TP-Question: Particle follow particle in succession

[Rantin Al]

I managed to cobble something together using a combination of presets.
Strangely I had to use the MuiltiShape emitter as the emitter but with only one object. The Standard emitter didn't seem to do it. I didn't mess around too much with it so it might be persuaded.

Other TP presets used: Follow Spline, Move on spline and Align to Travel Direction.

The spline points can be moved live and the animation follows fine.
It should be possible using linked and animated Nulls to the spline points to get the 'morphing' transition in your sample.

The extra XPresso in the nodes should be able to take a bit of tidying up. eg, the MultiShape gubbins.

HTH. Cheers, Alan.

[abdelouahabb]

hi
just an idea, you can do the same work like this exemple with align to splin tag and then animate spline points (pla).

[Newstream]

Hey, Thanks Al :)
Funny, I was going bananas trying to get the standard emitter to work with the TP-Align preset. I like your solution. I was aiming for something where one could access the position of each particle in a one-frame shot (maybe through Iteration?) and force each particle to chase another in a train like fashion with the first particle in the chain following a null connected to for example a vibrate tag for motion.

The reason I want to avoid using a spline is too allow the various forces affecting the particles to create interesting and random motion patterns in combination with the mograph tracer object. Here are three variations of the same idea (http://www.badtastic.com/misc/TP_mograph_tracer.zip) which combined with smooth camera motion can create some sort of eyecandy not unlike those old 1980's Commodore 64 demo's.

Cheers / Alex

[Rantin Al]

WOW! These are wild, Alex.

I wonder if the Instance Object with its History parameter could be hooked in to give the repeating trails? Check the sample in the Goodies disk.

Methinks it's gonna be a long and fun night. Insomnia has its advantages. :D

Cheers, Alan.

[Per-Anders]

Have a try of the mograph instance object, combined with a step efector you can get some effects very similar to this. You can also go recursive with MoGraph, cloning on spline trails created with the tracer object (and then tracing those clones etc), it's a great module for that sort of experimentation, the Target effector is also good for this (it has a mode for targeting the next/previous clone along for instance).

With regards the TP route, one way that you may be able to do this would be to use a COFFEE node, then in that node store a global variable which you'd store the previous particles position with (and the current particles position), then use a TP Follow Position node to do the work.

In the COFFEE node set it up with one vector input and one vector output and you just put :

var lastpos;

main()
{
Output1 = lastpos;
lastpos = Input1;
}

Connect the coffee node output to the positoni follow position input.

Finally if you want to just have everything following the first particle, but the first particle not followign anythign else you ad a compare node set to integer, plug in the ppass input and set it to > and 0, then connect the output to the "On" input of the position follow node, now the first particle is free to do as it pleases.

[Rantin Al]

Thanks for the pointers, Per. Every little helps. :thumbsup:
Back to the laboratory.

Cheers, Alan.

[TimC]

here's a solution using just TP and Xpresso.

Basically there is a null that has an align to spline. The particles are emitted and each given a unique ID. You do this by setting up a custom data channel in the TP settings. Then using PPassAB and GetData, the number of the particle is checked. If it is number one then it is attached to the goal null. Otherwise the next particle follows using PPositionFollow.

http://www.hypa.tv/tims/misc/followparticles.jpg

You can grab the file here (http://www.hypa.tv/tims/misc/TP_followparticles.c4d)

cheers
Tim

p.s. The original credit for this scene / idea goes to Paul @ Deepshade, not me.

[Newstream]

Insomnia has its advantages. :D.
Welcome to the club Al ...I see I'm not the only one...:D

Thanks for the coffee node Per and your Xpresso solution Tim.
Tonight, I'll dissect these and try figure out how they tick. Havn't played with the PPassAB much and that FR_Toggle (XGroup?) needs some exploring. Only started playing TP seriously these last few days after watching all them Dr. Sassi TP tutorials over at Cineversity.

Have narrowed down a better description to "String of pearls - snanking around in 3D space" or "The centipede effect" just like this (http://hodgeproj.ltc.arizona.edu/flash/oldflashgallery/triangles_followtheleader2.swf) but hopefully more interesting visually due to the third dimension and the whole thing being viewed through a camara that's intimately involved with the ongoing particle action.

Thanks again / Alex

[Activator]

Here are three variations of the same idea[/url] [/color][/b]which combined with smooth camera motion can create some sort of eyecandy not unlike those old 1980's Commodore 64 demo's.

These are amazing and useful TP projects. Is there any way to "link" things so that the tracer "traced" splines of, say, the "magnetic_fields.c4d" project could be used in conjunction with TimC's align emitted particles project, so that the trails of "following" particles would follow the tracer generated splines?

Am I making sense? I'm a full-on TP newbie, so my terminology may be a little off, but I am very interested in learning more about TP after seeing the projects in this thread! Good stuff!

[Newstream]

Tim, you're a genius.
Ok, I've been making slight tweaks and additions to your clever setup and attached are a couple of variations on the theme, all of which are connected to the (tremendously fun) MoGraph tracer object.

Its also interesting to change the Tracing Mode in the Tracer object from its current "Trace Paths" mode to "Connect All Objects" and then choose either a Linear or Bezier type spline and then stand back and watch the ensuing chaos.

Adding a bit of the old Sketch & Toon treatment on the tracer spline and rendering out a desired frame can easily result in something looking like Edvard Munch meets TP & MG:

http://www.badtastic.com/misc/tp_meets_edvard_munch.jpg

Cheers / Alex

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