Fill an object volume with particles

#1

I am trying to learn xsi, so if anyone can help a newb, i would appreciate it.

I am trying to fill a models volume with particles. Sort of like a gumball machine. So I have a sphere and I want it filled with particles. But I want them to have no actual energy or motion until the bottom falls off the glass, and then just have them fall out.

Can anyone help? Whenever I try to do a volume emitter in ice, and set the size of the gumballs, the explode everywhere. Seems they are being born with velocity or some sort.

Obviously reducing size and particle count so they “fit” better helps, but Id like them to just be static until the bottom falls off which I assume might be a state change.

Thanks

#2

Hey.

I’m just as much of a newb as you, but I think I can come up with a way.

Try setting the emitter animation, so that it stops emitting after your desired amount of gumballs are created. Then, hide it and render out the rest of the scene frames with your machine breaking and the balls falling out.

All I can think of. I’m sure there’s a simpler way in ICE. Sorry I can’t help any more! :[

#3

That exploding behaviour typically means that RBD particles are already colliding as soon as they are emitted.

One way to deal with this is to emit them in a larger volume, let them come to rest and settle down inside the gumball machine, then use that as the initial state.

#4

That is sort of what I thought, but am not sure how to go about that. Can you explain it a little more?

#5

You can emit the number of particles you want from the volume of, say, a cylinder above the gumdrop machine. Make sure that the cylinder’s radius is small enough that the particles fall into the gumdrop machine, and that it’s tall enough that the particles do not collide at emission.

Add some gravity and then playback so that the particles fall into the gumdrop machine. Make sure that the scene is long enough so that they come to a rest.

After the scene has played all the way through, select the point cloud and choose ICE > Edit > Set Initial State. This is the new starting position of the particles.

Now you can animate the bottom of the gumdrop machine opening and letting the particles fall out.

#6

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.