
because the Barrier is an infinite plane.
If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position, the Barrier plane is created at
the origin and connected to the center of mass of the selected rigid
body. The barrier plane is oriented on the XZ plane.
5 If you want to set the initial orientation of the barrier plane, enter X, Y,
and Z values (in degrees, by default) for Initial Orientation.
For more information, search the online help for By default, the Barrier
constraint is oriented on the XZ plane.

Tip After you create the constraint, you can use the Move and Rotate
tools to change its position and orientation conveniently in the
workspace.

6 Click Create in the Constraint Options window.

An square icon appears in the workspace at the Barrier plane position.
A perpendicular line sticking up from the Barrier plane icon indicates
the normal direction of the plane surface. Only this side of the surface
constrains the rigid body.
To alter the constraint after creation, see ”Edit constraints” on
page 273.

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This line is the Barrier normal.

The rigid body is constrained
only on this side.

Barrier constraint with Barrier constraint with

Initial Orientation 0, 0, 0. Initial Orientation 0, 0, 60.

Edit constraints
After you create a constraint, Maya creates a constraint named for the type
of constraint. For example, rigidNailConstraint1 is the default name given
to a Nail constraint. To adjust a constraint’s attributes in the Attribute
Editor, you must first select the constraint in the Outliner or the constraint
icon in the workspace.

Example constraint icon

Note The Rigid Constraint Attributes section of the Attribute Editor

displays read-only Force and Solver Id attributes. The Force
shows the X, Y, and Z components of the current force pulling
towards one or both objects connected to the constraint. The
Solver Id is the constraint index number the solver uses to
calculate dynamics for this constraint. You can query the value
of these attributes in expressions and MEL commands.

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How do I? > Edit constraints

Adjust the initial position and orientation

You can adjust the initial position of all rigid body constraints. You can
adjust the initial orientation of only Hinge and Barrier constraints.

To adjust a constraint’s position

• Do one of the following:
• Use the Move tool to drag the constraint icon.
• In the Rigid Constraint Attributes section of the Attribute Editor,
enter X, Y, and Z values for Initial Position.

Tip If you move a constraint in a frame other than the starting frame,
rewind to make the constraint animate properly.

To adjust a Hinge or Barrier constraint’s initial orientation:

• Do one of the following
• Use the Rotate tool to rotate the initial orientation icon.
• In the Rigid Constraint Attributes section of the Attribute Editor,
enter X, Y, and Z values for Initial Orientation.

Change or turning off the constraint type

You can change the constraint type or turn a constraint off or on after you
create it. Before you change the constraint type, be aware of these issues:
• You cannot change a single-body constraint to a dual-body constraint.
• If you change the constraint type, the constraint name doesn’t change.
• A Nail or Barrier constraint cannot constrain a passive rigid body.
• You cannot constrain two passive rigid bodies to each other.

To change the constraint type

• In the Rigid Constraint Attributes section of the Attribute Editor,
select the constraint type from the Constraint Type menu.

To turn a constraint off (or on)

• In the Constraint Control section of the Attribute Editor, set these
attributes:
Constrain
Turns a constraint on or off.

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How do I? > Edit constraints

Relative To
For a constraint between a pair of rigid bodies, this lets you choose
where Maya recreates a constraint after you turn it on again. Your
choices follow:
Body 1 Recreates the constraint at the original distance and
orientation from the first of the two rigid bodies you
selected when you created the constraint.
Body 2 Recreates the constraint at the original distance and
orientation from the second of the two rigid bodies
you selected when you created the constraint.
Mid Point Recreates the constraint at the midpoint between the
two rigid bodies.
User Defined Lets you specify the position in the User Defined
Position X, Y, and Z boxes. These attributes are dim
unless you turn on User Defined.

Body 1 Body 2

If you choose Body 1, the side of the

constraint connected to Body 1 snaps to
its original length and orientation when
you turn on Constrain again.

If you choose Mid Point, both sides of

the constraint have the same length
when you turn on Constrain again.

Example
Suppose you create a pin constraint between two objects. The pin is
positioned as follows. The small square represents the pin’s location.

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How do I? > Key and parent constraints

Body 1 Body 2

Before making the pin constraint, the sphere was selected first and the
cylinder second. In the context of the Relative To attribute, the sphere is
therefore Body 1 and the cylinder is Body 2.
You then animate the movement of the cylinder in a direction
perpendicular to the constraint line icon. The constraint forces the sphere
to swing around the cylinder. If you key Constrain off for several frames,
the sphere is no longer constrained to the cylinder. It moves in its own
direction using the force previously applied to it by the constraint.
When you key Constrain on again in a later frame, the sphere will once
again be tied to the cylinder. You can set the location and orientation of
the pin by setting the Relative To attribute. This influences how the objects
interact with each other’s movement.

Key and parent constraints

You can parent the following constraints or key their positions:
• nail
• spring (single-body only)
• hinge (single-body only)

This nail constraint’s Translate X

attribute is keyed with an increasing
value. Gravity pulls the ball down.
The result is a swinging ball moving
through space.

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How do I? > Create springs

Create springs

Create springs
The following procedures describe how to create springs within or
between objects, and how to create springs with emitted particles.

To create springs within an object or between two objects

1 Select the objects or components to which you want to add springs.
2 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Springs >  to display the Spring
options window.
3 Set options as described on ”Set spring attributes” on page 278.
4 Click Create.

Tips If you use springs on a polygonal soft body or a NURBS soft

body with many vertices (and particles), you can improve
playback efficiency and spring response by putting springs on a
simplified proxy object. See page 289.
To cancel spring creation after you click Create, press the Esc
key. Springs will still be created, but only those that were
created before you cancelled the process.

To create springs on emitted particles

1 Play the animation until you see the emitted particles.
2 Select the emitted particle object.
You can optionally select specific particles to receive the springs.
3 Select Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Springs >  to display the Spring
options window.
4 Set options as described on ”Set spring attributes” on page 278.
5 Click Create.
When you rewind, the particles and springs disappear. When you
play the animation, the springs appear with the particles and
influence their motion. Springs won’t be created on any particles that
were not visible when you created the springs.
You can edit the emitter after creating the springs. The springs appear
wherever the particles are emitted.

Edit spring operation

The techniques for editing spring operation are described in these topics:

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How do I? > Edit spring operation

• ”Set spring attributes” on page 278

• ”Add or remove springs after creation” on page 279
• ”Edit per spring rest length, stiffness, and damping” on page 281

Set spring attributes

You can set all spring attributes in the Spring options window before you
create the spring. You can change many settings in the Attribute Editor
after you create the spring.

Settings available in the Attribute Editor

To use the Attribute Editor, select the spring object that’s created when
you create the springs. The following attributes are also available in the
Spring options window.
Per-spring Stiffness,
Per-spring Damping,
Per-spring Rest Length
Lets you set stiffness, damping, and rest length for individual springs.
See ”Edit per spring rest length, stiffness, and damping” on page 281.
If you use the Attribute Editor to change the setting of Per-spring
Stiffness, Per-spring Damping, and Per-spring Rest Length from off to
on after you create springs, Maya uses the Stiffness, Damping, and
Rest Length attribute values that apply to all springs in the spring
object.
Stiffness
Sets the rigidity of the springs. If you increase the stiffness of springs
too much, the springs might stretch and contract excessively (see ”Fix
playback problems” on page 286).
Note that you can adjust the bounciness of a colliding soft body by
changing the stiffness.
Damping
Mutes the spring action. A high value causes spring length to change
more slowly. A low value causes the length to change quickly. You
can use a low Damping value and a high Stiffness value to create a
jiggle effect.
Rest Length
Sets the length for the springs when they are at rest. Every spring in
the spring object is set to the same Rest Length value.

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How do I? > Edit spring operation

The springs try to reach their rest length when you play the scene. If
you set it to a value smaller than the length of the spring, the spring
contracts when you play the scene. If you set it to a value that is larger
than the length of the spring, the spring expands.
End1 Weight
Sets the amount of the spring’s force applied to the spring’s starting
point. You can enter a value between 0 and 1. A value of 0 means the
point is not affected by the spring forces; a value of 1 means the point
is fully affected.
End2 Weight
Sets the amount of the spring’s force applied to the spring’s ending
point. You can enter a value between 0 and 1. A value of 0 means the
point is not affected by the spring forces; a value of 1 means the point
is fully affected.

Note The order of particle creation establishes which spring points are
the starting and ending points. Because it’s hard to know which
points are the starting and ending points for a particle object
with many particles, End Weights are easiest to use with springs
between small numbers of particles.

Add or remove springs after creation

After you create springs on an object, you can add or remove selected
springs to tune the spring effect. This is useful if you need to add a few
more springs to an object between points previously without springs. You
can also add two springs to the same pair of points to increase rigidity. A
single stiff spring has an attractive force that differs from two springs set
less stiffly.

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How do I? > Edit spring operation

In the above figure, the left and The right object stretches
right four-particle objects are less than the left because of
identical, but the right object has increased spring rigidity that
springs applied to it twice. The results from extra springs.
extra springs aren’t visible because
they’re superimposed.

To add more springs to an object

1 Select the objects or components to receive the additional springs.
2 If the associated spring object isn’t already selected, Shift-select it.
3 In the Spring Option window, turn on Add to Existing Spring, then
click the Create button.

To remove selected springs from an object

1 Turn on Select by Component Type: Lines, preferably with all line
types other than Springs turned off.
2 In the workspace, select the springs you want to remove.
3 Press the Backspace (Linux, IRIX, and Windows) or Delete (Mac OS X)
Backspace key.

To remove all springs from an object

1 Turn on Select by Object Type mode, then select the spring object in
the workspace.
Be careful not to select the particle object or geometry with the spring
object. You can alternatively select the spring object in the Outliner.
2 Press the Backspace (Linux, IRIX, and Windows) or Delete (Mac OS X)
Backspace key.

Tips If you’ve animated spring attributes and don’t want to lose the
animation, simply remove all selected springs on the object and
add new ones. The new ones receive the prior attribute values.

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How do I? > Edit spring operation

Edit per spring rest length, stiffness, and damping

If you turn on Per-spring Stiffness, Per-spring Damping, or Per-spring
Rest Length in the spring object, you can edit stiffness, damping, and rest
length for individual springs.

You can edit individual

spring operation rather
than collective spring
operation.

Note You do not add per-spring attributes, like you add per-particle
attributes to particles. Per-spring Stiffness, Per-spring Damping,
or Per-spring Rest Length are built- in and those are the only
ones you can edit.

To edit the per spring attributes

1 Select the spring object.

2 Click (the Select by Component Type icon), then limit selection to

springs. See Basics for details.
3 Select the individual springs that have the attribute values you want
to change.
4 Select Window > General Editors > Component Editor.
The Springs tab of the Component Editor displays rest length,
stiffness and damping values for the selected springs. The attribute
names end with PS, which indicates you can set the attributes on a per
spring basis.
5 Set new values for the desired springs.
See Basics for more details on the Component Editor.

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What went wrong? > Fix rigid body problems

What Dynamics
went
wrong? Fix rigid body problems
As you work with rigid bodies and rigid body constraints, you might see
warning or error messages in response to your actions. Common
messages and solutions follow.

Errors when you create a rigid body

Error: Attempting to create a rigid body from the shape or
hierarchy ‘object’ which already contains a rigid body.
This message means you tried to create a rigid body from an object or
object group that already has a rigid body created for it. You can create
only one rigid body for an object or object group.
Delete the rigid body of the object and recreate it.
Warning: The surface of rigid body ’rigidBody1’ may be
reversed. Reversing the surface may avoid interpenetration
errors.
This message occurs if the rigid body solver calculates that the surface of a
rigid body is facing the wrong way. Only one side of an rigid body’s
surface can collide with another rigid body’s surface—the side with
normals pointing outward.
Reverse the NURBS surface or polygonal object’s normals.
Error: The rigid body cannot be created because the
selected shape contains polygons which do not have unique
vertices. Use the polygon tools to determine bad polygons.
This message means you tried to create a rigid body from an object that
has at least one polygon with two or more coincident vertices. For
example, the object might contain a triangle with four vertices.
Use polygonal modeling tools to fix the polygon.
Warning: Selected item "rigidBody1" is not deformable.
This message occurs when you create a rigid body from an object that has
a deformer, skin, or flexor applied to it. Because rigid bodies cannot
deform, Maya applies the rigid body to the original, undeformed object
that is hidden when you apply the deformer to it. The resulting rigid body
might seem to collide at the wrong time.
For example, suppose you animate an active rigid body sphere bulging
from a lattice deformation. The bulging area penetrates rather than
collides with a nearby passive rigid body cube. You won’t see a collision
until the original, undeformed part of the sphere moves against the cube.

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What went wrong? > Fix rigid body problems

None. This message is for your awareness only.

Warning when you set the center of mass

Warning: The center of mass is locked. To edit the center
of mass, set the ’lock center of mass’ attribute to false.
If you turn on an object’s Lock Center of Mass attribute and try to change
the Center of Mass, the above message occurs.
If you want to change the Center of Mass, select the rigid body, display
the Attribute Editor, and turn off Lock Center of Mass.

Error when rigid bodies fail to collide

Warning: Rigid Body interpenetration occurred between
’rigidBody1’ and ’rigidBody2’.
Only one side of an rigid body’s surface can collide with another rigid
body’s surface—the side with normals pointing outward. Interpenetration
occurs when two or more rigid bodies pass through each other. This
typically occurs when one body passes through the wrong side of another.
Though it’s valid and often desirable for one passive rigid body to
penetrate another, it’s invalid for an active rigid body to penetrate another
rigid body, whether passive or active.
If you’re unsure which objects interpenetrate, look in the Outliner. Maya
selects and highlights the objects after the warning message occurs.

• Make sure no rigid bodies overlap at rewind.

• Reverse the NURBS surface or polygonal normals of one of the
interpenetrating rigid bodies. If this doesn’t fix the problem, undo the
reversal and try reversing the other object’s surface or normals.

Warning when you cache rigid bodies

Warning: The rigid body is currently cached. Changing an
attribute will have no affect until the cache is manually
deleted via the Solvers->SceneCaching->Delete menu.
This message occurs if you’ve selected Solvers > Memory
Caching > Enable for a rigid body, then you change attributes on the rigid
body that affect the rigid body’s translation or rotation. Because the rigid
body is cached, it gets the translation and rotation information for the
rigid body from the cache. You won’t see any effect on the rigid body
until you delete the cache.
Select the rigid body and select Solvers > Memory Caching > Delete.

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What went wrong? > Fixing problems with constraints

Error when a solver computes rigid body dynamics

Error: Error detected in rigid solver computation. Solution
may be invalid.
An invalid internal computation occurred, possibly because of conflicting
rigid body constraint forces. This message typically occurs with a message
warning of an incorrectly positioned constraint.
If rigid body constraints are forcing a rigid body to interpenetrate with another
rigid body, reposition the constraints or rigid bodies.

Warning when you delete rigid body connections

Warning: Cannot disconnect: ’rigidBody1.choice’ from
’rigidBody_tx.selector’. To force the disconnection, set the
’Allow Disconnection’ attribute in the attribute editor.
In the dependency graph, a rigid body node controls the transform node
of the rigid body object with connections through several choice nodes.
The choice nodes let you key passive rigid body Translate and Rotate
attributes so you can switch from keys to dynamic influences and vice
versa.
Maya usually lets you break the connections to a transform node’s
Translate and Rotate attributes, for example, by selecting the attribute in
the Channel Box then selecting Channels > Break Connections. For rigid
body transform nodes, breaking such connections would cause the rigid
body to lose control of the transform node. Because of this, Maya prevents
you from breaking the connections in the usual way.

• To remove the keyframe connection to the rigid body, select Soft/

Rigid Bodies > Break Rigid Body Connections. This removes any
connection to the rigid body not specifically used by the rigid body,
for instance, connections to keyframes.
To break the connections from the rigid body to the choice nodes or rigid
body solver, you must first select the rigid body or rigid body solver,
display the Attribute Editor, and turn on Allow Disconnection. Breaking
these connections might cause unexpected results.

Fixing problems with constraints

When you use multiple constraints on several rigid bodies, you might
create conflicting forces on the rigid bodies. The conflicting forces
generate unexpected results. A conflicting force is a force applied
perpendicular to constraints such that the correct solution would be for
the constraints to stay exactly where they started.

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What went wrong? > Fixing problems with constraints

For example, suppose you use a sequence of horizontally-aligned

constraints and the end constraints are stationary (see the following
figure).

If you apply gravity or if another rigid body collides with it, a

perpendicular force is applied to the constraints. The constraints may
stretch or wobble feebly.

Gravity

Constraint is
stretching.

To avoid this situation, delete the end constraints and recreate them so
they are not perpendicular to the direction of the force.

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What went wrong? > Fix playback problems

Direction
of force
The ends of this group of constraints
are stationary and the falling cone’s
force is perpendicular to the
constraints.

Nail Nail
Pin

When you play the animation, the

constraints wobble feebly in place
after the cone collides with the
center ball.

To correct this, delete the end

constraints and recreate them in a
position so the force is not
perpendicular to them. The constraints
will then flex and swing upon contact
with the force.

Fix playback problems

This section explains solutions to a few problems you might have when
using springs:

The springs expand and contract excessively

You can often fix excessive spring expansion and contraction by
increasing oversampling of dynamic calculations. Increasing the
oversampling slows down playback but increases the stability of the
springs. Do these steps to increase oversampling:
1 Select Solvers > Edit Oversampling or Cache Settings.
This displays the Attribute Editor.
2 Enter a value for Over Samples.

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What went wrong? > Fix playback problems

Tip Increasing the oversampling intensifies the attractive force of

goals. If you increase the oversampling in a scene that contains
goals, you can compensate by decreasing the goal weights, if
necessary.
In some instances, Maya uses an Over Samples rate that is
higher than the value you enter. This is necessary for internal
computations.

Springs don’t move the particles, CVs, vertices, or points

Either no force is acting on the particles or the Per-spring Rest Length is
turned on but you didn’t set any values for it. By default, each spring’s
rest length equals its original length. It won’t move unless an external
force is applied to it.

A pair of identical particle grids with springs are

shown here after several frames of play. The
particles on the right fail to move because Per-spring
Rest Length is turned on while the default values are
in use.

To make the springs take effect, do the appropriate action that

follows:
1 Animate the object, for example, with a field.
2 Use the Component Editor to alter Per-spring Rest Length. See ”Edit
per spring rest length, stiffness, and damping” on page 281.
3 Change to per object rest length.
4 If the springs are on particles and you broke the default connection
from time to the particle shape node’s Current Time attribute,
reconnect the input to Current Time. A simple way to reconnect the
time input is to select the particle object, select the Current Time
attribute in the Channel Box, then select Particles > Connect to Time.

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What went wrong? > Fix playback problems

An animation with many springs plays slowly

If the age of any or all particles exceeds the lifespan, Maya removes the
particles from the object. For brevity, we describe such particles as dying
particles. If a scene has a particle object with many springs and no dying
particles, the animation plays needlessly slow because of complex
calculations. You can turn off the attribute Manage Particle Death to
eliminate the calculations and enhance the playback efficiency.

If a particle object has many springs

and no dying particles, turn off
Manage Particle Death to enhance
playback speed.

In short, it’s helpful to turn off Manage Particle Death for the spring object
associated with the following objects if they have undying particles:
• soft bodies
• objects made with the Particle Tool
• emitted particles
Do not turn off Manage Particle Death if any particles in the object die.
Springs attached to the particles won’t work correctly. This is true if
particles have ever died in the object. If you set current attribute values of
the particles for initial state operation at a point where no more particles
die, you still must not turn off Manage Particle Death.
To turn off Manage Particle Death, select the spring object and display the
Attribute Editor. Turn off the Manage Particle Death attribute in the
Spring Attributes section.

You edit per spring attributes but the editing doesn’t take
effect
You might have turned off Per-spring Stiffness, Per-spring Damping, or
Per-spring Rest Length, which means Maya uses the per object
counterpart attribute instead. Turn on the appropriate Use attribute.

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What went wrong? > Fix playback problems

A polygonal or NURBS soft body with springs slows playback

and has unrealistic spring behavior
If you put springs on a polygonal soft body or a NURBS soft body with
many vertices (and particles), your animation will play slowly and the
springs might contract and expand unrealistically. To avoid this problem,
put springs on a low-resolution copy of the object as follows:
1 Duplicate the polygonal (or NURBS object) with default options.
Note that copy must exist at the same locations as the original for the
entire animation.
2 Decrease the surface resolution of the object to roughly 10-50% of its
original resolution.
For a polygonal object, decrease the Subdivisions X and Y values. For
a NURBS object, decrease the Spans and Sections values.
In the remaining steps, the original object is called the low-resolution
object, and the copy is called the high-resolution object.
3 Make the low-resolution object a soft body with default options.
4 Select the soft body’s particles and connect them to the desired
dynamics.
For example, connect the particles to gravity and make them collide
with another object.
5 Create springs on the soft body particles with default options.
6 Tune the appearance of the soft body animation.
You’ll likely need to set spring Stiffness to over 100. You’ll also likely
need to select Solvers > Oversampling or Cache Settings and set Over
Samples to between 2 and 4. Use the lowest value that gives a
desirable appearance to the soft body deformations.
7 Using the Outliner, select the transform node of the high-resolution
object, thenCtrl-select (Linux, IRIX, and Windows) or Command-select
(Mac OS X) the low-resolution object.
8 From the Animation menu set, select Deform > Create Wrap.
This forces the high-resolution object to deform the same as the low-
resolution object when you play the animation.
9 Hide the low-resolution object.

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Reference > Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body

Reference Menus
Dynamics menu set
Soft/Rigid Bodies

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body

Creates an active rigid body.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Active Rigid Body > 

Sets the options when creating an active rigid body. Here are the options:
Rigid Body Name
Lets you name the rigid body for easy identification.
Active
Makes the rigid body an active rigid body. If off, the rigid body is
passive.
Particle Collision
If you’ve made particles collide with the surface and the surface is an
active rigid body, you can turn Particle Collision on or off to set
whether the rigid body reacts to the collision force.
Allow Disconnection
By default, you cannot break connections from the rigid body to the
rigid body solver that handles its dynamic animation. You can turn on
Allow Disconnection so that you can break the connections. See
”Warning when you delete rigid body connections” on page 284.
Available in Attribute Editor only.
Mass
Sets the mass of an active rigid body. The greater the mass, the greater
the influence on objects it collides with. Maya ignores the mass
attribute of passive rigid bodies.

Note The Rigid options window includes checkboxes for Set Center of
Mass, Set Initial Position, and Set Initial Velocity. These
checkboxes make the X, Y, and Z settings for Center of Mass,
Initial Position, and Initial Velocity available (or unavailable) for
editing. The Set Center of Mass applies only to active rigid
bodies.

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Center of Mass X, Y, Z
Specifies the position of an active rigid body’s center of mass in local
space coordinates. An x-shaped icon represents the center of mass. It’s
easiest to see in wireframe mode.
The center of mass affects how an active rigid body bounces. For
example, suppose you place a sphere’s center of mass below and to
the side of the sphere’s surface. If you make the sphere fall with
gravity and collide with a passive rigid body NURBS plane, the
sphere bounces and bobbles around the center of mass.
The center of mass also sets the point about which an active rigid
body rotates when you set the Initial Spin (described later). For
example, if you set the center of mass within an active rigid body
sphere, the rigid body spins about itself. If you set it outside the
sphere, the sphere rotates about the center of mass.
By default, a polygonal object’s center of mass is the centroid of its
bounding box. A NURBS object’s default center of mass might be
slightly away from the centroid.
Maya doesn’t use the center of mass in dynamic calculations of
passive rigid bodies.
Lock Center of Mass
By default, Maya recalculates a rigid body’s center of mass when you
alter the object’s surface during modeling. If you turn on this attribute,
Maya doesn’t change the center of mass. Available in Attribute Editor
only.
Static Friction
Sets how much a rigid body resists moving from resting contact with
another rigid body. For instance, if you place a ball on a sloped plane,
Static Friction sets how easily the ball begins its initial slide or roll
down the plane. Static friction has little or no effect after an object is
moving.
A value of 0 lets the rigid body move freely. A value of 1 diminishes
movement.
Dynamic Friction
Sets how much a moving rigid body resists movement against another
rigid body’s surface.
A value of 0 lets the rigid body move freely. A value of 1 diminishes
movement.

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Tip When two rigid bodies are in contact, the Static and Dynamic
Friction of each contributes to the motion. To tune sliding and
rolling of rigid bodies in contact, try various values for Static and
Dynamic Friction. For example, to simulate a hockey puck
sliding across wet ice, you must set Dynamic Friction to nearly 0
on the puck and ice.

Bounciness
Sets the resilience of the rigid body.
Damping
Sets an opposing force against the rigid body’s movement. This
attribute is similar to drag; it affects object movement before, during,
and after contact with another object. A positive value diminishes
movement. A negative value increases movement.
Impulse X, Y, Z
Creates an instantaneous force, with magnitude and direction, on the
rigid body at the local space position specified in Impulse Position X,
Y, Z. The higher the number, the greater the magnitude of force. For
more details, see ”Keying impulses to rigid bodies” on page 261.
Impulse Position X, Y, Z
Specifies the position in the rigid body’s local space where the
impulse strikes. If the impulse strikes a point other than the center of
mass, the rigid body rotates about its center of mass in addition to
moving with the change to its velocity.
If you specify a position outside the object’s surface boundaries, you’ll
still see rotation and velocity. Note that the 0, 0, 0 position of an
object’s local space is at the center of its bounding box.
Spin Impulse X, Y, Z
Applies an instantaneous rotational force (torque) on the rigid body’s
center of mass in the direction you specify by the X, Y, and Z values.
These values set magnitude and direction. The higher the number, the
greater the magnitude of the rotational force.

Note The Attribute Editor displays the current Velocity, Spin, Force,
and Torque of a rigid body. See ”Get data on velocity, forces,
and collisions” on page 264 for details on these read-only
attributes.

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Solver Id
The read-only rigid body index number the solver uses to calculate
dynamics for this rigid body. You can use the Solver Id in MEL scripts
and expressions to identify a specific rigid body in the solver.

Initial Settings attributes

Initial Spin X, Y, Z
Sets the initial angular velocity of the rigid body. This spins the rigid
body.
Initial Position X, Y, Z
Sets the initial position of the rigid body in world space.
Initial Orientation X, Y, Z
Sets the initial local space orientation of the rigid body. For example,
an Initial Orientation X value of 90 means the object has an orientation
of 90 degrees rotation about its X-axis. This assumes you are using the
degrees rather than radians as your working units.
Initial Velocity X, Y, Z
Sets the initial speed and direction of the rigid body.

Performance Attributes
Stand In
Displays a menu that lets you select a simple internal cube or sphere
as a stand-in for rigid body calculations. The original object remains
visible in the scene. If you use a stand-in sphere or cube, playback
speed improves but collision reactions differ from the actual object. To
use the actual geometry, select none.
Apply Force At
Displays a menu that lets you set whether forces affect a rigid body at
its center of mass, the corners of its bounding box, or its CVs or
vertices
Center of Mass
Applies force to a single position at the center of mass. No torque is
imparted to the rigid body.
Bounding Box
Applies force to the eight corners of the object’s bounding box. This is
the default setting. To see the object’s bounding box, select
Shading > Bounding Box from the menus above the workspace pane.

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Vertices or CVs
Applies force at each vertex of polygonal objects, or at each CV of
NURBS surfaces. This is the slowest but most accurate choice.

Center of mass CVs Corners of bounding box

Tessellation Factor
Maya internally converts NURBS objects to polygons before it
animates rigid body dynamics. The Tessellation Factor sets the
approximate number of polygons created during the conversion.
Lower numbers create coarser geometry and lessen animation
accuracy, but increase the playback speed.
Increase the Tessellation Factor if you are bouncing an object on a
bumpy, irregular surface. Experiment with various values until you
see the desired result.
If you change the Tessellation Factor, the internal conversion occurs
once, immediately after you change its value. This takes some time for
complex NURBS surfaces. Increasing the Tessellation Factor increases
the time for Maya to detect rigid body collisions.
Collision Layer
You can use collision layers to create exclusive groups of objects that
collide with each other. Only rigid bodies with the same collision
layer number can collide with each other.
For example, suppose you have four objects moving towards each
other, but you want one of the objects to pass through without
colliding. You can assign the non-colliding object a different collision
layer number.
By putting rigid bodies that don’t collide in different collision layers,
you can lessen collision processing time.
A rigid body in collision layer -1 (minus 1) will collide with all rigid
bodies in the solver, regardless of their collision layer numbers.

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The right ball and cylinders are

assigned Collision Layer 1 and
collide only with each other. The left
ball and cones are assigned Collision
Layer 2 and collide only with each
other. The floor is assigned Collision
Layer -1 and collides with the balls,
cones, and cylinders.

Collisions
When off, the rigid body doesn’t collide with any objects in a scene.

The cone and torus are active

rigid bodies that fall toward the
passive rigid body floor. The cone
passes through the floor because
its Collisions attribute is turned off.

Tip You can turn on the Interpenetrate attribute of two or more

rigid bodies to prevent only those objects from colliding with
each other. To do this, select the objects then select Solvers > Set
Rigid Body Interpenetration. To turn off the Interpenetrate
attribute later, select the objects then select Solvers > Set Rigid
Body Collision.

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Ignore
When on, this turns off the influence of fields, collisions, and any
other rigid body effects. This is useful if you have a scene with many
computation-intensive rigid bodies and want to disable several to
speed up animation play.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Passive Rigid Body

Creates a passive rigid body.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Passive Rigid Body > 

Sets the options when creating a passive rigid body. These are the same as
the options when creating an active rigid body, except that the Active
check box is unchecked.
See ”Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body” on page 297.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint

Creates a constraint.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Constraint > 

Sets the options when creating a constraint. Here are the options:
Constraint Name
Name of the constraint.
Constraint Type
Choose one of: Nail, Pin, Spring, Hinge, Barrier.
Interpenetrate
If you want the rigid bodies to penetrate each other rather than collide
upon contact, turn on Interpenetrate.
Set Initial Position
If you want to specify the constraint’s initial position, turn on Set
Initial Position and enter X, Y, and Z values for the position.
If you don’t turn on Set Initial Position, a constraint is created either at
the midpoint between the two rigid bodies (extending from one rigid
body’s center of mass to the other’s center of mass), or at the center of
mass of the rigid body, depending on the type of constraint.

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Spring Attributes
Stiffness
Sets the rigidity of the spring constraint. The greater the value, the
greater the force the spring exerts on the body for the same
displacement.
Damping
Mutes the spring action. A high value brings the rigid body to rest
faster. A low value brings the rigid body to rest slower. A negative
value increases the spring’s force on the rigid body. A spring with a
zero or negative damping value never comes to rest.
Set Spring Rest Length
Enables you to set the Rest Length.
Rest Length
Sets the length the springs try to reach when you play the scene. If
you don’t turn on Set Spring Rest Length, the Rest Length is set to the
same length as the constraint.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Active Key

???

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Set Passive Key

???

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Break Rigid Body

Connections
???

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body

Creates a soft body.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Soft Body > 

Sets the options when creating a soft body. Here are the options:
Make Soft
Converts the object to a soft body. Select this option if you haven’t
animated the object and will animate it with dynamics (for instance, a
field). Also use this option if you’ve used nondynamic animation on

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the object and want to keep the animation after you create the soft
body. Nondynamic animation includes keys, motion paths, non-
particle expressions, and deformers.
Dynamics that affect the soft body’s particles are not affected by
momentum from the nondynamic animation. The dynamics occur in
the particle object’s local space, which are uninfluenced by other
animation on the object.

The ball was animated with keyed translate

attributes, made a soft body with Make Soft, then
connected to a turbulence field.

Duplicate, Make Copy Soft

Makes a copy of the object a soft body without altering the original
object. If you use this option, you can turn on Make Non-Soft a Goal
(described later) to make the original object a goal object for the soft
body. The soft body follows the animated goal object. You can edit the
goal weight of the soft body particles to create rubbery or jiggling
motion.
For instance, suppose you make a sphere a soft body with Duplicate,
Make Copy Soft and Make Non-Soft a Goal selected. Next, you set
keys to animate the motion of the goal object, which is the original
sphere. You then give the particles of the soft body copy various
goalPP values. When you play the animation, the soft body copy
deforms like jiggling gelatin as it follows the original sphere. Note that
you’ll typically hide the original sphere by turning on Hide Non-Soft
Object.
See ”Goals” on page 21 for details on goals and goal weights.

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The soft body copy (left)

with various goalPP
weights jiggles as it
follows the original sphere.

Another way to use Duplicate, Make Copy Soft is to use it repeatedly

while Make Non-Soft a Goal is off. This creates identical soft body
copies of an object. You can animate each copy independently of the
original.
Duplicate, Make Original Soft
This option works like Duplicate, Make Copy Soft, except it makes the
original object a soft body, and makes a copy of the original object.
Use Duplicate, Make Original Soft when the object’s downstream
construction history requires you to use the original rather than the
copy as the soft body.
For example, because an IK spline requires you to use the original
curve rather than a copy to control its joint chain, you must use
Duplicate, Make Original Soft to make an IK spline a soft body. If you
also turn on Make Non-Soft a Goal, you can animate the curve’s copy
(the goal) to control the motion of the soft body IK spline.
Duplicate Input Graph
Duplicates upstream nodes when you create the soft body with either
of the Duplicate options. Turn this on if the original object has
dependency graph inputs you want to be able to use and edit in the
copy.
Hide Non-Soft Object
When you duplicate an object as you create a soft body, one of the
objects becomes a soft body. If you turn on this option, the object
that’s not a soft body is hidden.
If you later need to display a hidden non-soft object, be aware that
you can select the object in the Outliner and select
Display > Show > Show > Selection.

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Make Non-Soft a Goal

Turn this option on to make the soft body trail or move towards the
goal object made from the original or duplicate geometry. Using the
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool, you can set goal weights on a soft body
on a per particle basis by painting on the soft body surface (see ”Paint
Soft Body Weights Tool” on page 253).
To edit the goal weights of the soft body particles after you create the
soft body, see ”Edit goal attributes” on page 108. A goal weight of 0
makes the soft body bend and deform freely. A value of 1 makes the
soft body stiff; it follows the contours of its goal object exactly.
Note that if you create a soft body with Make Non-Soft a Goal turned
off, you can still create a goal for the particles. Select the soft body
particles, shift-select an object to become the goal, and select
Particles > Add Goal.
Weight
Sets how closely the soft body follows the goal object made from the
original or duplicate geometry. A value of 0 makes the soft body bend
and deform freely. A value of 1 makes the soft body stiff. Values
between 0 and 1 have intermediate stiffness.

Tips You’ll typically apply a field to the soft body but not the non-
soft body. If you don’t turn on Hide Non-Soft Object, use the
Outliner to select the soft body without selecting the non-soft
body. If you accidentally apply a field to the non-soft body, it
becomes a rigid body that’s affected by the field by default. This
is usually undesirable. You’ll more likely want to key its motion
or leave it alone.
Collisions between soft bodies—including a soft body colliding
with itself—can have unexpected results, especially if the soft
bodies move toward each other after colliding.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Springs

Creates a spring.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Springs > 

Sets the options when creating a spring. Here are the options:
Spring Name
Names the spring object for easy identification in the Outliner.

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Add to Existing Spring

Adds springs to an existing spring object rather than a new one. When
you turn on this option, other options in the Spring options window
work the same as if you’re creating new springs on an object.
Don’t Duplicate Springs
Avoids creating a spring between two points if a spring already exists
there. This option has effect only when you turn on Add to Existing
Spring.
Set Exclusive
When more than one object is selected, points from the selected
objects are linked with springs to points in every other object, based on
the average length between the points. The software determines an
appropriate minimum and maximum distance range based on the
objects. The points within each object are not linked with springs.
Creation Method
Set one of the following
MinMax Creates springs only within the range of Min and
Max Distance options. You can use the MinMax
option to cause selected particles to adhere to each
other, for example, to simulate a puddle of fluid.
All Creates springs between all pairs of selected points.
Choose this option when you want an object to have
a uniform spring structure throughout its shape, for
example, a bouncing ball or block.
Wireframe Creates springs between all particles on the outer
edges of a soft body. This option is useful for soft
bodies made from curves, for example, a rope. It’s
also useful for soft bodies with irregular surfaces, or
for objects that you want to have a gel or liquid-like
adhesion on its outer edges. See Wire Walk Length
for more details.

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All
Min/Max Wireframe
Min = 3.5 The left and center objects are particle
Max = 1000 grids. The right object is a soft body
cylinder.

Min and Max Distance

See ”Creation Method” on page 301.
Wire Walk Length
This option works with the Wireframe option. It sets how many
springs are created between edge particles. For instance, for each edge
particle, the value 2 creates springs to all edge particles within a
distance of two particles. The higher the wire walk length, the
stronger the structure of the soft body.

Wire Walk Length = 1 Wire Walk Length = 2

A Wire Walk Length of 2

connects a spring between
each edge particle and the
edge particles within two
particles’ distance.

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Soft/Rigid Bodies > Paint Soft Body Weights

Tool
Selects the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool. For more information, see ”Paint
Soft Body Weights Tool” on page 253. See also “How Artisan brush tools
work” in the Paint Effects, Artisan, and 3D Paint guide.

Soft/Rigid Bodies > Paint Soft Body Weights Tool > 

Lets you specify the settings for the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool in the
Tool Settings editor. There are attributes unique to the Paint Soft Body
Weights Tool in the Paint Attributes section. These unique attributes are
described below. For descriptions of all other attributes in all other
sections, see “Common Artisan Brush Tool Settings” in the Paint Effects,
Artisan, and 3D Paint guide.

Paint Attributes
These are descriptions of the attributes in the Paint Attributes section.
copyOfmodealnameParticleShape.goalPP
Displays the name of the particle node selected to paint and the
attribute you are painting (goalPP weights). To select another particle
node to paint, click this button and select the appropriate particle
node goalPP weights name. By default, the tool selects the first
particle node it detects.
When you select the soft body, the Paint Soft Body Weight Tool
automatically detects the particle node and goalPP attribute on the
soft body. The name of the node and attribute displays on the top
button.
Filter: particle
Sets a filter so that only particle nodes display on the menu for the
button above this one. You are painting particle goalPP weights with
the Paint Soft Body Weights Tool, so you do not need to change this
filter unless you want to paint other types of attributes.
Paint Operation
Select an operation to define how you want painted goalPP values to
be affected.
Replace Replaces the goalPP values for the soft body
particles you paint over with the specified Value
and Opacity.

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Add Adds the specified Value and Opacity to the current

goalPP values you paint over. If the value is
negative (possible if you set Min or Max to a
negative value), the value actually decreases.
Scale Scales the current goalPP values you paint over by
the Value and Opacity factors.
Smooth Changes the goalPP values to be the average values
of the surrounding goalPP values.
Value
Set the value to apply when you perform any of the painting
operations.
Min/Max Value
Set the minimum and maximum possible paint values. By default, you
can paint values between 0 and 1. Setting the Min/Max Values you
can extend or narrow the range of values. Negative values are useful
for subtracting weight. For example, if you set Min Value to -1, Value
to -0.5, and select Add for the operation, you would subtract 0.5 from
the weight of vertices you paint. Positive values are added.

Tip To help you differentiate paint values when you paint with
ranges greater than 0 to 1 (for example, -5 to 5), and to maximize
the range of values that display when you paint values with
ranges between 0 to 1 (for example, 0.2 to 0.8), set Min Color and
Max Color (in the Display section) to correspond with the Min/
Max values.

Clamp
Select whether you want to clamp the values within a specified range
when you paint, regardless of the Value set.
Lower Turn this on to clamp the lower value to the Clamp
Value specified below. For example, if you clamp
Lower and set the lower Clamp Value to 0.5, the
values you paint will never be less than 0.5, even if
you set the Value to 0.25.
Upper Turn this on to clamp the upper value to the Clamp
Value specified below. For example, if you clamp
Upper, set the upper Clamp Value to 0.75, and set
Value to 1, the values you paint will never be
greater than 0.75.

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Clamp Values
Set the Lower and Upper values for clamping.
Flood
Click Flood to apply the brush settings to all the particle goals on the
selected soft body. The result depends on the brush settings defined
when you perform the flood.
Vector Index
If you are painting a three channel attribute (RGB or XYZ), select the
channel you want to paint. Soft body goalPP weight is a single
channel attribute, therefore you do not need to change this setting.

Nodes
rigidBody
The table doesn’t list the compound vector attributes force (for), velocity
(vel), and torque (tor). These attributes consist of their X, Y, and Z
components.

Long name Short Description Data

name type

forceX fx Force on the rigid body in the X direction. float

forceY fy Force on the rigid body in the Y direction. float

forceZ fz Force on the rigid body in the Z direction. float

velocityX vx Velocity of the rigid body in the X float

direction.

velocityY vy Velocity of the rigid body in the Y float

direction.

velocityZ vz Velocity of the rigid body in the Z float

direction.

torqueX trx Torque on the rigid body in the X float

direction.

torqueY try Torque on the rigid body in the Y float

direction.

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Long name Short Description Data

name type

torqueZ trz Torque on the rigid body in the Z float

direction.

Contact attributes
A rigid body has read-only attributes that contain data on the contact
made with it during collisions. You can query the attributes in MEL
commands or expressions by using the attribute names in the table that
follows.

Long name Short Description Data

name type

contactCount cct Number of contacts in the integer

current frame.

contactPosition cnp Position of each point contact in vector

the current frame. The length of array
the array is equal to
contactCount.

contactName cnn List of rigid body names that are string

in contact with the rigid body. array
The array is of length
contactCount.

rigidSolver
Rigid Solver Attributes
Step Size
Sets how often within a frame the rigid body calculations occur. For
example, if each frame of the animation is 0.1 seconds and the Step
Size is 0.033 seconds, the solver calculates rigid body animation three
times in the frame.

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Generally, decreasing the Step Size value improves rigid body

animation accuracy but slows scene play. If you have fast-moving
rigid bodies that don’t collide as expected, decrease the Step Size. This
is a nonkeyable attribute available in the Attribute Editor only.
Collision Tolerance
Sets how accurately and quickly a rigid body solver detects collisions.
Generally, smaller Collision Tolerance values increase the calculation
time and collision accuracy. A small Collision Tolerance is often
necessary to create accurate collisions involving tiny or thin objects.
This is a nonkeyable attribute available in the Attribute Editor only.
Scale Velocity
Scale Velocity is used with the Display Velocity attribute (see page
309). If you turn on Display Velocity, a moving rigid body displays a
velocity arrow icon that represents the magnitude and direction of the
rigid body motion. You can change the Scale Velocity to scale the
arrow.
Start Time
Sets the Time Slider frame when the solver starts animating dynamics
for the rigid bodies it controls.
Current Time
Lets you speed up or slow down dynamic animation for all rigid
bodies connected to the solver. Current Time works the same for rigid
bodies as it does for particle objects. See ”Control the timing of
particle dynamics” on page 77.

Rigid Solver Methods

Solver Method
Provides a pop-up menu for choosing the accuracy and speed of rigid
body calculations
Midpoint
Calculates faster with less accuracy.
Runge-Kutta
Calculates at medium speed and accuracy.
Runge-Kutta Adaptive
Calculates slower but with most accuracy. This is the default setting.

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Rigid Solver States

State
Turns off or on the effect of fields, collisions, and rigid body
constraints for the rigid bodies it controls. If you want to speed up
playback of your animation and temporarily are not concerned with
rigid body effects, turn off the State.
Friction
Sets whether the rigid bodies stick or slide after collision. If Friction is
on, the rigid bodies stick; if Friction is off, they slide.
If the contact between rigid bodies is limited to instantaneous
collisions, the Friction setting does not affect it much. Turning off
Friction might speed playback.
Bounciness
Turns bounciness on or off. When off, objects won’t bounce against
each other, but rigid body animation plays faster.
Contact Motion
When on, Maya simulates Newtonian physics for its rigid body
dynamics. When off, Maya simulates a damped environment without
inertia. More specifically, collision forces such as Bounciness and
Friction do not affect the rigid bodies. Fields affect the rigid bodies,
but not initial spin, initial velocity, or impulses.
Contact Data
Accumulates data about contact between rigid bodies in the scene (see
”Contact attributes” on page 264).
Allow Disconnection
By default, you cannot break connections from a rigid body to the
rigid body solver that handles its dynamic animation. You can turn on
Allow Disconnection so that you can break the connections. See
”Warning when you delete rigid body connections” on page 284.
Available in the Attribute Editor only.
Cache Data
If you turn this on, Maya caches in memory the dynamic state of all
rigid bodies connected to this solver. You can thereafter examine the
animation of the rigid bodies by scrubbing the Time Slider or playing
in reverse. See ”Memory caching” on page 378.
Delete Cache
Deletes the cached dynamic state of all rigid bodies connected to this
solver.

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Rigid Solver Display Options

Display Constraint
Displays icons for rigid body constraints. See ”Edit attributes of a
rigid body solver” on page 261
Display Center of Mass
Displays an icon for the center of mass of each rigid body.
Display Velocity
Displays arrow icons that indicate the velocity magnitude and
direction of rigid bodies. See ”Scale Velocity” on page 307 to tune the
display of the arrow.

Velocity icon

Display Label
Labels rigid bodies as active or passive. Also shows the type of
constraint.

Turn on Display Label to see

active and passive rigid bodies
labeled in the workspace.
Constraint types are also listed.

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Reference > rigidConstraint

rigidConstraint
This node contains the attributes for the rigid constraints. These
constraints can only be used with rigid bodies. The constraints
include nail, pin, hinge, spring, and barrier.

Constraint Control
Constrain
Turns a constraint on or off.
Relative To
For a constraint between a pair of rigid bodies, this lets you choose
where Maya recreates a constraint after you turn it on again. Your
choices follow:
Body 1 Recreates the constraint at the original distance and
orientation from the first of the two rigid bodies you
selected when you created the constraint.
Body 2 Recreates the constraint at the original distance and
orientation from the second of the two rigid bodies
you selected when you created the constraint.
Mid Point Recreates the constraint at the midpoint between the
two rigid bodies.
User Defined Lets you specify the position in the User Defined
Position X, Y, and Z boxes. These attributes are dim
unless you turn on User Defined.

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Body 1 Body 2

If you choose Body 1, the side of the

constraint connected to Body 1 snaps to
its original length and orientation when
you turn on Constrain again.

If you choose Mid Point, both sides of

the constraint have the same length
when you turn on Constrain again.

springShape
Many of the spring node attributes are the same as the options available in
the Spring Options window. See ”Soft/Rigid Bodies > Create Springs” on
page 300.

Spring Attributes
Count
The number of springs in the object.
Manage Particle Death
This attribute determines if the spring node needs to do ID/Index
mapping. The default value is true for this attribute. If users know
that no particles died, it can be set to false. With the false value, the
spring node will not do particle ID/Index mapping and speed up the
evaluation.

Per Spring (Array) Attributes

Component Editor
Opens the Component Editor for the current spring.

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5 Effects

About Dynamics
Effects

Effects
Maya effects are built-in programs that make it easy for you to create
complex animation effects such as smoke and fire. Each Maya effect offers
many options and attributes for tuning the results.

Fire
You can use the Fire effect to emit fire from these objects:
• particle object
• NURBS or polygonal surface
• NURBS curve
• number of CVs, vertices, edit points of an object
• lattice points

”Create Fire” on page 318

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About > Use smoke effects

Use smoke effects

The Smoke effect emits smoke from a position in the workspace or from a
selected particle object or geometry object. The effect uses a series of
smoke images (sprites) included with the Maya software. You can
alternatively use your own images. You must hardware render the
resulting smoke.

”Create Smoke” on page 320

Fireworks
You use the Fireworks effect to make fireworks displays quickly and
easily. The effect creates a number of rockets that fly up, leave a trail as
they fly, and burst. Gravity fields are also created for all particles. Initially,
the effect randomly chooses colors and positions for rocket launches and
bursts. You can edit these defaults later. The fireworks are rendered in
software (not hardware) as streaks.

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About > Lightning

”Create fireworks” on page 323

Lightning
The Lightning clip effect creates a bolt of lightning between two or more
objects or locators.

The lightning bolt is made up of soft body curves with extruded surfaces,
which are rendered. The motion of the lightning is derived from an
expression on the particles that make up the soft body curve.

”Create lightning” on page 331

Shatter
Shatter duplicates an object and breaks the duplicate into multiple pieces
called shards. Depending on the type of shard you choose to create, you
can move the shards with dynamic forces or keyframe their movement.

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About > Curve Flow

Shatter provides three methods of breaking the object:

• “Surface shatter”
• “Solid shatter”
• “Crack shatter”

”Create shatter” on page 336

Curve Flow
The Curve Flow effect emits particles that flow along a curve you create.
You can use this effect to create flowing fluids, gases, or instanced objects.
The emitted particles start at the first CV and end at the last CV you drew
when you created the curve.
For example, to make water flow down a ravine, you would first create a
NURBS or polygonal surface as the hill with a ravine. You then create a
curve in the middle of the ravine from beginning to end. You use the
Curve Flow effect on the curve and adjust the Curve Flow attributes.
Finally, you select an appropriate render type such as Blobby Surface for
the emitted particles and adjust their appearance.

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About > Surface Flow

Tips You can use the Curve Flow effect on a curve or surface as a
convenient way to guide the flow along deformed surfaces. It’s
often helpful to duplicate the curve or surface, raise the copy
above the surface, then apply the Curve Flow effect to the copy.
To keep particles flowing within a planar boundary, for instance,
water flowing down a river, you can sandwich the curve
between invisible planes and then make the particles collide
with the planes. The particles bounce within the two invisible
planes.
It’s often useful to use the Curve Flow effect on the same curve
more than once. By setting option settings differently with each
usage, you can create a complex look not possible with a single
usage.

”Create curve flow” on page 345

Surface Flow
The Surface Flow effect emits particles that flow along the surface of any
NURBS model. You can use this effect to create flowing fluids, gases, or
instanced objects. The flow effect automatically adjusts to any changes in
the shape of the surface.

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How do I? > Create Fire

”Create a surface flow” on page 349

How do I? Simulate dynamic effects

Work with effects

Create Fire
Prepare to use the Fire effect
Before you use the Fire effect, be aware of these issues:
• Use the Fire effect on only one object at a time.
To apply Fire to a group of NURBS surfaces, first convert each surface
to polygons and combine the surfaces. From the Modeling menu set,
select Modify > Convert > NURBS to Polygons, then choose
Polygons > Combine (from the Modeling menu set).
To apply Fire to a group of polygonal surfaces, simply combine the
surfaces with Polygons > Combine.
• If you emit from a NURBS or polygonal object, the size and shape of
the object affects the quality of the fire. You’ll need to use an object
large enough to generate an adequate flame area. If you emit fire from
a curve, avoid using a curve with abrupt changes in direction.
• It’s often useful to use the Fire effect on the same geometry more than
once. By setting options differently with each usage, you can create a
complex look not possible with a single usage.

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• If you want to animate the movement of the fire around the

workspace, consider using the Fire effect on a particle object. You can
work with per particle expressions on particle objects, so you have
more flexibility in altering the fire’s motion.
• You’ll often need to emit flames from part of an object rather than
from its entire geometry. In some instances, the part of the object
where you want the fire won’t have geometry present. A common
technique in such cases is to emit from an invisible geometric object in
that area.

To use the Fire effect

1 Do one of the following:
• Select the object or CVs, edit points, vertices, or particles that you
want to emit fire.
• To create a positional emitter, deselect all objects.
2 Select Effects > Create Fire > .
3 Set attributes in the Create Fire Effect Options window (see page 320)
and click Create.
The Fire effect creates an emitter, emitted particle object, expressions,
ramps, textures, and several fields.
4 Play the animation.
Emitted particles appear as circles in the workspace because the
particles are displayed as the Cloud render type.
Here’s an example with Shading > Smooth Shade All turned on.

5 Add a light to the scene and software render to see the fire.
From the Rendering menu set, for example, select Render > Render
Current Frame.

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Edit attributes of the Fire effect

The following pages explain attributes you can set to tune the Fire effect.
The Fire effect creates several custom attributes in the emitted particle
object it creates. The custom attributes control a combination of field or
emitter attributes to lessen the settings you would otherwise need to make
to tune the fire.

Attributes in the Create Fire Effect Options window

These attributes appear in the Create Fire Effect Options window when
you select Effects > Create Fire > . Changes you make to the options
window affect only fire you create after you make the changes.
You can edit most of these attributes after you use the Fire effect by
selecting the emitted particle object and opening the Extra Attributes
section of the Attribute Editor. Exceptions are noted in the text.

”Effects > Create Fire” on page 359

Tune the fire’s appearance

• Adjust any other attributes that are controlled by expressions, ramps,
and textures to tune the effect. To learn which expressions, ramps, and
textures are created by the Fire effect, apply Fire to an object in an
otherwise empty scene. Use the Attribute Editor, Expression Editor,
and Hypershade to see the additions.
• Edit attributes of the Cloud particle render type.
• Turn off the turbulence field by disconnecting it using the Dynamics
Relationship Editor.
• Animate the emitter to move the fire in your scene.

Create Smoke
Prepare to use the Smoke effect
Before you use the Smoke effect, be aware of these issues:

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• Use the Smoke effect on at most one object at a time.

To apply Smoke to a group of NURBS surfaces, first convert each
surface to polygons and combine the surfaces. From the Modeling
menu set, select Modify > Convert > NURBS to Polygons, then choose
Polygons > Combine.
To apply Smoke to a group of polygonal surfaces, simply combine the
surfaces with Edit Polygons > Combine.
• If you emit from a NURBS or polygonal object, the size and shape of
the object affects the quality of the smoke. You’ll need to use an object
large enough to generate an adequate smoke area. If you emit smoke
from a curve, avoid using a curve with abrupt changes in direction.
• It’s often useful to use the Smoke effect on the same geometry more
than once. By setting options differently with each usage, you can
create a complex look not possible with a single usage. For instance,
by using two emitters with different emission rates and different
sprite sequences, you can create a combination of burning smoke and
steaming smoke.
• If you want to animate the movement of the smoke around the
workspace, consider using the Smoke effect on a particle object. You
can work with per particle expressions on particle objects, so you have
more flexibility in altering the smoke’s motion.
• You’ll often need to emit smoke from part of an object rather than
from its entire geometry. In some instances, the part of the object
where you want the smoke won’t have geometry present. A common
technique in such cases is to emit from an invisible geometric object in
that area.
For example, suppose you want to blow smoke out of the end of a
hollow exhaust pipe, but the pipe has no object where you can
conveniently emit the smoke. You can create a disk of the correct size
and shape, position it inside the pipe, and apply an emitter to the
disk. Make the disk invisible by selecting Display > Hide > Hide
Selection.
• If you create your own smoke images, for instance, with paint
software such as VizPaint or StudioPaint, remember to save the alpha
channel (transparency data) when you create the images.

To use the Smoke effect

1 To use smoke images supplied with Maya, copy the images Smoke.0
through Smoke.50 from the following directory on the
Documentation, Lessons, and Extras CD to the /sourceimages
directory of your current project:
Gifts/smoke/

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To use your own images, put them in the /sourceimages directory of

your current project.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select the object or CVs, edit points, vertices, or particles that you
want to emit smoke.
• To create a positional emitter, deselect all objects.
3 Select Effects > Create Smoke > .
4 Set attributes in the Create Smoke Effect Options window (see page
322) and click Create.
The Smoke effect creates an emitter, emitted particle object,
expressions, turbulence field, and other fields needed to make the
smoke.
5 Play the animation.
Emitted particles appear as squares in the workspace because the
particles are displayed as the Sprite render type.
Here’s an example with Shading > Smooth Shade All turned on.

6 Hardware render the scene to see the smoke.

See Rendering for details.

Edit attributes of the Smoke effect

The following pages explain attributes for tuning the Smoke effect. The
Smoke effect creates several custom attributes in the emitted particle
object it creates. The custom attributes control a combination of field and
emitter attributes to lessen the settings you would otherwise need to make
to tune the smoke.

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Attributes in the Create Smoke Effect Options window

The following attributes appear in the Create Smoke Effect Options
window when you select Effects > Create Smoke > . Changes you make
to the options window affect smoke you create after you make the
changes.
You can edit most of these attributes after you use the Smoke effect by
selecting the emitted particle object and opening the Extra Attributes
section of the Attribute Editor.

”Effects > Create Smoke” on page 361

Additional tips
You can do the following additional steps to tune the smoke’s appearance:
• Change the size and orientation of the smoke by altering the Scale and
Rotate values of the emitted particle object.
• Key a change in the value of Scale Y to make the particles appear to
move faster or slower.
• Edit attributes of the sprites. See ”Sprites” on page 40.
• Edit any expressions created by the Smoke effect. To learn which
expressions are created by the effect, apply Smoke to an object in an
otherwise empty scene. Use the Expression Editor to see the additions.
• Turn off the turbulence field by disconnecting it using the Dynamics
Relationship Editor.
• Animate the emitter to move the smoke in your scene.

Create fireworks
Before you create fireworks, it is helpful to review the terminology used in
the Fireworks effect.

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Bursts or sparks

Trails

Launch position

To create fireworks
1 Choose Effects > Create Fireworks > .
2 Set controls in the option window as needed.
For controls related to creation, see ”Set Fireworks creation controls”
on page 325.
For controls that you can edit later, see ”Edit general Fireworks
attributes” on page 325.
3 Click Create in the options window or choose Effects > Create
Fireworks.
The fireworks group and rockets selection handles appear.
4 Click the play button.
If you make changes to the fireworks attributes, you may need to
replay the scene from frame one.
5 If you want faster playback, turn off the Display Geometry attribute.
Display Geometry is near the bottom of the fireworks group
attributes. When turned off, the particles appear as streaks rather than
instanced cones. For details, see the description on page 326.
6 To render the fireworks, make sure Display Geometry is turned on
and use software rendering.

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Set Fireworks creation controls

Of the numerous controls in the Create Fireworks Effect Options window,
the following are described here because they relate to creation. The other
controls are described in ”Edit general Fireworks attributes” on page 325.

”Effects > Create Fireworks” on page 363

Edit general Fireworks attributes

After you create the fireworks, you can adjust general, group-related
attributes by editing the fireworks attributes. You can do this using the
Channel Box or the Attribute Editor.
Start by selecting the fireworks group selection handle.

Selection handle for fireworks group

Max Burst Speed

Affects how fast all rockets burst, and, consequently, how wide the
bursts appear. Each particle in the burst has a random speed, and this
speed is the maximum.
Max Sparks Count, Min Sparks Count
Each burst consists of a number of streaks randomly distributed
between these two values.
Sparks Color Spread
Determines the number of colors to use per burst. The colors are
selected from the palette of colors established by the Num Spark
Colors option. The spread refers to the number of colors on either side
of the main color. For example, a spread of one means a total of three
colors: the main color, plus one color on either side of the color
palette.
Rocket Gravity
Sets the magnitude of the gravity field affecting rocket trajectories.
This option does not affect the gravity fields for rocket trails and burst
sparks. To edit those fields, open their gravity nodes in the Attribute
Editor.
Attaching any fields to the rockets other than the created gravity will
make the burst position unpredictable.

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Show All Burst Positions

Shows you the rocket burst positions by displaying the rocket particle
ID number in the view panel.
Show All Launch Positions
Shows you the rocket launch positions by displaying the rocket
particle ID number in the view panel.
Trail Emit Rate
Sets the rate that rockets emit trails. An Trail Emit rate of 0 (zero)
means no rocket trail appears.
Trail Emit Speed
Sets the Trail Emit speed of the rocket trail particles. You can enter a
value of 0 or more. A value of 1 leaves the speed as is. A value of 0.5
reduces the speed by half. A value of 2 doubles the speed.
Trail Emit Spread
Sets the emission spread angle. This angle defines a conical region into
which the rocket trail particles are emitted. You can enter any value
between 0 and 1. A value of 0.5 is 90 degrees, a value of 1 is 180
degrees.
Trail Min Tail Size, Trail Max Tail Size
Sets the size range for particles within the rocket trails.
Trail Glow
Sets the amount of glow from the rocket trail shaders.
Trail Incandescence
Sets the amount of incandescence from the rocket trail shaders.
Sparks Min Tail Size, Sparks Max Tail Size
Sets the size range for particles within rocket bursts.
Sparks Glow
Sets the amount of glow from the burst sparks shaders.
Sparks Incandescence
Sets the amount of incandescence from the burst sparks shaders.
Display Geometry
Switches between displaying particles only and displaying the cones
instanced to each particle. In order to create lighting and glow when
you render fireworks, there is a cone instanced to each particle, and a
shader connected to each cone. During playback, the cones display

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more slowly than the particles. To increase the playback speed, turn
off Display Geometry so that only particles appear. Before you render,
turn Display Geometry back on.

Edit rocket positions, timing, and colors

You can edit the following on a per rocket basis:
• positions of the burst and launch
• frames when launch and bursts occur
• colors of the trails and bursts
To make these edits, you must first select the rocket attributes in the
Attribute Editor, FireworksRocketShape node.

To select rocket attributes

1 Select the rockets selection handle, placed in the center of the
fireworks rockets.

Selection handle for fireworks rockets

If the rockets selection handle becomes hidden behind the rocket

trails, try drawing a selection box in the center of the Fireworks effect.
2 Open the Attribute Editor.
3 Turn off Auto Load Selected Attributes, under the List menu.
The auto load option must be off to prevent the wrong node from
displaying.
4 Click the FireworksRocketsShape node in the Attribute Editor.
5 Navigate to the Clip Effects Attributes, Fireworks section.

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6 Select the rocket you want to edit in the Firework Rockets pull-down
list.

You can see the number of each rocket by turning on the Show Burst
Positions or Show Launch Positions checkbox.

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You can see rocket numbers

by turning on Show Burst
Positions

To edit rocket burst or launch positions

1 Select the rocket attributes as explained in ”To select rocket attributes”
on page 327.
Remember to click Load Attributes if the Attribute Editor is not
refreshed.
2 Turn on Show Burst Pos Manip or Show Launch Pos Manip.

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Note If the node in the Attribute Editor changes, you must turn off
Auto Load Selected Attributes, under the List menu. To
redisplay the FireworksRocketShape node, select the rocket
group and click Load Attributes.

3 Move the burst or launch manipulator as needed.

4 Click Set Rocket Burst Position or Set Rocket Launch Position once the
manipulator is in position.
5 If the rockets have already been drawn, replay the animation from
frame one to see your changes.

To edit rocket burst or launch times

1 Select the rocket attributes as explained in ”To select rocket attributes”
on page 327.
Remember to click Load Attributes if the Attribute Editor is not
refreshed.
2 Edit the Burst Frame or Launch Frame attributes.
Maya tries to satisfy the burst time as close as possible by computing
an appropriate velocity and trajectory for the rocket.

To edit rocket colors

1 Select the rocket attributes as explained in ”To select rocket attributes”
on page 327.
Remember to click Load Attributes if the Attribute Editor is not
refreshed.
2 Edit the color attributes described below.
Sparks Color Spread
Sets the number of colors used in the rocket’s burst sparks. The spread
appears on either side of the main color you choose in the sparks color
palette.
Sparks color palette
Enables you to select a spread of colors for the rocket’s burst sparks.
Click the rectangle under the main color you want, and the other
colors in the spread are chosen from either side of it.

Main color

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By default, the palette consists of colors chosen in consecutive order

around the color wheel. You can change the palette one color at a time
by clicking the color square, which opens the Color Chooser. Or, you
can use the Remake Color Palette option.
Remake Color Palette
If you want to replace the entire sparks color palette with a custom
palette, you can specify a custom MEL procedure name. Maya looks
for the custom procedure by searching your user scripts directory for
a MEL script with the same name.
Your procedure should include the following syntax:
global proc vector[] myFireworksColors( int
$numColors )

In this syntax, the argument $numColors specifies the total number of

colors requested. The return value should be an array of vectors with
the new colors in it.
If you made individual color changes, you can return to the custom or
default color palette by clicking Reset from colorProcedureName.
Edit Rocket Trail Colors
Shows the spread of colors for the rocket’s trail. You can change the
palette one color at a time by clicking the color square, which opens
the Color Chooser. The number of colors is set in the fireworks
options at the time of creation. Trail colors apply to all rockets, not just
the rocket you selected.
3 If the rockets have already been drawn, replay the animation from
frame one to see your changes.

Create lightning
When you create lightning, you set the Lightning Creation Controls in the
Create Lightning Effect Options window to determine certain aspects of
the lightning. You cannot change these once the lightning is created. If you
want to change them, you must delete the lightning and recreate it.
You can also set the Lightning Attributes in the options window. These
attributes can be edited after you create the lightning.

To create lightning
1 Add the objects to the scene that you want the lightning to extend
between.
2 Select the objects you want the lightning to extend between.

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By default, lightning will be created between all the selected objects. If

you want to change the Lightning Creation Controls, see ”Set
lightning creation controls” on page 332. The order of selection
determines the direction of the lightning, depending on the Creation
Option you selected.
3 Select Effects > Create Lightning.
A lightning node is created between each selected object.
• To change the look of the lightning, see ”Edit lightning attributes” on
page 332.
• To adjust the lightning position, see ”Position lightning” on page 335.
4 Press the play button to see the lightning in motion.

Set lightning creation controls

The Lightning Creation Controls determine certain aspects of the
lightning. You set these before you create the lightning.

To set the lightning creation controls

1 Select Effects > Create Lightning > .
The Create Lightning Effect Options window is displayed.
2 Set the following attributes:

”Effects > Create Lightning” on page 365

Edit lightning attributes

After you create the lightning, you can adjust the appearance of the
lightning by editing the lightning attributes. You can do this using the
Channel Box or the Attribute Editor.

To edit lightning attributes

1 Select the lightning you want to edit.

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Tip You can select lightning in the Outliner or in the viewport. To

select it in the viewport, you must pick the selection handle,
which is located under the light icon in the middle of the
lightning.

Drag over center of

lightning to pick
selection handle.

2 In the Channel Box, enter values for the following attributes.

or
Display the Attribute Editor and click Extra Attributes to display the
lightning attributes.

Note In the Attribute editor, you’ll notice ten uneditable attributes

under Extra Attributes. These display information about the
lightning, such as the objects it extends between. You can’t edit
these; however, you can click the > button to display the
attributes for the nodes.

Thickness
The Thickness attribute determines how fat the lightning is. It
specifies the radius of the circle that gets extruded along the curve
that makes up the lightning.

Thickness=1 Thickness=5

Max Spread
Controls the amount of jitter in the lightning. The greater the value,
the more the lightning jitters.

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Max Spread=1 Max Spread=5

Lightning Start
When you create lightning, the first object you select is the start object
and the second object you select is the end object. The Lightning Start
attribute determines the point between the start and end objects where
the lightning starts.
If you set Lightning Start to 0, the lightning starts at the start object
(the first object you selected when you created the lightning). If you
set Lightning Start to 0.5, the lightning starts halfway between the
start object and the end object. If you Lightning Start to 1, the
lightning starts at the end object.

Lightning Start=1 Lightning Start=0.5

Lightning End
The Lightning End attribute determines the point between the start
and end objects where the lightning ends (see “Lightning Start”
above).
If you set Lightning End to 1, the lightning ends at the end object. If
you set Lightning End to 0.5, the lightning ends halfway between the
start object and the end object. If you set Lightning End to 0, the
lightning ends at the start object.

Tip You can animate the Lightning Start and Lightning End values
to make lightning strike an object, or move from one object to
another.

Glow Intensity
Specifies the brightness of the lightning when rendered.

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Glow Intensity=0.5 Glow Intensity=2.0

Light Intensity
When you create lightning, a light at the center of the lightning is also
created, which casts light on surrounding objects. The default
intensity of the light is based on the Glow Intensity attribute, and the
difference between the Lightning Start and the Lightning End
attributes. The Light Intensity attribute multiplies this default
intensity. Increase the value of Light Intensity to increase the lighting
of the surrounding objects.

Light Intensity=2 Light Intensity=20

Color R/G/B
Sets the RGB values for the lightning. Adjust the Color RGB attributes
to adjust the color of the lightning. The default is 0.5, 1, 1.

Tip You see the color of the lightning in the RenderView window. If
you want to quickly preview the color without using the
RenderView window, turn on Lighting > Use All Lights to see
the color of the lightning reflected on surrounding surfaces.

Position lightning
You can adjust the direction the lightning moves away from the start
object or toward the end object using the tangent manipulators.

To position the lightning

1 Pick the tangent manipulator for the end of the lightning you want to
move.

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2 Using the Move tool, drag the tangent manipulator to position the
lightning.

Tangent manipulators

Adjust the lightning shader

In the lightning shader, Color, Incandescence, and Glow Intensity are set
by the lightning attributes and cannot be changed in the shader. You can
adjust the other shader attributes.

Create shatter
Shatter provides three methods of breaking the object:
• “Surface shatter”
• “Solid shatter”
• “Crack shatter”

Note If the shards or their parent(s) are moved their values are saved
as the initial state for the dynamics simulation. If this is done at a
frame other than the start frame the shards may save the results
of the dynamics simulation as their intial state.
Rewind the simulation to the start before adjusting the positions
of the objects.

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Surface shatter
Surface shatter breaks the selected object along polygonal boundaries. You
can use surface shatter to break an object into individual polygons.

To create a surface shatter

1 Select the object you want to shatter.
You can select a NURBS or polygonal object. It can be an open or
closed surface.

Note NURBS surfaces are tessellated before the object is shattered.

The result is a polygonal object.

2 Select Effects > Create Shatter > .

3 In the Create Shatter Effect Options window, click the Surface Shatter
tab.
4 Set the options as described in ”Set shatter options” on page 339.
5 Click the Create button.

Solid shatter
Solid shatter breaks the surface of an object but keeps the interior
polygons and creates solid pieces. It does not break the object along
polygonal boundaries so the edges of the shattered pieces are more
realistic.

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To create a solid shatter

1 Select the object you want to shatter.
You can select a NURBS or polygonal object. It must be a closed
surface.
2 Select Effects > Create Shatter > .
3 In the Create Shatter Effect Options window, click the Solid Shatter
tab.
4 Set the options as described in ”Set shatter options” on page 339.
5 Click the Create button.

Crack shatter
Crack shatter creates cracks that radiate from selected points. You use
crack shatter on an open polygonal object.

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To create a crack shatter

1 Select the object you want to shatter.
You must select polygonal object, and it must be an open surface.
2 Position the pointer over the object, click the right mouse button, and
select Vertex from the pop-up menu.
3 Drag to select a vertex.
The cracks will radiate from the selected vertex.
4 Select Effects > Create Shatter > .
5 In the Create Shatter Effect Options window, click the Crack Shatter
tab.
6 Set the options as described in ”Set shatter options” on page 339.
7 Click the Create button.

Set shatter options

You set the shatter options before creating the shatter. The options vary
slightly according to the type of shatter you are creating.

”Effects > Create Shatter” on page 367

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Connect shards to fields

Once you’ve shattered your object, you can move the shards with the
move tool and keyframe the motion, or you can connect the shards to a
Dynamics field and let the field move the shards.

Note If you add a field to shards that are shapes, the software
automatically converts the shapes to active rigid bodies with
collision on. This will cause interpenetration problems with the
rigid bodies because the shard’s edges overlap each other.
Turning off collisions for the rigid bodies solves this problem.

To connect rigid body shards to fields

1 In the Outliner, expand the shatter node.
2 Highlight the shards you want affected by the field.
3 From the Dynamics menu, select Fields > fieldname.
The field is created and connected to the shards.

To connect soft body shards to fields

1 In the Outliner, expand the shatter node.
2 Expand the shard you want affected by the field and select the shard
particle shape (shard#Particle).
If you want all the shards to be affected by the field, you must select
the particle shape for each shard.
3 From the Dynamics menu, select Fields > fieldname.
The field is created and connected to the shards.

Link original surface to shards

When you turn on the Link to Shards option, Maya makes several
connections from the original surface to the shards. This option lets you
control the visibility of the original surface and the shards with one
attribute on the original surface’s transform node.

Shatter attribute
When you use the Link To Shard option, a Shatter attribute is added to the
transform of the original object. The Shatter attribute toggles the visibility
of the shattered surface with the visibility of the original surface. When
the Shatter attribute is on, the shattered object is visible. When the Shatter
attribute is off, the original object is visible. Shatter is turned on by default
when you create the shatter so you can see the shattered object.

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Rigid bodies
If you have selected rigid bodies with collisions off as the post-operation,
and turned on Link To Shards, the shatter node is parented to the original
object and the Shatter attribute is connected to the active/passive attribute
of the rigid body.
If you’ve turned on the Make Original Surface Rigid option, the Shatter
attribute is also linked to the Ignore attribute of the original rigid body.
When the Shatter attribute is turned on, the Ignore attribute of the original
object is also turned on. This causes the original surface to be ignored in
the rigid solver and prevents the original surface from influencing any
other rigid body once the shatter object is visible.
When the Shatter attribute is turned off, the shards become passive rigid
bodies. When shatter is on, the shards become active rigid bodies so fields
will affect them. You can use this to create an object that shatters when it
hits a surface.

To shatter a rigid body on impact

1 Create a surface for the object to hit and make it a passive rigid body.
2 Set the collision layer of the passive rigid body to -1.
This sets it to the universal collision layer that allows it to collide with
every rigid body.
3 Create an object to shatter.
4 Select Effects > Create Shatter > .
5 Select the type of shatter you want.
6 Set the Post Operation to rigid bodies with collisions off.
7 Turn on Link To Shards.
8 Turn on Original Surface Rigid.
9 Click Create.
10 In the Outliner, expand the object you shattered to display the shatter
node. Expand the shatter node. Select the shards and Ctrl-click (Linux,
IRIX, and Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS X) to select the
original object.
11 From the Dynamics menu, select Fields > Gravity.
12 Select the original object. At the start of the animation, keyframe the
Shatter attribute to off.
The original object becomes visible and an active rigid body.
13 Play the animation until the object is about to hit the passive rigid
body surface.
14 Keyframe the Shatter attribute on.

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The shattered object becomes visible and the shards become active
rigid bodies.
15 Rewind and play back.

Soft bodies
If you have selected a soft body post operation, and turned on Link To
Shards, the shatter node is not parented to the original object. The Shatter
attribute is added to the original object’s transform node and controls the
visibility. When the Shatter attribute is turned on, the shattered object is
visible. When the Shatter attribute is turned off, the original object is
visible.
A goal weight attribute, which controls the goal weights of the soft body
particle shapes, is also added to the transform of the original object. This
“control” goal weight is in addition to the goal weight that is added to the
particle shape of the shard.
When the Shatter attribute is turned off, the goal weight of the particle
shape of the shards is set to 1.This causes the shattered object to follow the
goal object, which is a copy of the original surface, when it is not visible.
When the shatter attribute is turned on, the shattered object becomes
visible and the goal weight of each of the particle shapes is set to the value
of the “control” goal weight attribute of the original surface. These
attributes are connected with an expression.
You can use this to create a soft body that explodes.

To explode a soft body

1 Create an object to shatter.
2 Select Effects > Create Shatter > .
3 Select the type of shatter you want.
4 Set the Post Operation to soft bodies with lattices and goals.
5 Turn on Link To Shards.
6 Click Create.
7 In the Outliner, expand the shatter node, then expand the
softBodyLattices# node.Ctrl-click (Linux, IRIX, and Windows) or
Command-click (Mac OS X) To select each lattice of each shard
(shatter#Lattice).
8 From the Dynamics menu, select Fields > Radial.
9 Select the original object. At the start of the animation, keyframe the
Shatter attribute to off.
The original object becomes visible.
10 Select a frame at which you would like to explode the object.

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11 Keyframe the Shatter attribute on.

The shattered object becomes visible and the shards become active
rigid bodies.
12 Rewind and play back.

Change the extrusion value of a shard

Once you’ve created a shatter with an extrusion, you can change the
extrusion value for all the shards or for individual shards using the Local
Translate Z attribute of the shard shape.
If you haven’t created the shatter using an extrusion, an extrusion node is
not connected to the shards.

Local Translate Z=3

To change the extrusion value of a shard

1 Select the shard.
2 If the shard is a rigid body or a shape, In the Channel Box, select
shardShape#.
3 In the Channel Box under INPUTS, select polyExtrudeFacet#.
4 Scroll down in the Channel Box to locate the Local Translate Z
attribute.
5 Enter a value to change the extrusion.

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Set goal weights on soft-body shards

The goal weight influences how much a soft body follows the goal object.
You can set the goal weight to a value between 0 and 1. A value of 0
means that the goal’s position has no effect on the soft body. A value of 1
moves the soft body to the goal object position immediately.
Values between 0 and 1 cause the soft body to move toward the goal as if
bound to it by an elastic spring. The closer to 1, the greater the influence
the goal object has on the position of the shards. The goal weight value is
0 by default, which means the goal’s position has no effect.
When you select a post-operation option that creates a goal weight but
you don’t turn on Link to Shards, a goal weight attribute is not created on
the original shape. The goal weight is an attribute of the particle shape so
you must select the particle shape in each shard of the shatter node to
display the goal weight attributes.

To set the goal weight on soft-body shards with goals

1 In the Outliner, expand the shatter node.
2 Expand the shard whose goal weight attributes you want to set.
3 Select shard#Particle.
4 Do one of the following:
• In the Attribute Editor, display the Goal Weights and Objects
attributes.
• Scroll down the Channel box to locate Goal Smoothness, Goal
Weight[0], and Goal Active[0].
5 Enter values for the goal weight attributes. For complete information
on setting goal weight attributes, see ”Goals” on page 21.

To set the goal weight on shards with soft-body lattices and

goals
1 In the Outliner, expand the shatter node.
2 Expand the softBodyLattices# node.
3 Expand the shatter#Lattice whose goal weight attribute you want to
set.
4 Select shatter#LatticeParticle.
5 Do one of the following:
• In the Attribute Editor, display the Goal Weights and Objects
attributes.
• Scroll down the Channel box to locate Goal Smoothness, Goal
Weight[0], and Goal Active[0].

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6 Enter values for the goal weight attributes. For complete information
on setting goal weight attributes, see ”Goals” on page 21.

Assign shaders to sets

If you selected sets as the post-operation option, you can assign shaders to
the sets.

To assign shaders to sets

1 Create the shaders.
2 In the Outliner, turn on Display > Set Members.
3 Expand the nameShatterShard# node to display the set members.
4 Select the set members.
5 From the Rendering menu, select Lighting/ Shading > Assign Existing
Material > shadername.

Create curve flow

To use the Curve Flow effect

1 Select the curve.
2 Select Effects > Create Curve Flow > .
3 Set attributes in the Create Curve Flow Effect Options window (see
page 346), then click Create.

Emitter

Flow locators

An emitter and flow locators appear on the curve. The flow locators
are visual aids that show the maximum spread of the particles during
animation. For details on altering the speed and spread of the
particles, see ”Work with flow locators” on page 346.
4 Play the animation.

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Emitted particles flow along the curve. You can move the curve or its
CVs to change the direction of flow.
5 Select the emitted particles, and use the Attribute Editor to choose the
desired render type, color, opacity, lifespan, and so on.
6 Render the scene with software or hardware rendering, whichever is
appropriate for the render type of the particles.

Edit attributes of the Curve Flow effect

The following attributes appear in the Create Fire Effect Options window
when you select Effects > Create Curve Flow > . You can edit many of
the attributes with the Attribute Editor after you use the Curve Flow
effect. Exceptions are noted in the text.

”Effects > Create Curve Flow” on page 372
To display the attributes in the Attribute Editor, first select the Curve Flow
node in the Outliner or workspace (see Curve Flow Group Name below).
To select the Curve Flow node in the workspace, select the selection
handle near the first flow locator.

Selection handle

If you use the Curve Flow effect two or more times on the same curve,
you’ll see multiple selection handles near the first flow locator.

Work with flow locators

Flow locators control the speed and diameter of the flow in different parts
of the curve. You can scale the flow locator rings to expand or shrink the
flow diameter in that area. You can move the rings along the curve to
speed or slow the flow in that area. This is useful when you’re simulating
fluid flow down uneven surfaces.

To expand or shrink flow diameter at part of a curve

1 Select the Curve Flow node.
2 Select the flow locator ring without selecting the curve.
3 Select the Scale tool and drag the yellow scale icon to scale the ring
along all three axes.

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Drag the central icon

to scale the ring and
spread the flow.

You cannot scale along a single axis. Emission always occurs in a

circular region. The ring represents the outer boundary of emission at
that point. Maya interpolates the emission diameter between
neighboring rings. In other words, the emission diameter increases or
decreases smoothly between neighboring rings of different diameters.
An example follows:

To speed or slow flow at an area of a curve

The flow is slower where rings are closer together. The flow is faster
where rings are further apart. You can therefore space the rings to adjust
the flow speed.
1 Select the Curve Flow node.
2 In the Extra Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, edit the value of
the desired locator. The locators are listed in the Attribute Editor in
the order of their position on the curve.
Try different numbers for a locator until you see it move to the
desired position.

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or
Click the locator name in the Channel Box then slowly middle-drag
the mouse back and forth in the workspace until you see the locator
move to the desired position.

Move rings closer to slow the

flow. Spread rings apart to
speed the flow.

To enhance icon display

1 Select the Curve Flow node.
2 In the Extra Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, set these
attributes:
Display Subsegments
When on, displays a marker at each control subsegment for better
visual representation of their locations. You can’t change their location
directly. You can do so indirectly by moving the flow locators.

Subsegment marker

Display All Circles

Displays circles for the control subsegments. This simply makes it
easier to see the subsegments.
Display Thickness
Displays circles for control segments and subsegments. Also shows a
wireframe that represents the cylindrical region of flow. This gives
you a more detailed view of the region of flow.

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Create a surface flow

To create a surface flow
1 Select one or more NURBS surfaces.
2 Choose Effects > Create Surface Flow > .
3 Set controls in the option window as needed.
For controls related to creation, see ”Set surface flow creation
controls” on page 349.
For controls that you can edit later, see ”Editing a surface flow” on
page 349.
4 Click Create in the Create Surface Flow Effect Options window.
An emitter and flow manipulators appear on the surface.

Note It may take a long time to create a surface flow. Creation time is
affected by the number of objects in the scene, by the number of
other flows already existing, and by the number of flow
manipulators you specify.

5 Play the animation.

6 Render the scene with software or hardware rendering, whichever is
appropriate for the render type of the particles.

Set surface flow creation controls

The creation controls apply only at the time of creation. You cannot modify
these controls later.

”Effects > Create Surface Flow” on page 373

Editing a surface flow

You can edit these attributes after you create the Surface Flow effect by
selecting the surface flow selection handle and opening the Channel Box
or the Attribute Editor, Extra Attributes section.

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Selection handle

Note You cannot directly rotate or translate manipulators, because

they automatically adjust to any changes in the shape of the
surface. However, you can edit the Location attributes to move
them along the surface.

Display Sub Manips

Turns visibility on or off for the flow sub manipulators.
ShowTrue ManipShape
By default, the manipulators are displayed as smooth bands that wrap
around the base surface in exactly the shape that you specify. The
actual shape that the effect uses depends on the Manipulator
Resolution value that you set at the time you created the surface flow.
To see that shape, turn on the ShowTrueManipShape attribute. This
does not affect the way that the surface flow moves the particles. It
simply lets you see how accurate the simulation is trying to be.
Smooth Sub Manips
You can use this option to smooth the transition of sub manipulators
between flow manipulators that are spread apart or moved together.
If you haven’t changed the location of flow manipulators, this option
has no effect, because the default positions are smooth already.
Display Min Loft, Display Max Loft, Display Edge Loft
Turns visibility on or off for the flow loft. The loft shows the edges of
the flow.

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Emitter Rate
Sets the degree of particle emission in the flow. The emission is
applied to the surface area of the first flow manipulator. An emission
rate of 0 (zero) means no particles appear.
Random Speed
Sets the amount of random changes in the particle speed. Use this
attribute to create a more natural effect.
Random Radius
Sets the amount of random changes in the particle emission radius, so
that particles spread beyond the flow manipulator loft. Use this
attribute to create a more natural effect.

Particles
following a
random
radius.

U or V Location
Controls the position of each flow manipulator, measured in U or V.
You can move manipulators anywhere along the surface in any order.
Typically, you adjust the manipulator locations to affect the particle
speed. Particles slow down between manipulators that are close and
speed up between manipulators that are distant.

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Particles
slow down

You may also need to adjust the location of a manipulator if it is

placed at the end of converging threads. For example, a manipulator
at the end of a cone would be invisible because the surface at that
point is zero.
These values are always between 0 and 1, regardless of the
parameterization of the original surface. Therefore, a value of 0.5 will
be approximately in the center of the surface.
Min U or V, Max U or V
Controls the beginning and end positions of each flow manipulator,
measured in U or V. Adjust these values if you want the flow to cover
only part of the surface. For example, you can break up a surface into
two adjacent flows by ending one flow (Max setting) at the same point
where the second flow begins (Min setting).
These values are always between 0 and 1, regardless of the
parameterization of the original surface. Therefore, a value of 0.5 will
be approximately in the center of the surface.
Min Distance, Max Distance
Controls the distance between the surface and the top and bottom of
each flow manipulator. By adjusting these values, you can affect not
only the proximity to the surface, but also the thickness of the flow.
Min Age Ratio, Max Age Ratio
Specifies what part of the total particle lifespan occurs in the flow—a
ratio of flow lifespan to total lifespan. For example, if you set the Max
Age Ratio to 0.5, the particles flow along the surface for half their
lifespan and then continue beyond the last flow manipulator.

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The age ratio also indirectly affects particle speed. In the above
example, the particles only have half their lifespan to reach the end of
the flow, so they speed up.
Goal Weight
Sets how much all particles in the flow are attracted to the flow
manipulators. Values can range from 0 (no weight) to 1 (full weight).

Edit particle lifespan

To edit the particle lifespan, you must select the particle node, not the
flow group node, because there may be several particles per flow.
Particle Lifespan
Sets when all particles in the flow die. This option controls the total
lifespan, but the Min and Max Age Ratio control the lifespan within
the flow. As a result, Particle Lifespan may affect the particle speed in
order to meet the requirements of the Min and Max Age Ratio
settings.

Connect flows on separate surfaces

You can connect flows from separate surfaces so they share the same
particles. The workflow is different depending on whether you create
flows at the same time or start with an existing flow.

To create connected flows

1 Select the surfaces in the order you want the particles to flow.
2 Choose Effects > Create Surface Flow > .
3 In the options window, turn off Create Particles Per Flow.
4 In the Control Resolution option, specify the number of flow
manipulators per surface.
5 Click Create.
The effect creates one flow per surface, with the particles flowing in
the order of selection.

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Note By default, the Min and Max Age Ratio settings are evenly
divided among the flows. As a result, a gap appears if the
surfaces are separated. Edit the Min and Max Age Ratio settings
if you want the particles to fill the gap.

To connect an existing flow

1 Select the particle from the existing flow, along with the surfaces or
flows you want to connect. (The selection order doesn’t matter.)
2 Choose Effects > Create Surface Flow.
There will be one flow per surface, but the particles may not flow
correctly. Correct the flow of particles using the following steps.

When you
connect to an
existing flow,
particles may
not flow
correctly at first.

3 For all flows after the starting flow, change the Emitter Rate to 0
(zero).
4 In all the flows, adjust the Min and Max Age Ratio settings so the
particle life span extends evenly among all flows.
The following table gives example settings for two flows.

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Flow Min Age Ratio Max Age

Ratio

A 0 .5

B .5 or higher 1

Delete flows
Because surface flows create expressions in the affiliated particle objects,
you should not delete flows using the Delete key or Edit > Delete option.
Follow the instructions below.

To delete a flow
1 Select the flow or flows you want to delete.
2 Choose Effects > Delete Surface Flow > .
3 Edit the Delete Surface Flow Effect Options as needed.

”Effects > Delete Surface Flow” on page 376
4 Click Delete.

To resolve incorrect deletion

If you accidentally delete a flow with the Delete key or Edit > Delete
option, follow these instructions to clean up the nodes in your scene.
1 Delete the particles associated with the flow.
2 Remove the shaders for the particles by opening the HyperShade or
Hypergraph and choosing Delete Unused.

Surface Flow procedures

There are several global procedures provided with the Surface Flow effect
that allow you to query information about the surface flows in your scene.
int isSurfaceFlow( string $flow )
Returns 1 if the flow object you specify is the root object of a surface flow
effect. Otherwise, it returns 0.
string[] surfaceFlowParticles( string $flow )
Returns the names of all of the particle objects that are affected by the
surface flow you specify.
int isParticleInSurfaceFlow( string $flow, string $particle )

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Returns 1 if the particle object you specify is affected by the surface flow
you specify. Otherwise, it returns 0.
string[] surfaceFlowsDrivingParticle( string $particle )
Returns a string array containing the list of all surface flows in your scene
that affect the particle object you specify.
string[] selectedSurfaceFlows()
Returns all of the surface flow objects from the selection list in the order
they were selected.
string[] selectedSurfaceFlowsAndSurfaces()
Returns all of the surface flow objects and NURBS surfaces from the
selection list in the order they were selected.
string surfaceFlowActualSurface( string $flow )
Returns the name of the NURBS surface associated with the surface
flow you specify. This is the surface selected at the time the surface
flow was created.
string surfaceFlowReferenceSurface( string $flow )
Returns the name of the reference NURBS surface associated with the
surface flow you specify. At the time of creation, the surface flow effect
makes an exact copy of the selected surface to use as a reference. All
objects created for the effect fall under the reference object rather than
cluttering the actual surface node.
string[] surfaceFlowLofts( string $flow )
Returns the names of the edge, min, and max lofts used to define the
boundary for the surface flow you specify.
string[] surfaceFlowEdgeCurves( string $flow )
Returns all of the curves used to calculate the edge loft for the surface flow
you specify.
string[] surfaceFlowMaxCurves( string $flow )
Returns all of the curves used to calculate the max loft for the surface flow
you specify.
string[] surfaceFlowMinCurves( string $flow )
Returns all of the curves used to calculate the min loft for the surface flow
you specify.
string[] surfaceFlowCurves( string $flow )
Returns all of the curves used to calculate all of the lofts for the surface
flow you specify.

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string surfaceFlowEmitter( string $flow )

Returns the name of the emitter that is attached to the first manipulator of
the surface flow you specify.
string surfaceFlowGoal( string $flow )
Returns the name of the goal object being used to control the motion of the
particles associated with the surface flow you specify.
string[] surfaceFlowManips( string $flow )
Returns the names of all of the manipulators for the surface flow you
specify.
string[] surfaceFlowRamps( string $flow )
The surface flow effect is achieved through the manipulation of ramp
textures and goal objects. This procedure returns the names of all of the
ramp textures used by the surface flow you specify.
The number of ramps created depends on the values of the three
resolution options used to create the effect.The ramps are used as a part of
the construction history for the animation of the effect not as a part of a
rendering network. The ramps don’t appear in the Texture sections in the
Visor, HyperShade, or the MultiLister because they can easily outnumber
the rendering textures in the scene. The ramps do appear in the networks
drawn in the main windows of the HyperGraph and HyperShade because
they are useful parts of those networks.

What Dynamics
went
wrong? Avoid twists in the flow manipulators
If your flow moves up or down a periodic surface, which wraps around
360 degrees, the flow manipulators may twist or pop into the surface. An
example appears in the following illustration.

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To avoid the twisting effect

The following steps may help reduce the twisting effect.
1 Change the sweep used to create the surface from 360 to 359.9 degrees.
This change prevents the manipulators from popping into the surface.
2 Use several, shorter flows around the surface instead of one large
flow.
For example, the sphere in the following illustration has four flows,
with the Min and Max flow values adjusted according to the following
table.

Flow Min U or V Max U or V

A 0 .25

B .25 .5

C .5 .75

D .75 1

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Reference > Effects > Create Fire

Reference Menus
Dynamics menu set
Effects

Effects > Create Fire

Creates the fire effect.

Effects > Create Fire > 

Sets the options when creating a fire effect. Here are the options:
Object On Fire
Name of the object to which the Fire effect will be applied. Omit this
entry if you’ve selected an object in the workspace.
Fire Particle Name
Name of the emitted particle object. If you provide no name, Maya
uses a default name.

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Fire Emitter Type

Click the pull-down menu to select Surface, Omni-directional Point,
Directional Point, or Curve emission. You cannot change this option after
creation.
To emit from CVs, vertices, edit points, particles, or a position not
associated with an object, you must select Omni-directional Point or
Directional Point. You can select Surface only for NURBS or polygonal
surfaces. You can select Curve only for NURBS curves. See ”Change
emitter attributes with workspace manipulators” on page 90 for more
details.
Fire Density
Sets how much flame appears in relation to transparent space. This
affects the brightness of the flames.
Flame Start and End Radius
The Fire effect displays emitted particles as the Cloud particle render
type. These attributes set how large the radius of each particle cloud is
at the start and end of its lifespan. This controls the size of the flame
and how the size diminishes during its lifetime.
Fire Intensity
Sets the brightness of the fire.
Fire Spread
Sets the emission spread angle. This angle defines a conical region
where the particles are emitted randomly. You can enter a value
between 0 and 1. A value of 1 means 180 degrees. Valid for Directional
Point and Curve emitters only.

Spread angle
Particles are
randomly
distributed
within the
conical area.

Fire Speed
Sets how quickly the flames move.
Fire Direction X, Y, Z
Sets the direction the flames move. It also controls the direction of the
directional point emitter.

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Fire Turbulence
Sets how much the flame speed and direction are perturbed.
Fire Scale
Scales the Fire Density, Flame Start and End Radius, Fire Speed, Fire
Turbulence, and Fire Lifespan.
Fire Lifespan
Sets how many seconds each emitted fire particle lives. Available in the
Attribute Editor only (with emitted particle object selected).

Additional tips
You can alter the fire’s appearance by tuning the values of the following
attributes of the emitted particle object.
lifespanPP
Controls the per particle lifespan. A creation expression controls this
attribute. To edit the expression, select the emitted particles, right-
click the lifespanPP attribute box in the Attribute Editor’s Per Particle
(Array) Attributes section, then select Creation Expression.
radiusPP
Sets the radius of the particle cloud from birth to death using a ramp.
To edit the ramp, select the emitted particles, right-click the radiusPP
attribute box in the Attribute Editor’s Per Particle (Array) Attributes
section, then select arrayMapper1.outValuePP > Edit Ramp.

Effects > Create Smoke

Creates the smoke effect.

Effects > Create Smoke > 

Sets the options when creating a smoke effect. Here are the options:
Sprite Image Name
Identifies the filename (with extension) of the first image of the series
to be used for the smoke. To use the default images supplied with
Maya, enter the name Smoke.0.
To use files from a directory other than the sourceimages directory in
your current project, you can specify the complete path as in this
example:
(Mac OS X) /Users/username/Documents/maya/projects/tripper/
sourceimages/haze.0

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(Linux, IRIX) /usr/maya6.0/projects/tripper/sourceimages/

haze.0

The images must have filenames in the format name.1, name.2, name.3,
and so on.
To choose a different filename after you use the Smoke effect, display
textures in the Hypershade and double-click the file1 texture to
display the Attribute Editor. The Attribute Editor has an attribute
named Image Name that specifies the filename and path.
Smoke Particle Name
Names the emitted particle object. If you do not provide a name,
Maya gives a default name to the object.
Cycle Images (Cycle Enabled)
If you turn on Cycle Images, each emitted particle cycles through the
series of images over the course of its lifetime. If you turn off Cycle
Images, each particle picks one image and uses that throughout. You
can turn this attribute on or off in the emitted particle shape node.
Start and End Image
Specifies the numerical file extension of the starting and ending image
of the series. The extension numbers in the series must be continuous.
Smoke Sprite Min and Max Lifespan
The particles live a random time uniformly distributed between the
Smoke Sprite Min and Max Lifespan values. For example, if Min
Lifespan is 3 and Max Lifespan is 7, each particle lives from 3 to 7
seconds. To change the height of the smoke without affecting speed,
adjust these attributes.
Smoke Threshold
When each particle is emitted, it has an opacity of 0. The opacity
gradually increases, hits a peak, then tapers off to 0 again. The Smoke
Threshold sets the moment the opacity hits its peak, specified as a
fraction of the particle’s lifespan. For example, if Smoke Threshold is
0.25, each particle’s opacity peaks at one-quarter of its lifetime.
Smoke Opacity
Scales the entire smoke opacity from 0 to 1. The closer to 0, the lighter
the smoke. The closer to 1, the denser the smoke. The expression
created by the Smoke effect controls opacity on a per particle basis; it
uses the value of this attribute.

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Reference > Effects > Create Fireworks

Effects > Create Fireworks

Creates the fireworks effect.

Effects > Create Fireworks > 

Sets the options when creating a fire effect. Here are the options:
Fireworks Name
Specifies the name of the fireworks object.

Rocket Attributes
Num Rockets
Specifies the number of rocket particles that fly up and burst. You
cannot add or remove rockets once the Fireworks effect is created.
You need to choose Create Fireworks again if you want more or less
rockets.
Launch Position X, Y, Z
Specify the launch coordinates used to create all the firework rockets.
These parameters are used only at creation time; you can later specify
different launch positions for each rocket.
Burst Position Center X,Y,Z
Specify the coordinates of the center position around which all of the
rockets burst. These parameters are used only at creation time; you
can move the burst positions later.
Burst Position Extents X,Y,Z
Specify the size of the rectangular volume containing the random
burst positions. Each extent is the distance from the Burst Position
Center setting. These parameters are used only at creation time; you
can individually move the burst positions later.
First Launch Frame
Sets the frame when the first rocket launches. Subsequent launch
times are determined by the Launch Rate (Per Frame) field. This
parameter is used only at creation time; you can specify individual
rocket launch times later.
Launch Rate (Per Frame)
Sets the rate of rocket launches after the first launch. The rate formula
is one divided by the number of frames per rocket. For example, 0.1
means one rocket launches every 10 frames. This parameter is used
only at creation time; you can specify individual rocket launch times
later.

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Min, Max Flight Time (Frames)

Set the time range between the launch and burst of each rocket. These
parameters are used only at creation time to randomly distribute the
length of each rocket’s flight. Later, you can specify each rocket’s
launch and burst frame.
Max Burst Speed
Sets how fast all rockets burst, and, consequently, how wide the
bursts appear. Each particle in the burst has a random speed, and this
speed is the maximum. This parameter is typically set at creation time,
but you can edit it later.

Rocket Trail Attributes

Set Color Creation Proc
Turn this checkbox on to specify your own MEL procedure that
creates the colors used for all rocket trails. Leave this checkbox off to
use the default color creation procedure. Using your own color
creation procedure can save you time editing it later in the Attribute
Editor. You cannot change this option after creation.
Color Creation Proc
If you turned on Set Color Creation Proc, this parameter lets you
specify a custom MEL procedure name to create a custom trail color
palette. Maya looks for the custom procedure by searching your user
scripts directory for a MEL script with the same name. You cannot
change this option after creation, although you can individually edit the
trail colors.
Your procedure should include the following syntax:
global proc vector[] myFireworksColors( int $numColors )
In this syntax, the argument $numColors specifies the total number of
colors requested. The return value should be an array of vectors with
the new colors in it.
Num Trail Colors
Sets the number of different colors for rocket trails. By default, trail
colors are chosen in the yellow to orange spectrum. You can change
the colors used, but you cannot change the number of colors after the
firework is created.

Rocket Sparks creation controls

Min Sparks Count, Max Sparks Count
Each burst consists of a number of streaks randomly distributed
between these two values.

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Num Spark Colors

Sets the number of different colors in your burst sparks palette. The
actual number of colors used is set by the Sparks Color Spread option
(see ”Sparks Color Spread” on page 325 for details). By default, the
burst sparks palette colors are chosen in consecutive order around the
color wheel. You can change the colors used, but you cannot change the
number of colors available after the firework is created.

Note For information on the Color Creation Proc controls, see the
Remake Color Palette attribute on page 331.

Effects > Create Lightning

Creates the lightning effect.

Effects > Create lightning > 

Sets the options when creating a lightning effect. Here are the options:
Group Lightnings
When Group Lightning is turned on, Maya creates a group node and
places the newly created lightning into it. No special controls are
associated with this group. However, grouping can help you organize
your lightning effects.
Creation Options
Specifies how you want the lightning created. Click to turn on one of
the following options:
All
Creates lightning between all the selected objects.
In Order
Creates lightning from the first selected object to the other selected
objects in the order of their selection.
From First
Creates lightning from the first object you select to all the other
selected objects.

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1
2

All option

4 3

1
2

In Order option

4 3

1 2

From First option

4 3

Tip Notice in the illustration for the In Order option above, the
lightning does not extend from object 4 back to object 1. If you
want to do this, you need to add another lightning effect
between objects 4 and 1.

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1 2

In Order option done twice

4 3

Curve Segments
Lightning is made up of soft body curves with extruded surfaces. The
Curve Segments value sets the number of segments in the lightning.

Curve Segments set to 10

Curve Segments set to 100

Effects > Create Shatter

Creates the shatter effect.

Effects > Create Shatter > 

Sets the options when creating a shatter effect. Here are the options:
Shard Count
Specifies the number of pieces the object is broken into. For surface
shatters, if the Shard Count is greater than the number of polygons in
the object, Maya creates a shard out of each individual polygon. High
Shard Count values may not create the exact number of shards.

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Crack Count
(Available for Crack Shatter only.) Specifies the number of cracks created
in the shatter.
Crack Length
(Available for Crack Shatter only.) Specifies the length of the crack. If the
Crack Length exceeds the distance from the selected vertices to the
edge of the surface, the crack terminates at the edge.
Extrude Shards
Specifies a thickness for the shards. A positive value pushes the
surface outward to create thickness; a negative value pushes the
surface inward. You can edit the extrusion amount after you create the
shatter, see ”Change the extrusion value of a shard” on page 343.

Extrude Shard=1

Edge Jagginess
(Available for Solid and Crack Shatters only.) Specifies the unevenness of
the shattered edges. A value of 0 creates smooth edges. A value of 1
creates jagged edges.
Seed Value
Specifies a value for the random number generator. If you set Seed
Value to 0, you get a different shatter result each time. If you set Seed
Value to a number greater than 0, you get the same shatter result.
Post Operation
The post operation options determine what kind of shard you create.
The options vary slightly according to the type of shatter you have
selected. Select one of the following from the pop-up menu:

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shapes Breaks the object into shapes called shards. Once the
object has been broken into shapes, you can apply
any type of animation to the shards, such as
keyframing. If you plan to animate the shards using
Dynamic forces, you might want to use the rigid
body or soft body post operation options.
cracks on
surface (Available for Crack Shatter only.) Creates crack lines
without actually breaking the object. You can use
this option to quickly find crack patterns you like,
then repeat the crack shatter using the desired post
operation option.
To do this, you pick the same vertex each time while
changing the Seed Value to values greater than 0. To
repeat the same cracks, set the Seed Value to the
same value it was for the desired cracks, and pick
the same vertex.
rigid bodies
with collisions
off Breaks the object into rigid bodies. Collisions are
turned off to prevent interpenetration errors from
occurring while the shards are touching. You can
apply dynamic forces to move the shards, and turn
collisions on when the shards are no longer
touching (see ”Connect shards to fields” on
page 340).
For complete information on effects you can create
with rigid bodies, see ”Rigid bodies” on page 246.
soft bodies with
goals Breaks the object into soft bodies, which deform
when you apply dynamic forces. The software also
adds goal objects, which are copies of the shards
that you can use to more precisely control the soft
body deformations. A goal weight of 1 forces your
shards to maintain their original shape. See ”Set
goal weights on soft-body shards” on page 344 for
more information. Springs are also created, which
add internal structure to the soft bodies and
improve your control over the deformation.
For complete information on effects you can create
with soft bodies, see ”Soft bodies” on page 245. For
complete information on effects you can create with
goals, see ”Goals” on page 21. For complete
information on springs, see ”Springs” on page 249.

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soft bodies with

lattice and
goals Breaks the object into shards. The software adds a
lattice deformer to each shard and makes the lattices
soft bodies. When lattices are soft bodies, they can
be affected by fields. The lattices deform the shards
according to the fields affecting the lattices.
Goal objects are also added, which are copies of the
lattices that you can use to more precisely control
the soft body deformations. A goal weight of 1
forces your lattices to maintain their original shape.
See ”Set goal weights on soft-body shards” on
page 344 for more information. In addition, springs
are added to the lattices, which add internal
structure to the lattices and improve your control
over the deformation.
Using lattices to deform your shards can be faster,
especially if you have complex geometry. It’s also
easier to add springs to lattices, creating a more
uniform jiggliness. However, it you want the shards
to collide, you may get unrealistic results because
the collisions occur between the lattices, not the
shards.
For complete information on effects you can create
with soft bodies, see ”Soft bodies” on page 245. For
complete information on effects you can create with
goals, see ”Goals” on page 21. For complete
information on springs, see ”Springs” on page 249.
For complete information on lattices, see “Using
Lattice Deformers” in Character Setup.
Sets
(Available for Surface and Crack Shatters only.) Puts the individual faces
that make up the shard into sets called surfaceShatter#Shard#. When
you choose the Sets option, Maya doesn’t actually break up the object;
it merely puts the polygons of each shard into sets.
You can use these sets as you would any other set in Maya. For
example, you can assign different colors to the sets (see ”Assign
shaders to sets” on page 345).

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Remove Interior Polygons

(Available for Solid Shatter only.) Removes the polygons in the interior
of the object. When you turn on the Remove Interior Polygons option,
the Extrude Shards option becomes available so you can extrude the
shards.
Triangulate surface
Triangulates the entire surface. Turn on Triangulate Surface to create
planar polygons.
Apply Interior Material
(Available for Solid Shatter only.) Creates a new default material called
shatterinteriorSG# and applies this shader to the inside surfaces of the
shards. The exterior already has the default initialShadingGroup or
whatever shader you had on the original object applied to it.
You can use the HyperShade window to edit the material. This option
lets you have different shaders on the inside surfaces and outside
surfaces of your shards.
Smooth Shards
(Available for Surface Shatter only.) Redistributes the polygons among
the shards so the shards have smoother edges. Turning on this option
results in more processing time.
Original Surface
Specifies what happens to the original object. You can select:
Nothing Leaves the original object.
Hide Hides the original object.
Delete Deletes the original.
Link To Shards
Creates several connections from the original surface to the shards.
This option lets you control the visibility of the original surface and
the shards with one attribute on the original surface’s transform node.
See ”Link original surface to shards” on page 340 for more
information.
Make Original Surface Rigid
Makes the original object an active rigid body. This option is available
only when you have selected rigid bodies as the post operation and
turned on Link to Shards. See ”Link original surface to shards” on
page 340 for more information.

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Verbose Mode
Displays messages in the Command Feedback window.

Effects > Create Curve Flow

Creates the curve flow effect.

Effects > Create Curve Flow > 

Sets the options when creating a curve flow effect. Here are the options:

Flow Along Curves

Flow Group Name
Name of the Curve Flow node to contain the emitter, emitted particle
object and other items added to the scene after you use the Curve
Flow effect. To edit the Curve Flow attributes after you use the Curve
Flow effect, you can select this name in the Outliner then display the
Attribute Editor. If you don’t enter a name, Maya creates a default
name.
You can delete all objects created by the Curve Flow effect by deleting
the Curve Flow node from the Outliner.

Flow Creation Controls

Attach Emitter to Curve
If on, the emitter created by the Curve Flow effect is point-constrained
to the first flow locator on the curve (the locator closest to the first CV
of the curve). If off, you can move the emitter to any position. When
you rewind and play the animation, the particles flow from the
emitter position to the first flow locator. You cannot change this option
after creation.
Num Control Segments
Sets the number of places on the flow path where you can tune
particle spread and speed. Higher numbers give finer manipulator
control of spread and speed. Lower numbers improve playback speed.
You cannot change this option after creation.
Num Control Subsegments
Sets the number of segments between segments. Higher numbers
cause particles to follow the curve more precisely. Lower numbers
improve playback speed. You cannot change this option after creation.

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Flow Attribute Controls

Emission Rate
Sets the rate at which particles are emitted per unit of time.
Random Motion Speed
Sets how much the particles meander as they move along the curve.
Higher numbers make particles meander more. A value of 0 turns off
meandering.
Particle Lifespan
Sets how many seconds each emitted particle exists from the
beginning of the curve to the end. Higher values make the particles
move slower.
Goal Weight
Each emitted particle has a goal position that it follows as it moves
along the path. The goal weight sets how precisely the particles track
their goals. A weight of 1 makes the particles follow their goals
exactly. Lower values diminish how closely they follow.

Effects > Create Surface Flow

Creates the surface flow effect.

Effects > Create Surface Flow > 

Sets the options when creating a surface flow effect. Here are the options:

Flow Along Surface

Flow Group Name
Name of the Surface Flow node to contain the emitter, emitted particle
object and other items added to the scene after you use the Surface
Flow effect. To edit the Surface Flow attributes after you use the
Surface Flow effect, you can select this name in the Outliner then
display the Attribute Editor. If you don’t enter a name, Maya creates a
default name.
You can delete all objects created by the Surface Flow effect by
deleting the Surface Flow node from the Outliner.

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Flow Creation Controls

Create Particle
If on, particles are created for the flow on the selected surface. If off,
no particles are created. One exception is if you have particles from an
existing flow selected. If you do, the selected particles are applied to
the new flow, whether this option is on or off. Do this if you want to
connect particles from an existing flow with a new one.
Create Particle Per Flow
If you have multiple surfaces selected and you want to create a
separate flow for each selected surface, turn this option on. Turn this
option off to create one flow across all selected surfaces.
Manipulators Along
Sets the direction of the flow. The direction is specified in the U / V
coordinate system, which is local to the surface. Positive U or V is
forward, while negative U or V is backward. You can see which
direction is U or V by selecting the model and switching to
Component mode (but you must be out of Component mode when
you create the effect).

Flow along V

Flow along U

Control Resolution
Sets the number of flow manipulators. Flow manipulators let you
control particle speed, distance from surface, and other settings for a
specified area. By default, all flows have at least two manipulators for
the beginning and end. Specify more manipulators depending on how
many areas along the surface you want to control. However, the more
manipulators you specify, the longer it takes to create.

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Flow manipulator

Sub manipulator

Sub-Control Resolution
Sets the number of sub manipulators between each flow manipulator.
Sub manipulators control the flow of particles, but you cannot
manipulate them directly. They are automatically spaced between
flow manipulators to follow the curve of the surface. The more your
surface varies along the direction of flow, the more sub manipulators
you should have. However, the more sub manipulators you specify,
the longer it takes to create.
Manipulator Resolution
Sets the number of analysis points the flow manipulators use to direct
particles. The more your surface varies along the manipulator, the
greater your resolution should be.
The following illustration shows the front view of a surface with two
flows, but different Manipulator Resolution settings. A resolution of 5
created the particles on top, while a resolution of 3 created the
particles on the bottom.

Particle flow
with resolution
set to 5

Particle flow
with resolution
set to 3

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Effects > Delete Surface Flow

Deletes a surface flow effect.

Effects > Delete Surface Flow > 

Sets the options when deleting a surface flow effect. Here are the options:
Delete Surface Flow Groups
Turn on to remove the nodes of the selected surface flow.
Remove Particles From Surface Flow
Turn on to remove only the particles associated with the flow and not
the flow itself.
Delete Surface Flow Particles
Turn on to remove the particle node associated with the flow. If off
and you delete the surface flow, the particle node remains in your
scene, even though the particles disappear.

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6 Solvers

About Dynamics
Particle caching

Particle caching
Caching lets you store dynamic simulations, either to disk or to memory.

With caching, you can see

the correct effects without
waiting for playback
computation.

Dynamics supports three types of particle caching: particle disk caching,

particle startup caching, and memory caching.

Particle disk caching

Particle disk caching lets you cache complete sequences to disk. You can
use the cache for batch rendering and playback. Disk caching has the
following advantages:
• It lets you render more efficiently, especially when using multi-
processor batch rendering. Maya loads the particles from the disk
cache instead of re-computing them. This avoids the particle “run-up”
at the start of the render.
• It lets you play the scene faster and scrub in the time slider.
You can also use particle disk caching to create different caches for the
same scene. This lets you create and quickly play back variations on a
scene.

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• ”Use particle disk caching” on page 379

Particle startup caching

Particle startup caching avoids run-up. It’s used when you save your
scene at some frame greater than the start frame (it’s on by default). The
startup cache lets you save your particle data for that one frame to disk so
no run-up is needed.
• ”Particle startup caching” on page 384

Memory caching
Memory caching saves the motion of objects in memory (not to disk). You
can use memory caching to cache certain objects in your scene.
• ”Memory caching” on page 385

Particle Disk Caching

Specify where the cache files are stored
Maya has a workspace directory for particles. By default, this is given the
name particles. You can specify your workspace particles directory using
the Project Editor, the same as for all the other workspace directories.
If you are using an old workspace from a previous version of Maya, Maya
creates the particles directory for you the first time you create a particle
disk cache.
The disk cache files are stored in subdirectories of the particles directory.
You can specify what subdirectory name you want to use by entering the
name in the Cache Directory box of the Particle Disk Cache Options
window (see ”Setting particle disk cache options” on page 380). Before
each new caching operation, Maya automatically deletes any cache files
existing in the specified subdirectory.

Determine the frame range

If Maya can’t find a cache file for the given frame, but finds cache files
both for frames greater and lesser than the current frame it is evaluating, it
interpolates between them. If the frame difference is large, you see the
results of interpolation rather than the results of solving frame by frame.
In simple cases, to evaluate a given frame, Maya usually needs the particle
cache files only for that frame. However, Maya may need to access the
state of particles at some other frame in order to resolve expressions, rigid

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body motion, motion blur, etc. If you are in doubt, we recommend caching
out all frames. For example, if you want to render starting at frame 100,
cache all frames up to 100 as well.

How do I? Simulate dynamic effects

Work with particle disk caching

Use particle disk caching

Create a particle disk cache
After you have created a particle disk cache, Maya uses the cached
particle data, no matter what changes you make to your scene, until you
explicitly tell it not to.
For example, if you cache the scene, then apply a gravity field to a particle
object, you will not see any effect from that field because Maya is using
the cached particle motion. To see the effect, you must turn off Use
Particle Disk Cache (see ”Editing particle disk cache settings” on
page 380).
However, if you make a change that does not alter per-particle attributes,
such as changing the render type from blobby to streak, you will see the
change without turning off Use Particle Disk Cache.

Tip We suggest you name your scene before creating a particle disk
cache; otherwise, Maya saves the particles in a directory named
untitled.

To create a particle disk cache

1 Select Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache.
Maya plays through the scene once using the current time slider
playback range and writes out cache files. Maya does not re-draw the
screen during this playback. If you want to cache a different range,
you can either change the current range of your time slider or use the
range in Render Globals (see ”Use Render Globals Range” on
page 388).
Maya must play the scene through once to create the cache. If you
don’t want to wait through the playback, you can interrupt it by
pressing the Esc key, but the cache won’t be created.

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2 After creating the cache, save your scene so any settings you made to
the Particle Render Cache Option window get saved with the scene.
Otherwise Maya might not know to look for your cache or might not
be able to find it.
When you create the cache in the above manner, Maya creates a cache
for all particles in the scene. If you want to cache some particles
objects and not others, see ”Caching a single particle object” on
page 383.

Note! Be sure to save your scene after creating the cache. Otherwise,
Maya won’t know about the cache when batch rendering.

Setting particle disk cache options

You can set the following particle disk cache options before creating the
cache. These options affect all subsequent caching operations.

To set the particle disk cache options:

1 Select Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache > .
2 Set the following options:
• ”Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache” on page 387

Editing particle disk cache settings

To edit particle disk cache settings
1 Select Solvers > Edit Oversampling or Cache Settings.
The Attribute Editor for the dynGlobals node is displayed.
2 In the Particle Disk Cache section, set the settings. See ”Particle Disk
Cache” on page 388.

Note! Be sure to save your scene after editing any of these values.
Otherwise, Maya won’t know about them when batch rendering.

Play back different caches

You can use particle disk caching to create different caches for the same
scene. This lets you create and quickly play back variations on a scene.

To create and play back different caches

1 Create your scene and name it.

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2 Select Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache > .

3 Enter a name for the Cache Directory or leave the default name, which
is the scene name.
4 Click Create to create the cache.
5 Make any changes to your particles.
6 Select Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache > .
7 Enter a new name for the Cache Directory and click Create.
8 Continue this process to create as many caches as you want.
9 To choose a cache for playback, select Solvers > Edit Oversampling or
Cache Settings, and enter the cache name in the Cache Directory box.
10 Press the play button to see the scene play back from the specified
cache.

Re-create the cache

Once you have created the cache, Maya uses that cache until you tell it not
to. It ignores any changes in emission, forces, etc. on that particle object.
If you change something in the scene that alters per-particle attributes,
you must re-create your cache in order to get correct renders. Maya writes
out the disk cache only when you select Create Particle Disk Cache. That
menu item does not turn on a “caching state.” This is an important
difference between memory caching and disk caching. Maya does not
automatically update or re-create your disk cache.

To re-create your cache

• Select Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache.
You don’t need to re-create the cache if you make a change that does not
alter per-particle attributes. For example, you could change a particle
shape’s render type from blobby to cloud, save the file, and re-render. Or
you could change keyframed colorRed/colorBlue/colorGreen attributes.
In both these examples, you would not need to re-create the cache because
the attributes involved are not per-particle.
Be careful, however, because attributes such as colorRed can indirectly
affect per-particle attributes. In the previous examples, if you had a per-
particle expression on some particle object that made use of the render
type or colorRed as an input, the results of that expression would be
affected, so you would need to re-create the cache.

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Particle disk cache files

Maya saves cache files for each particle shape for each frame. If
oversampling is turned on, it saves multiple disk caches at different times
within a frame depending on the oversampling rate.These binary files
have the extension .pdc, which stands for particle data cache. Maya uses
the dynExport command to write these files.
You can’t read .pdc files. If you want to output particle data files you can
read, see the online documentation in the dynExport command for
information on outputting .pda and .pdb files, and also the gifts/readpdb
directory. See Appendix A, “Use the PDC File Format”for information on
writing your own reader.

Deleting cache files

There is no way to delete cache files or directories from within Maya.
Delete them using your operating system.

Caching tips
Ramps
If you are animating per-particle rendering attributes by ramps, and you
change those ramps, you’ll see the change in playback even if the cache is
enabled. This also applies to changes in hardware display/rendering
attributes such as pointSize. To avoid any confusion, turn off the Use
Particle Disk Cache attribute before you make changes to your scene, and
re-create your cache just before you render.
If you are animating any attribute with expressions, or animating
rampPosition, rampVelocity, or rampAcceleration with ramps, any
changes you make to those expressions or ramps will not be visible in
playback as long as the cache is enabled. Turn off Use Particle Disk Cache.

Particle collisions with rigid bodies

If you have a rigid body being driven by particle collisions, and you disk-
cache the particles, the rigid bodies will no longer evaluate correctly. In
effect, the caching takes away the dynamic properties that allow the rigid
bodies to evaluate and they can’t detect the collisions any more. To cache
such a scene, first bake out the rigid bodies (see “Baking rigid bodies,”
below), then disk-cache the particles. The same limitation and same
workaround apply to in-memory caching as well.

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Baking rigid bodies

The particle disk cache always applies to particles only. It does not apply
to rigid bodies. In most cases, rigid bodies can compute their positions
without needing to do a run-up. If you encounter any problems in this
area, you can resolve them by baking out your rigid bodies, using the
bakeResults command.
For example, to bake out rigidBody1 for frames 1 to 100, do this:
bakeResults -t "1:100" -simulation true rigidBody1;
You can’t use the bakeResults command to bake out particle motion. It
bakes out animation channels, such as translateX/Y/Z, not particle
positions.
Even if unbaked rigid bodies do cause a run-up, the run-up will go faster
if your particles are cached, because the particles are loaded from the disk
cache instead of being recomputed.

Caching a sequence in two parts

You may find it necessary to cache two parts of a sequence separately. For
example, if you cache frames 1 to 45 in one place, and frames 46 to 90 in
another place, you must be sure that the two caches “line up” so there is
no discontinuity from 45 to 46.
Make sure that the animation and dynamics the first time you cache are
consistent with the second. Make sure you didn’t add or change anything,
or have something changed for you.
In particular, if you have expressions that use the MEL rand() function,
you must make sure your expressions are properly reseeded (see
“Reproducing Randomness” in Chapter 5 of Expressions).

Caching a single particle object

Using Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache caches all particle objects in the
scene. You can cache a specified object from the command line using the
dynExport command (see the online Command documentation for
information on the dynExport command).
You can also get this same result by using your operating system to delete
the cache files for all objects you don’t want read from the cache.

Caching only certain attributes

By default, all attributes are cached. However, you can cache only certain
attributes using the dynExport command (see the online Command
documentation for information on the dynExport command).

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Particle startup caching

The particle startup cache lets you save files at frames greater than the
start frame without doing a run-up. It saves a copy of the particle shape’s
attribute values in a different file than the particle disk cache files.

Using the startup cache

Using the startup cache lets you save and quickly re-load scenes at frames
greater than the start frames of your particle objects. If you always save
your files at the particles’ start frames, you can turn off Save Startup
Cache for Particles to save disk space.
The disk space used for the particle cache is determined by how many
particles are in your scene at the frame saved, and how many attributes
they have. Likewise, the time savings at file load is determined by how
heavy your scene is and how long it takes to play back. There is no simple
formula—you must assess the trade-off between file size and time savings.
Because of this, we made this a preference you can turn on or off. It is
turned on by default.

To use the startup cache

1 Select Window > Settings/Preferences >Preferences.
2 Select the Dynamics category and turn on Save Startup Cache for
Particles.
When this option is turned on (the default), Maya automatically saves
the startup cache for all your particles every time you save the file.
Unlike particle disk caches, you don’t have to create the startup cache
explicitly every time.
When the file is loaded (in either interactive or batch mode), the
particle shape’s current state is read from the startup cache and no
run-up occurs. If Maya cannot find or read the cache file, it gives you
a warning and then runs the scene up. This would happen, for
example, if you copied the file into a different workspace and did not
also copy the startup cache. If you re-save the scene at that point,
Maya re-creates the startup cache.

Location and names of startup cache files

Startup cache files are kept in a subdirectory of your workspace particles
directory. Each scene has a separate startup cache directory.
Normally, Maya names this directory by appending _startup to your scene
name. For example, if your scene is called myScene, Maya puts the startup
cache in a directory called myScene_startup.

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However, if you have created a particle disk cache for that scene, Maya
uses the name of that particle disk cache directory in place of your scene
name. For example, if you store your particle disk cache in a directory
safePlace, Maya calls the startup cache safePlace_startup. (By default, the
disk cache directory name is the same as the scene name.)
If you first disk cache the scene under one name, then rename the scene,
any startup file written uses the first name (because that’s the name your
disk cache was created under). We recommend that you name your scene
when you start and don’t change it.

Using startup caches with batch rendering

Maya uses the startup cache in batch rendering only when you are
rendering the exact frame for which the startup cache was saved. It does
not use the startup cache when you are rendering other frames. When
rendering sequences, or rendering in distributed or multiprocessor
fashion, we recommend that you use the particle disk cache and not rely
on the startup cache.

Using disk caches and startup caches

If you have both a particle disk cache (a complete sequence) and a startup
cache, the particle disk cache takes precedence. Maya searches for caches
in the following order:
• Maya first looks for a particle disk cache.
• If it can’t find a particle disk cache, it looks for a startup cache.
• If it can’t find either, it runs the scene up (only when rendering).
If you have a particle disk cache, but you want to save a state that is
different from what’s stored in the particle disk cache, be sure to turn off
Use Particle Disk Cache before saving the file. Otherwise, Maya saves
what was in the disk cache, using that cache until you specify not to use it.

Tip If you believe you have rendering problems that are due to the
startup cache, create a particle disk cache for the complete
sequence.

Memory caching
Memory caching saves the motion of objects in memory (not to disk, see
”Use particle disk caching” on page 379 for information on caching to
disk). You can use memory caching to cache certain objects in your scene.

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How do I? > Memory caching

If you enable Memory Caching for a

selected dynamic object, you can
scrub or play its animation in reverse.

To turn memory caching on (or off) for an object

1 Select the objects.
Note that, for an emitter, you must select the particle object into which
the emitter emits. For a soft body, you can select the geometry or the
particles.
2 Select Solvers > Memory Caching > Enable.
3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences >Preferences to display the
Preferences window.
4 Click Dynamics in the Categories list in the Preferences window.
5 Make sure Run Up to Current Time is turned off.
6 Rewind and play the animation.
Maya caches all attribute values for the selected objects in all frames
you play. If you no longer need to scrub or play in reverse you can
resume normal frame-by-frame calculations by selecting
Solvers > Memory Caching > Disable. Note that if you set the start
frame of the Time Slider to a lower number, Maya automatically
deletes the cache.
If you change an attribute that affects the translation or rotation of a
cached rigid body, you must delete the cache for the animation to play
with the changes reflected (see below).

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Reference > Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache

You can alternatively turn memory caching on or off in the Attribute

Editor by turning off the Cache Data attribute. The location of the
attribute in the Attribute Editor depends on the type of object. If you
turn caching on for a rigid body, Maya also turns caching on for all
rigid bodies in that rigid body’s solver.
If you cache data in memory for emitted particles and later change the
rate or another attribute of the emitter or emitted particles, you must
disable the cache to see the effect of the attribute change.

To delete the current object cache

1 Select the object.
2 Select Solvers > Memory Caching > Delete.

Reference Menus
Dynamics menu set
Solvers

Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache

Creates a particle disk cache.

Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache > 

Cache Directory
Specifies where to store the disk cache. See ”Specify where the cache
files are stored” on page 378.
• If you don’t specify a name, Maya uses a directory that matches
your current scene name. If that directory doesn’t exist, Maya
creates it.
• If you specify a name that is different from the current scene
name, Maya prompts you to be sure you want to use it. It is
generally preferable to use the name of the scene because if two
scenes are cached in the same directory, a new caching operation
overwrites the old cache.
This same prompt appears if you cache a scene, save the scene under a
different name, and re-cache the scene. When you try to re-cache,
Maya detects that the cache name now differs from the scene name
and asks you to confirm.

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Reference > dynGlobals

• Don’t specify an absolute directory name. Maya considers the

cache directory always to be relative to the Particles directory of
your workspace. However, you can set the Particles directory of
your workspace to an absolute directory name using File > Project
> Edit Current.
• The name of the directory used is stored with your scene, so if
you change the name of the scene, Maya is still able to find your
disk cache. The name is stored in the dynGlobals node (see
”Editing particle disk cache settings” on page 380).
Use Render Globals Range
If you turn on this option, Maya caches particles for the frame range
specified in the defaultRenderGlobals instead of for the current
playback range. Turn on this option if you plan to use the render
globals range in your render.
Only Update particles
If Only Update particles is off (default), the particles will be evaluated
by normal DG evaluation, and the cache is guaranteed to have the
same result as in interactive playback. If Only Update particles is on,
Maya optimizes the evaluation by triggering the evaluation only on
particles. This optimization can create a discrepancy if one particle
system is dependent on another particle system.

Nodes
dynGlobals
Particle Disk Cache
Use Particle Disk Cache
This determines whether Maya uses the cache. When you create a
cache, this attribute is turned on automatically. Turn off Use Particle
Disk Cache if you don’t want Maya to use the cache. For example, if
you have made changes to certain emitter attributes that affect
playback, such as speed or emitter type, turn off this attribute to see
the effect of your changes. You can also recreate the cache.
Cache Directory
This attribute lets you specify the directory where Maya looks for the
cache. You can use this to choose which of several saved caches you
want to use (see ”Play back different caches” on page 380).

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Reference > dynGlobals

For example, you could cache one simulation to a directory named

cache1 and another to a different directory called cache2. Enter the
name of the Cache Directory you want Maya to use.
This directory is always relative to the Particles directory of your
workspace. Don’t type an absolute path name.
Entering a name here does not re-create the cache—you do that using
Solvers > Create Particle Disk Cache. Entering a name here also does not
change the name of your existing cache directory. If you want to rename
your directory, use your operating system.

Tip Solver > Create Particle Disk Cache >  also has a Cache
Directory attribute. If you enter a value in the dynGlobals
Attribute Editor, that value becomes the default for the option
box. Any different value that you enter in the option box is
displayed in the dynGlobals node.

Min Frame Cached, Max Frame Cached

These attributes record the minimum and maximum frames that were
stored at the most recent caching operation. You can’t enter values
here—these attributes are for your information only. Because they
describe the most recent caching operation, if you choose a different
cache directory using Cache Directory, the values in Min Frame
Cached and Max Frame Cached won’t necessarily correspond to what
is stored in that directory.

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7 Dynamic Animation

About Dynamics
Animating with dynamics

Animating with dynamics

Particle objects, soft bodies, and rigid bodies are dynamic objects. You
typically animate the motion of dynamic objects with dynamic
animation—fields, collisions, springs, emission, goals, or particle
expressions.
Maya calculates dynamics from frame to frame. The position of an object
in each frame is derived from the position in the previous frame. This
differs from keyframe animation, where the position of an object at any
frame is derived from key values set at different frames in the animation.
Because Maya handles dynamics differently than keyframe animation,
you must use different techniques to adjust playback.
You can interact with your dynamic simulations as it plays by selecting
Solvers > Interactive Playback.

For a scene to start

with particles already
emitted, you must set
their current attribute
values for initial state
operation.

Burning log created by Matt Baer

Note See ”Control execution time of particle dynamics” on page 76 for

details on altering playback of particle dynamics.

”Animate dynamics” on page 392

”Set the initial state of dynamic objects” on page 392

”Work with dynamic animation run-up” on page 393

”Lessen playback time with dynamics” on page 394

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How do I? > Set the initial state of dynamic objects

”Disable dynamics for particles or rigid bodies” on page 394

How do I? Create dynamic effects

Animate dynamics

Set the initial state of dynamic objects

When you play an animation, Maya calculates dynamics each frame for all
dynamic objects in the scene. The state of a dynamic object is the collection
of its current attribute settings—the settings that specify its location and
display characteristics. The state of a dynamic object in any frame other
than the first is based on its state in the prior frame. Maya calculates
dynamic effects sequentially starting at the first frame.
A dynamic object’s initial state is the state of its attributes at the first frame
of the animation. You can play an animation up to some frame, then use
its current state as its initial state.
For example, suppose you have an emitter and you want the scene to start
when the emitter has already emitted a certain amount of particles. You
can play and stop the scene at the frame where you see the particles
emitted, then set the current attribute values for use at the initial state.
When you rewind and play, the scene starts with the particles already
emitted.

To use a dynamic object’s current attribute values at the

initial state
1 Play and stop the animation at the desired frame.
2 Select the dynamic object.
3 Select Solvers > Initial State > Set for Selected.

To use all dynamic objects’ current attribute values at the

initial state
1 Play and stop the animation at the desired frame.
2 Select Solvers > Initial State > Set for All Dynamic.

Note If you key the motion of Streak or MultiStreak particles, you

can’t use their current state as the initial state.

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How do I? > Work with dynamic animation run-up

Work with dynamic animation run-up

If you click a frame in the Time Slider, the correct state of all dynamic
objects in the scene is displayed only if Maya performs run-up to calculate
each frame prior to that frame. Maya doesn’t perform run-up by default,
so you need to turn it on if you want to click frames in the Time Slider.
Note that run-up also occurs for hidden objects.
Leave run-up turned off if you want to prevent Maya from calculating
dynamics when you click a frame in the Time Slider. This is useful in a
scene that has both nondynamic objects and complex dynamic objects,
where you want the state of nondynamic objects to appear promptly after
you click the Time Slider. If you are keying dynamic objects, it’s also
useful leave run-up turned off to avoid waiting for calculations that are
irrelevant to your keying activities.

To turn on run-up for all dynamic objects

1 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences to display the
Preferences window.
2 Click Dynamics in the Categories list.
3 Turn on Run Up To Current Time.
4 You can select either of the following Run Up From options:
Previous Time
If you click a frame higher than the current frame, run-up starts from
the prior current time and ends at the frame you click. Turn this
option on if you won’t be changing any attributes of a dynamic object
in the scene. This setting lessens the time you’ll spend waiting for run-
up. If you click a frame lower than the current frame, run-up starts
from the beginning of the animation.
Start Time
Run-up starts from the start frame regardless of where you click in the
Time Slider. Turn this option on if you plan to change any attributes
of a dynamic object in the scene. This ensures that you see the correct
object states when you click in the Time Slider after modifying an
object’s dynamics.
Run-up always occurs in batch rendering. For instance, if you batch
render frames 20 through 50, all particle effects will render correctly
even if Run Up To Current Time is turned off.

Tip Press the Esc key if you want to stop a lengthy particle run-up.

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How do I? > Lessen playback time with dynamics

Lessen playback time with dynamics

A scene with dynamic animation might play slowly because of intensive
computations. The following sections describe ways to speed playback.
Note that dynamic animation doesn’t include motion from keys, motion
paths, non-particle shape expressions, deformers, and non-rigid body
constraints.

Tips If your dynamic animation looks choppy during playback, make

sure the Playback speed is set to Play every frame in the
Timeline page of the Window > Settings/Preferences >
Preferences window. This ensures that Maya won’t skip frames,
which is often a cause of the problem.

Disable dynamics for particles or rigid bodies

You can turn off dynamic animation for selected particle objects and rigid
bodies. This is useful when you work on other objects of a scene and
temporarily want to avoid unnecessary calculations that slow animation.
The motion of keys and other nondynamic objects is unaffected when you
disable dynamics.

To disable dynamic calculations for selected particles

1 Select the particle object.
For emitted particles, select the emitted particles rather than the
emitter. For a soft body, select the geometry or the particles.
2 In the General Control Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, turn
off Is Dynamic.

Tip If you have not keyed, parented, or otherwise controlled the

transform attributes of a particle object, turn off Emission In
World to quicken dynamic calculations for the object. When
Emission In World is on, Maya makes extra computations to
convert world space to object space coordinates.

To disable dynamics for all rigid bodies controlled by a solver

1 If you’ve created multiple solvers, first select the solver from the list in
Solvers > Current Rigid Solver > rigidSolver#.
2 Select Solvers > Rigid Body Solver to display the Attribute Editor.
3 In the Rigid Solver States section, turn off State.

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Reference > Solvers > Interactive Playback

This turns off the effect of fields, collisions, and rigid body constraints
for the rigid bodies it controls. Remember to turn State on again when
you want the rigid bodies to operate again—including rigid bodies
you’ve created after you turned off State.

Reference Menus
Dynamics menu set
Solvers

Solvers > Interactive Playback

The Interactive Playback mode lets you interact with dynamic objects and
see the simulation update as you playback. For example, you can shake an
object with jiggle applied to it to view the effect immediately.
This playback mode can now be started by selecting Solvers > Interactive
Playback in the Dynamics menu set, or by typing play -record in the
Script Editor.

Note When using Interactive Playback, playback looping is

disabled.

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Reference > Solvers > Interactive Playback

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8 Dynamic
Relationships Editor
About Dynamics
Dynamic relationship editor

Dynamic relationship editor

The Dynamic Relationships Editor lets you connect and disconnect
dynamic relationships between objects and fields, emitters, and collisions.

You can display the Dynamic Relationships Editor as a separate window

or as a panel in the workspace.

To display the Dynamic Relationships Editor

• From the menu bar, select Window > Relationship Editors > Dynamic
Relationships.

or
• From the Panels menu of the current panel, select Panel > Dynamic
Relationships.

This section lets you

select the type of
connections you can
make or break.

This section displays

the fields, emitters, or
This column lists collisions to which you
objects in your can connect the objects
scene. in the left column.

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How do I? > Connect or disconnect items

How do I? Simulate dynamic effects

Work with the dynamic relationship editor

Connect or disconnect items

When you select an object, the right side of the Dynamic Relationships
Editor shows the fields, emitters, or collision-capable geometry available
for connection or disconnection.

To connect or disconnect items:

1 In the left side of the Dynamic Relationships Editor, click to highlight
the object you want to connect (or disconnect) to a field, emitter, or
collision-capable geometry.
If an item is highlighted in the right side, it’s already connected to the
object highlighted in the left side.
2 Set the Selection Mode for the type of object in the right side you want
to connect to: fields, collision-capable geometry (Collisions), emitters,
or all three types.
3 Click to highlight the items in the right column to be connected to the
item in the left side. To disconnect an item in the right column, click
the item to turn off highlighting.

Tip A selection mode option is dim if it’s irrelevant to the object

selected in the left column. For instance, if you select a NURBS
or polygonal object, mode options other than Fields are dim
because you can’t connect NURBS and polygons to emitters or
collision-capable geometry.

Connect and disconnect gravity - example

The following example shows how use the Dynamic Relationships Editor.
You’ll create a pair of emitters and connect the emitted particles of one of
the emitters to gravity. You’ll then switch connections so that the other
object’s emitted particles fall with gravity instead.

To create the pair of emitters

1 Create two Omni point emitters in different parts of the workspace.

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How do I? > Connect and disconnect gravity - example

2 Select the emitted particles of the first emitter you created, then select
Fields > Create Gravity.
This creates a gravity field and connects the selected particles to it.
3 Play the animation.
The particles emitted by the first emitter fall after being emitted.

Change the connections to gravity:

You can use the Dynamic Relationships Editor to switch the
connection of gravity from one group of emitted particles to the other.
1 In the Dynamic Relationship Editor, turn on All.
2 Select particle1 in the left column.
There are three items you can connect particle1 to: emitter2, emitter1,
and gravityField1. Currently, it’s connected to gravityField1 and
emitter1.

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How do I? > Connect and disconnect gravity - example

3 Select particle2 in the left column.

It’s connected only to emitter2.

4 Select gravityField1 in the right column.

This connects particle2 to gravityField1.

5 Rewind and play the animation.

Both groups of particles fall under gravity.

To disconnect gravity from particle1, select particle1 in the left side of

the editor, then deselect gravityField1 in the right side:

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How do I? > Connect to selected fields or emitters of an object

6 Rewind and play the animation to see the switched connection to

gravity.

Connect to selected fields or emitters of an

object
You can connect a particle object to selected fields or emitters on an object.
Previously you had a choice of all or none of the object’s fields or emitters.

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How do I? > Connect to selected fields or emitters of an object

GolfBall is connected to only

one of the three fields in
curve1, namely vortexField1.

Example
Suppose a curve has two directional point emitters, emitter1 and emitter2.
Emitter1 emits particle spheres to the right, while emitter2 emits particle
streaks to the left. The spherical particles are particle1. The streaking
particles are particle2.

particle2 (streaks) particle1 (spheres)

If you select particle1, the Dynamic Relationships Editor shows that it is

connected to emitter1:

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How do I? > Connect to selected fields or emitters of an object

You can select either, neither, or both emitters in the right side of the
Dynamic Relationships Editor. For example, if you connect particle1 to
both emitter2 and emitter 1, you’ll see spheres emitted from both emitters.
Emitter2 already emits streaks, so the spheres will be emitted in addition
to the streaks.

emitter2

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Reference > Window > Relationship Editors > Dynamic Relationships

Reference Windows and Editors

Relationship Editors

Window > Relationship Editors > Dynamic

Relationships
The Dynamic Relationships Editor lets you connect and disconnect
dynamic relationships between objects and fields, emitters, and collisions.

”Connect or disconnect items” on page 398

”Connect and disconnect gravity - example” on page 398

”Connect to selected fields or emitters of an object” on page 401

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A PDC File Format

How do I? Simulate dynamic effects

Simulate particles

Use the PDC File Format

The PDC file is used by Maya's particle disk caching and startup cache. It
is a binary file that holds one frame's worth of data for a single particle
object. The readpdb program cannot read this format, but we provide this
information here in case you want to write your own readers.

4 Characters indicating that this is a PDC file. This will be the 4 characters
“P”, “D”, “C”, “ “.

1 Integer indicating the file format version number.

1 Integer holding bit information about whether the values stored in the
file are BIG_ENDIAN or LITTLE_ENDIAN.

2 Integers holding extra bit information that various file format version
might decide to use.

1 Integer indicating the number of particles represented in this file.

1 Integer indicating the number of attributes that have values stored in

this file.

N records, where N is the number of attributes. Each record holds all of

the particles' data. The record is formatted as follows:

1 Integer indicating the length of the attribute's name

M Characters indicating the name of the attribute, where

M is the length of the name.

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How do I? > Use the PDC File Format

1 Integer indicating the type of data for the current

attribute. The following maps the values to the data types:
0 ---> Integer
1 ---> Integer Array
2 ---> Double
3 ---> Double Array
4 ---> Vector
5 ---> Vector Array

P * B Bytes representing the data for this attribute, where

P is the number of particles or 1 for non-array data and B
is the number of bytes needed to represent the data type.

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Index

A animation
fixing choppy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
acceleration attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 170 improving speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Active attribute instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263, 290 run-up for dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Add Attribute window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 scrubbing rigid body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Add Attributes For Current Render Type . . . . . . . 38 Anti Alias Polygons attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Add Emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86, 89 Apply Force At. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Add Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Apply Interior Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Add operation Apply Per Vertex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Add to Existing Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280, 301 drag field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Affect Selected Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210, 212 gravity field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Age
radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
age attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
AimAxis vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Apply Per Vertex attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
AimDirection
applying
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
per particle field attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
AimPosition Around Axis attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 243
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
arrayMappern.outColorPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 60
AimUpAxis
article start-up caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Attach Emitter to Curve
AimWorldUp
Flow effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Attenuation
air field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
drag field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Air Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
field manipulator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
All Collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 gravity field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Allow All Data Types inverting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Allow Disconnection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290, 308 turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Along Axis attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 243 uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
alpha channel vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
sprite images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Attribute Editor
Alpha Source attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 editing particle attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Attribute Name attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170, 190
attributeUPP, VPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Away From Axis attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 243
Away From Center attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 243

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Index

Axis X, Y, Z caching
field manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 in memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 particle start-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
recreating the cache. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
single particle object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
B tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Background Color attribute using start-up with batch rendering. . . . . . . . 385
Display Options attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 caching particles
Bake Simulation playing back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Casts Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 171
Barrier rigid body constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Center of Mass
Better Illumination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170, 191 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
birthPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Center of Mass X, Y, Z
birthTime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Centroid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 74, 170
Blob Map attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
centroidX, Y, Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Blobby Surface render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Body 1 and 2 constraint position . . . . . . . . . . 275, 310 choppy playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Clamp settings
Bounciness
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Paint Jiggle Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
turning on or off in rigid body solver. . . . . . . 308 Clamp Value setting
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Bounding Box
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 clock in particle object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Break Connection Cloud
ramps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 particle material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192, 193
Bump Mapping attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Burst Position Center X,Y,Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 clouds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 40
Collision Layer
Burst Position Extents X,Y,Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
By Cycle Increment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Collision Tolerance
By Frame attribute
rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Image Output Files attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
collisionFriction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
collisionResilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
C collisions
particles and geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
cache
creating for particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Collisions attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
turning off or on for object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 collisionU, V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Cache Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158, 170, 387 color
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 adding per object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
cache files adding per particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Color Accum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172, 184
cache settings for particles Color attribute
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Color Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 172

Dynamics
408
 Index

Color Creation Proc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Create Particle Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Color Feedback setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Create Particle Per Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Color Green. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 172 Create Passive Rigid Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Color R/G/B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 Create Ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Color Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 172 Create Rigid Body Solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Component Only Create Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Create Smoke Effect Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Connect to Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Create Soft Body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
connecting dynamics Create Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Dynamic Relationships Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 createInstancerPivot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Conserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 157, 172 Creation Method
using with vortex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Constant MinMax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
setting lifespan mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Wireframe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Constrain Creation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 soft bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Constraint Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Current Rigid Solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261, 266
Constraints Current Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 79, 172
fixing problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 incoming connection to emitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
constraints rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
parenting and keying rigid body . . . . . . . . . . 276 curve emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 144
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 curve flow effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Contact Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264, 308 curve on surface
Contact Motion adding fields to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
turning on or off in rigid body solver. . . . . . . 308 Curve Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
contactCount. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 custom attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
contactName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Custom Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
contactPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Custom Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Control Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Cycle
Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144, 172 instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Crack Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Cycle Emissions attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Crack Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Cycle Images
Crack shatter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338 Smoke effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Create Active Rigid Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Cycle Interval attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Create Emitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Cycle Step
Create Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Create Fire Effect Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 346 Cycle Step Unit
Create Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Create Particle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 CycleStartObject
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Dynamics
409
Index

drag field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

D
Draw Style attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Damping
Duplicate Upstream Graph
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
soft bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
rigid body Spring constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Duplicate, Make Copy Soft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298, 299
springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Duplicate, Make Original Soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
deforming particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
duplicating
Delete Array Mapper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 195
emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Delete Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
particle objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Delete Surface Flow Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Density attribute dust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
dying particles
Depth Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51, 172 springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Die on Emission Volume Exit attribute . . . . . . . . 149 dynamic attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Diffuse Coeff attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Direction X, Y, Z Dynamic Friction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 dynamic objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
drag field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Dynamic Relationships Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 397, 404
emitter manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
dynamic state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
field manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 dynamics
uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 combining with keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
connecting and disconnecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Direction X, Y, Z attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 391
directional emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
delaying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
directional point emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 parenting to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Directional Speed attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 243 playing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
directionalHinge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 scaling effect using dynamics weight. . . . . . . . 18
Disable Implicit Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 synchronizing with other animation . . . . . . . . 77
disconnecting dynamics Dynamics Weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 173
Dynamic Relationships Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 dynExport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Display All Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Display Center of Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Display Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
E
Display Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Edge Jagginess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Display Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Edit Array Mapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Display Min, Max, Edge Loft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Edit Oversampling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Display Speed attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Edit Ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 60
Display Sub Manips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Display Subsegments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348 Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Display Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Display Velocity
Shatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315, 336
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Don’t Duplicate Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Surface Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Dynamics
410
 Index

Emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

emission adding to object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 connecting to particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 connecting to selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97, 401
Emission In World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 173 creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 86, 144
Emission Random Stream Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Emission Rate
direction of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Flow effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
directional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Emit From Dark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 directional point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Emit from Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 duplicating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
emit MEL command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Emit option from selected vertices, CVs or edit points . . . . 87
particle collision event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 hiding emitter icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
emitted particles inheriting velocity of moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
altering transform attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 keying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
clumped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 obtaining parent particle ids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
coloring with texture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 obtaining UV coordinates . . . . . . . . 107, 176, 177
creating springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 omni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 144
from a position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
from curves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 positional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
from surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 scaling rate with texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
limiting quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
local space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
randomness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 86, 144
reversing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
spreading from emitting NURBS . . . . . . . . . . 106 volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 88
varying from geometry points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Enable Spread
varying rate per particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Emitter Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Enable Texture Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Emitter type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 End Cycle Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
emitterRatePP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99, 173 End Frame attribute
controlling with ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Image Output Files attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
End1 and End2 Weight
springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Enforce Count From History . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173, 258
event attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Event Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
exporting particle data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
expressions
executing after dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
setting per particle attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . 53, 55
Expressions After Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Extension attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Extrude Shards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

Dynamics
411
Index

Flame Start and End Radius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

F
Flipbook Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Flood button
fcheck utility Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
flooding soft body goal weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
field attributes
Flow effect
per particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
changing speed of flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 enhancing icon display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
adding to curve on surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 flow diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
adding to object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208, 210, 212 locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
adding to selected points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Flow Group Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372, 373
animating attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
flow manipulators
animating polygons, NURBS, and deformers 207
avoiding twists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
connecting objects to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
connecting to selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 flows
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 connecting surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
deleting from object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 deleting from surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
duplicating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 fog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
influence in local space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 force attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
influence in world space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Forces In World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158, 173
stand-alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 forceX, Y, Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Filename attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Frequency
Filter button turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 friction
Filter Radius attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 drag field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
finalLifespanPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Dynamic Friction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Fire Density. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 per geometry bounciness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152, 196
Fire Direction X, Y, Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Static Friction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Fire effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 turning off or on in rigid body solver . . . . . . 308
expressions and ramps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 From Channel Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fire Emitter Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Full Image Resolution attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Fire Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Fire Particle Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
G
Fire Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Fire Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
geoConnector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 115
Fire Spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Geometry Mask attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Fire Turbulence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
geometry replacement
Fireworks effect
see instancer
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Glow Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
editing rockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Glow Intensity attribute
Fireworks Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
First Launch Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Goal Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109, 112, 153, 174

Dynamics
412
 Index

goal objects
soft body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
I
Goal Smoothness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113, 174 Ignore
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Goal Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108, 174
animating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 IK spline curves
Flow effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 making soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Image Format attribute
painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Image Output Files attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
surface flow effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 impulse
goalOffset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110, 111, 174 setting keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
goalPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109, 174 Impulse Position X, Y, Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
mapping weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Impulse X, Y, Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Incandescence attribute
goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
adding multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 incandescencePP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
animating behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Inherit Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Inherit Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151, 174
keying off and on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Inherit Opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Inherit Rotation
particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
setting NURBS UV position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Inherit Velocity
setting offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
setting weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 particle collision event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
setting weight of individual particles. . . . . . . 109 Initial Orientation
trimmed surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 rigid body Barrier constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
tuning goal weight animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 rigid body Hinge constraint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
turning off or on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109, 153 Initial Orientation X, Y, Z
using transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
goalU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Initial Position
goalU, V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110, 174 constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
goalV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Initial Position X, Y, Z
gravity field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Gravity Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Initial Spin X, Y, Z
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Group Lightnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
initial state. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Initial Velocity X, Y, Z
H rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Hardware Render Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Input Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
hardware rendering Input Geometry Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Input U and V
Hardware Texture Cycling Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 ramps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Hide Non-Soft Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299, 300 Instanced Objects list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Hinge rigid body constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Instancer
centering strokes on particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Dynamics
413
Index

instancer lifespan
aiming instanced geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
changing rotation pivot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
creating animated instances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 controlling for individual particles. . . . . . . . . . 53
particle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 controlling with expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
particle shape settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 how computed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
using Paint Effects strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 live forever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Instancer Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 random . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
instancing setting per-object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
sequence of objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 setting per-particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
single object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Lifespan Mode
Interactive Playback setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395 lifespanPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Interpenetrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Interpolation Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 lifespanPP only attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Invert Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Light Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Invert Opacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Lighting Mode attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Is Dynamic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76, 175, 394 Lightning effect
Is Full . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
K shader attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Lightning End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
keying
Lightning Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
transform attributes of particle objects. . . . . . . 18 lights
for moving particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 47
with particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
L Line Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175, 186, 187
lattices List of paintable attributes button
making soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Launch Position X, Y, Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Live forever
Launch Rate (Per Frame) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 setting lifespan mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
local space
Level Of Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
field influence on particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
emitted particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Location attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Life Color attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Lock Center of Mass
Life Incandescence attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Life Transparency attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 luminance
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100, 103

M
magnets
radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Dynamics
414
 Index

Magnitude Max Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
drag field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 drag field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
gravity field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 emitter manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 gravity field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Magnitude attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Make Collide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113, 114 vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Make Non-Soft a Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298, 299, 300 Max Distance attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Make Original Surface Rigid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Max Flight Time (Frames) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Make Soft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Max Sparks Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Manage Particle Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Max Spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Manipulator Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 Max U or V attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
manipulators Maximum Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
field attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Maximum Radius
Manipulators Along . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Particle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 143
Map To memory caching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
ramps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 metaballs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
mapping meteors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
goalPP weights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Mid Point constraint position . . . . . . . . . . . . 275, 310
masked surfaces Midpoint rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
painting soft body goal weights . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Min Age Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
masking Min and Max Distance
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 springs creation method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Min and Max Value
objects with newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 array mapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Min Distance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
mass0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Max Age Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352 emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Max Burst Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Max Count. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Min Flight Time (Frames) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
emitted particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Min Sparks Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Min U or V attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Min/Max Value setting
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Minimum Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
mist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Motion Blur
rendering particles with . . . . . . . . . . 122, 124, 126
Motion blur
rendering soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Dynamics
415
Index

Motion Blur attribute omni emitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Multi-Pass Render Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 omni emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
motion paths Only Update particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
making soft body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 opacity
Multi Count. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175, 185, 187 adding per object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Multi Pass Rendering attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 adding per particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Multi Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176, 185, 187 particle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50, 176
MultiPoint render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 opacityPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50, 176
MultiStreak render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 orbiting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
keyed motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Original Particle Dies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Original Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Over Samples
N effect on emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Nail rigid body constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286, 289
Need Parent UV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107, 177
needParentUV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
P
Noise Anim Rate attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Paint Effects strokes
Noise Aspect attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 instancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
paint operations
Noise attribute
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
noise for motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Noise Freq attribute
Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 painting
goalPP weights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Noise Level attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
soft body goal weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Noise Ratio attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
parentId . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98, 177
Normal Dir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176, 185
parenting
Normal Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
surface and curve emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 to dynamic motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Num Control Segments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 parentU, V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Num Control Subsegments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 particle attributes
Num particles custom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
particle collision event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 dynamic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Num Rockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Num Spark Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 per object and per particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Num Trail Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 static. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Number of Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 summary list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Particle Cloud material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
O Particle Collision
Object On Fire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
ObjectIndex
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Dynamics
416
 Index

particle collision event. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Particle Instancer Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Particle Lifespan
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Flow effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
using a MEL procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 particle motion
particle collisions animating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
adjusting bounciness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Particle Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
detection sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Particle Object To Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
disabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Particle Render Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37, 177
duplicating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
emitting, killing, or splitting on contact . . . . . 117 particle sampler info node
events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
with active rigid bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
re-using . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
particle disk cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
setting attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Particle Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Particle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
playing back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
recreating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Particle’s Age
setting options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Input U, V option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 particleId . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Dynamics
417
Index

particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 texture images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

2D grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3D grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 PDC file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
advanced topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 per object attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
as goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
per particle attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
blobby surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
how to distinguish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
changing form of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 setting with a ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
collision with geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 setting with the Component Editor . . . . . . . . . 56
connecting to emitters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Per Spring Rest Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
conserving original velocity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
death with springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 per-particle field attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
deforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 applying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
depth sorting for accurate color . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 per-particle goalU/goalV attributes . . . . . . . . . . . 214
disabling effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Per-Point Emission Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
duplicating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Per-spring Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278, 281
empty particle object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Per-spring Rest Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281, 287
exporting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Per-spring Stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278, 281
hardware rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Phase
instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
keying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Pin rigid body constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
lifespan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
lighting movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Placement with cursor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
maximum number emitted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 playback
multiple points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 choppy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
multiple streaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 playing dynamics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 improving speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
number per click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 point emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Point Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177, 185, 190
placing on surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Points render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
polymesh goal objects
previewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
per-particle attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
raytraced shadows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Position
reflections, refractions, and shadows . . . . . . . . 46
render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
rendering with motion blur . . . . . . . 122, 124, 126 position attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 74, 177
scaling velocity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 position0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
scene lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Post Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
selecting individual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 previewing
setting attributes with expressions . . . . . . . 53, 55 particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
setting attributes with ramps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Previous Time
shading groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 run-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
sketching a continuous curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Primary Visibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
software render types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
spheres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
sprites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
streaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Dynamics
418
 Index

R raytraced shadows
particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
radial field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 read-only attributes
Radial Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264, 306
Radial Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 reflections
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 in particle software rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Blobby Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 refractions
Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 in particle software rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Particle Spheres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Relationship Editor
Radius0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178, 192 see Dynamic Relationships Editor
Radius1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178, 192 Relative To
radiusPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 rigid body constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275, 310
Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Remove Interior Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
rain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Remove Particles From Surface Flow . . . . . . . . . . 376
ramp Render Passes attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
mapping to an existing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Render Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
rampAcceleration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 58, 178 render types
rampPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 58, 178 changing for particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
ramps setting for particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
breaking connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Rendering
customizing per particle control with . . . . . . . 61 soft bodies with motion blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
setting per particle attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 57 rendering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
rampVelocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 58, 178 Render Passes attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Random # Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Random Direction attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 software particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
random motion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Rendering particles
Random Motion Speed with motion blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122, 124, 126
Flow effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 Replace operation
Random Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Random range Resilience
lifespan mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 per geometry bounciness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151, 196
Random Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Rest Length
randomness rigid body Spring constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
emitted particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Rate rgbPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 178
emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 rigid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Dynamics
419
Index

rigid bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Rigid Body Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 rigid body solvers
Allow Disconnection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308, 309 creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
assigning to solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 multiple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Bounding Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Start Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 turning off or on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
caching warning message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Rocket Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Center of Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 rockets for Fireworks effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
collisions within. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Rotation
combining dynamics and keys . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
converting dynamic animation to keys . . . . . 264 Rotation Angle Units
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
creating automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Rotation Order
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
disabling effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Rotation pivot
disconnection warning message . . . . . . . . . . . 284 instancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Display Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 RotationType
editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
errors upon creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Roundness attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
failure to collide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282, 283 Run Up From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
fixing problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Run Up To Current Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
force at points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Runge-Kutta
getting contact data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264, 306
rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
increasing playback speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Interpenetrate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 run-up
lessening processing time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 dynamics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Previous Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
moving to different solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Start Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
multishape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
passive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 turning on for dynamic objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
setting force location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
substituting geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
tip for Duplicate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
S
trimmed surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Sample By . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
turning calculations off or on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Scale
rigid body constraints instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
barrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Scale operation
changing type of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Scale Rate by Object Size attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
hinge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Scale Speed by Size attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
initial orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Scale Velocity
initial position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
rigid body solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
nail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
pin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 scaling the Hardware Render Buffer . . . . . . . . . . 125
spring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 scaling weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
scene clock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Dynamics
420
 Index

scenes shard
rendering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 extrusion value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
sceneTimeStepSize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Shard Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
scrubbing shards
rigid body animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 connecting to fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Section Radius attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149, 242 linking original surface to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Shatter effect
emitted particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 connecting shards to fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
for duplicated emitted particle object. . . . . . . . 96 creating crack type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Seed Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 creating solid type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Select Cluster Mode hotkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 creating surface type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
goal weights on soft-body shards . . . . . . . . . . 344
Selected Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179, 190
linking original surface to shards . . . . . . . . . . 340
self-shadow options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 shader assignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Set Active Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 shard extrusion value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Set Color Creation Proc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Shear
Set Event Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Set Exclusive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Show All Burst Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Set Initial Position Show All Launch Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
rigid body Barrier constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Sketch Interval value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
rigid body Hinge constraint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Sketch Particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
rigid body Nail constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
skin
rigid body Pin constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268, 296
soft bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
rigid body Spring constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
smoke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Set Passive Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Smoke effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Set Rigid Body Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Smoke Opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Set Rigid Body Interpenetration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Smoke Particle Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Set Spring Rest Length
Smoke Sprite Min and Max Lifespan . . . . . . . . . . 362
rigid body Spring constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
shading groups Smoke Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
assigning to particle object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Smooth operation
Shadow casting Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Smooth Shards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
shadows Smooth Sub Manips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
in particle software rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 smoothing weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Soft bodies
rendering with motion blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Dynamics
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Index

soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Spread

adding goals after creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
attributes in common with particles . . . . . . . . 246 air field manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 emitter manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251, 297 emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
creating new geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 particle collision event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
deformed skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Spring Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
duplicating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Spring options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
flooding goal weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
hiding geometry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
adding or removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
IK spline curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
canceling creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
masking goal weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 creating uniform structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
motion paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 dying particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
paint operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
painting goalPP weights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
editing per spring stiffness, damping, rest length
showing hidden geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 281
special uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 emitted particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 fixing problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
software render types of particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 oscillating out of control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
software rendering removing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
reflections, refractions, and shadows to particles slow playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
46 speeding animation play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Solid Core Size attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
solid shatter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Sprite Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Solver Id . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Sprite Cycle Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Solver Method Sprite Cycle Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
rigid body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Sprite Image Name
Sparks Color Spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Smoke effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Sparks Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Sprite Invert Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Sparks Incandescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Sprite Num . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 179, 187
Sparks Min and Max Tail Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Sprite Scale X, Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179, 188
Speed Sprite Start Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Sprite Twist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179, 188
emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Sprite Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Speed Random attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 customiizing the starting image selection . . . . 42
Sphere render type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 customizing image cycling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Spin Impulse X, Y, Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 customizing sprites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Split option spriteNumPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 179
particle collision event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Dynamics
422
 Index

sprites Surface Flow effect

adjusting transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 connecting flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
assigning image sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
changing images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 editing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
editing render attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
expression for cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 twisting problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
per particle scale and twist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Surface Shading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 192
Sprites render type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Surface Shading Shadow attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
spriteScaleXPP, YPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 surface shatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
spriteTwistPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Stand In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
T
Start and End Image Tail Fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 186
Smoke effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 Tail Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 186
Start Cycle Extension. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Start Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Tangent Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
emitted particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 surface and curve emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
particle attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Target Geometry Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Start Frame attribute Target Particle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Image Output Files attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Tessellation Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Start Time rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
rigid body solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 tethered balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
run-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Texture Emission Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102, 103
start-up caches Texture Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
using with batch rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
textures
State on emitted particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 scaling emission rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
rigid body solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Thickness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
static attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 192
Static Friction blobby surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
rigid bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 time
Step Size changing units in dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
rigid body solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Time Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Stiffness
timeStepSize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
rigid body Spring constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
tornados. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
torqueX, Y, Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Streak render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
keyed motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Total Event Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Sub-Control Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 Trace Depth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
particle collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Surface Color attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
traceDepthPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116, 181
surface emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 144
Trail Emit Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Trail Emit Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Dynamics
423
Index

Trail Emit Spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

V
Trail Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
value range
Trail Incandescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Trail Min and Max Tail Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Value setting
transform attributes
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
animating particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Vector Index setting
Translucence attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Paint Soft Body Weights Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Translucence Coeff attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Transparency attribute attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 181
Particle Cloud Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 inheriting from moving emitter . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Triangulate surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 scaling particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
trimmed surfaces velocity0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 velocityX, Y, Z
Tube render type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 rigid body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Verbose Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Vertices or CVs in rigid body force . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
U viewing
hardware rendered particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
U or V Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Visibility
uniform field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 instancer particle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Update particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Visible In Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 182
Use Direction attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Visible In Refractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 182
Use Hardware Texture Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Volume Axis Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Use Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47, 181, 185 volume emitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 88
Use Luminance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 hiding shape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Use Max Distance setting attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
air field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 volume field
gravity field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
newton field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 volume fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
radial field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 keeping particles inside the volume . . . . . . . . 214
turbulence field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Volume Offset attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
uniform field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Volume Offset X, Y, Z attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Volume Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Use Max Distance attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Volume Shape attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Use Per-Point Emission Rates attribute . . . . . . . . 145
Volume Sweep attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148, 242
Use Per-Point Rate attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
vortex field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Use Rate PP attribute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Use Selected as Source of Field . . . . . . . 210, 211, 212
Use Transform as Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 W
UseCurrentUVSet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Wake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
User Defined constraint position. . . . . . . . . . 275, 310 water flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
userScalarPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Weight
userVectorPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 soft bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

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weight values World Centroid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 75, 170

adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 World Centroid X, Y, Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 World Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 182
replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
world space
scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
field influence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
particle object values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
World Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 182
Wire Walk Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 World Velocity In Object Space . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 182
wires
worldBirthPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
as soft bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Write ZDepth attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

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