Thinking Particles

[3ak]

Hi! I’m trying to change the color of material based on distance from a point. I can do it if I use the shape node, exposing the uvw and using with a gradient ramp. The problem is that i dont want to use the shape node. All my particles are from an O2P. The alternative is paramblock, but I want to do it with a lot of particles, its possible to do?

Try using vertex color input in Geom Instance node. and use vertex color map in diffuse map of the particles material.

[pyroskat]

Ops! Ok! Material Time solved it! But thanks. 5 hours today trying it, and after post it in 5 minuts I figure how to do it!

[JIN-G]

Hi Tp experts, sry for newbie qn. I am trying to do a scale, driven by distance. how do i set the maximum and minimum value for it, right now the particles become too big if the distance is too far.

[pyroskat]

You can expose your “0n” parameter in scale and make a condition depending of your scale value so if its so bit the scale turn off.

Another stupid question but I cant figure out how to do it. When you select your thinking particles, you have properties button, about button and a list. If you open it and select 3rd party TDTools you have some blackboxes here. How I can add my saved blackbox here? I put it in documents/cebas/3dsmax2011_64/thinking particles4/3rdPartyTDTools, but didn’t work. Any idea?

[grimrepoman]

I am trying to do a scale, driven by distance. how do i set the maximum and minimum value for it

Hello,

I think you may find the “value to time” helper node useful for this. It may sound a bit complicated to set up at first, but the workflow is extremely powerful and can be used to control pretty much anything in TP.

Make a float helper and connect it to the scale factor on the scale node.
On frames 0-100 animate the float value from the largest scale you want to the smallest over the hundred frames.
It does not matter if your final animation is not in the 0 to 100 range…it will still work.
Expose the “time” input on the float helper.

Make a Value to Time helper.
Set the Value1/Value2 to the min/max distance you want to test.
Set time1 spinner to 0. Set time2 spinner to 100.
Activate both “stop” checkboxes if you want to clamp the values.
Connect the distance output from your distance node to the value to time input.
Connect the output from Value to Time into the time input on the float helper.

Now, with this setup you are telling TP to remap the min/max distances you want to the 0-100 range of the float helpers animation curve.

To get more control, open up the float helper animation curve in the curve editor. Whatever you do to the animation curve in between will get remapped to the distance values so it can be fun to play around with the shape of the curve to get different effects.

Hope this helps,
CZ

[Glacierise]

@Eloi: Whenever you load a custom blackbox, TP puts the folder where you loaded it from in the list. Doesn’t always work, but most of the time… Or you can open thinking.ini at maxroot\plugcfg and write it there.

[JIN-G]

Hi guys, a friend of mind had some trouble posting in the forum. Not sure y his post nvr show up. anw here is his qn.
is there away to get the particle size to be bigger or smaller in relation to their surrounding particle.
like particle that are further apart or more sparse is bigger, while particle that are nearer or more clustered to be smaller.

Thank You

[Glacierise]

There is a ‘found density’ output there in the PSearch… You’ll have to clamp, normalize and invert it with 1-x, then multiply that by a size factor.

[mrcoolmen]

hi Glacierise im the one who ask the the question on size over distance, thanks for your reply, but i still dun get the part on how to do a clamp and what does a clamp do, and found density, why cannt use nearest PID what is the difference between this two. I’m very new to TP i really thankful for your effort to reply my ans.

[3ak]

hi Glacierise im the one who ask the the question on size over distance, thanks for your reply, but i still dun get the part on how to do a clamp and what does a clamp do, and found density, why cannt use nearest PID what is the difference between this two. I’m very new to TP i really thankful for your effort to reply my ans.

here is tp scene with 2 dynamic sets to choose from to set size of particles. just enable one and disable another (“size1” or “size2”).
size1: simple rule to use distance between particle and dummy as size ( i divided it to not let particles grow too big)
size2: here i used expression node where i clamp distance and size in some tresholds:
if ( distance <= mindistance, minsize, if( distance >= maxdistance, maxsize, ((distance - mindistance) / (maxdistance - mindistance)) * (maxsize - minsize) + minsize ) )

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46208032/3ak_mrcoolmen(tp_size).max

[mrcoolmen]

here is tp scene with 2 dynamic sets to choose from to set size of particles. just enable one and disable another (“size1” or “size2”).
size1: simple rule to use distance between particle and dummy as size ( i divided it to not let particles grow too big)
size2: here i used expression node where i clamp distance and size in some tresholds:
if ( distance <= mindistance, minsize, if( distance >= maxdistance, maxsize, ((distance - mindistance) / (maxdistance - mindistance)) * (maxsize - minsize) + minsize ) )

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46208032/3ak_mrcoolmen%28tp_size%29.max

thks 3ak it is really helpful but it is possible to explain a little bit about [b]((distance - mindistance) / (maxdistance - mindistance)) * (maxsize - minsize) + minsize ) )

sry it maybe very noob question but i really wish to find out, thanks in advance.
[/b]

[3ak]

thks 3ak it is really helpful but it is possible to explain a little bit about [b]((distance - mindistance) / (maxdistance - mindistance)) * (maxsize - minsize) + minsize ) )

sry it maybe very noob question but i really wish to find out, thanks in advance.
[/b]

Did you downloaded my example scene? And read about Expression node in TP.
it’s proportion. first you find how far your particle is in the distance interval, then find the same portion of the size interval and add min size.
let’s say you have mindistance = 2, maxdistance = 10, minsize = 5, maxsize = 20, and distance from object to your particle = 8.
((distance - mindistance) / (maxdistance - mindistance)) will give you 0.75
Now you multiply your size interval (20-5 = 15) by 0.75 and add min size and get 16.25 as your size.

It’s all about linear dependence - for every increase in distance by 1% of distance interval you’ll get 1% increase in size interval.

If you need some more control you can use animated float node and ValueToTime node.

[ARCHICG]

Hi everyone
have a some problem with my first setup, can you help for some questions
I have blue boxes as particle (Obj.2Particle) the boxes is animated, and have a new gray particle on the boxes through Surface pos
the gray particles are Intersected with green boxes and then born new orange particle like sparks

   [u][img]http://archicg.name/tmp/TP/TP_01.jpg[/img][/u]
      
 the first 10 frames blue boxes don't move but the sparks are generated
      
      I need a condition in which the particles is born only if the blue boxes or gray particles is move in space (if they have some speed) , but how can I get it if the gray particles don't have any speed in TP, they just attached on animated objects through Set and Get Ref. operator, so thay have velocity = 0 for TP anyway ?
      
      please look at the [scene max[u] 2012[/u]](http://archicg.name/tmp/TP/Intersect_tst.rar)

[keichan102]

Hi all,

Sorry,I’ve already posted same topic on cebas forum but no one seems to look it.So I post
again on this forum.

I’m trying making fish school setting using Psearch. I use Psearch to find neighbor
particles.When some particles have no neighbor in certain radius, I want to add another
rule for them. But I don’t know how to get particle ID or particle Index which is
not detected by Psearch.Do you have some solution for it? I can make detected particles
send different group but I want to keep them same group as possible as I can.

thanks in advance.

Kei

My vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user2859947

[3ak]

Hi all,

Sorry,I’ve already posted same topic on cebas forum but no one seems to look it.So I post
again on this forum.

I’m trying making fish school setting using Psearch. I use Psearch to find neighbor
particles.When some particles have no neighbor in certain radius, I want to add another
rule for them. But I don’t know how to get particle ID or particle Index which is
not detected by Psearch.Do you have some solution for it? I can make detected particles
send different group but I want to keep them same group as possible as I can.

thanks in advance.

Kei

My vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user2859947

Hi.
Use Found Count output in PSearch. Use threshold noe to get true if it = 0 and feed this true to On condition of next node. If you need the whole new dynset for these particles then use memory node for example with bool trigger. If Found Count = 0 then true else false. and in dynset check this trigger.

UPDATE:
here is example scene
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46208032/3ak_keichan102(pSearch).max
use psearch1 rule to turn on shape only for particles with found count = 0
psearch2 rules - using Memory op.

[mrcoolmen]

Did you downloaded my example scene? And read about Expression node in TP.
it’s proportion. first you find how far your particle is in the distance interval, then find the same portion of the size interval and add min size.
let’s say you have mindistance = 2, maxdistance = 10, minsize = 5, maxsize = 20, and distance from object to your particle = 8.
((distance - mindistance) / (maxdistance - mindistance)) will give you 0.75
Now you multiply your size interval (20-5 = 15) by 0.75 and add min size and get 16.25 as your size.

It’s all about linear dependence - for every increase in distance by 1% of distance interval you’ll get 1% increase in size interval.

If you need some more control you can use animated float node and ValueToTime node.

Yeap, thks i get it but one more question if i wan to invert it come can i do it, closer is smaller,i try to normalize it 1/distance after which use the 1-result but still cannt make it, did i do anything wrong? By the way test out this for surface birth on a static object will it be a problem?

[Glacierise]

Hi everyone
have a some problem with my first setup, can you help for some questions
I have blue boxes as particle (Obj.2Particle) the boxes is animated, and have a new gray particle on the boxes through Surface pos
the gray particles are Intersected with green boxes and then born new orange particle like sparks

   [u][img]http://archicg.name/tmp/TP/TP_01.jpg[/img][/u]
      
 the first 10 frames blue boxes don't move but the sparks are generated
      
      I need a condition in which the particles is born only if the blue boxes or gray particles is move in space (if they have some speed) , but how can I get it if the gray particles don't have any speed in TP, they just attached on animated objects through Set and Get Ref. operator, so thay have velocity = 0 for TP anyway ?
      
      please look at the [scene max[u] 2012[/u]](http://archicg.name/tmp/TP/Intersect_tst.rar)

Don’t use the surface pos on each frame, use the follow node - it will give you velocity. If you still want to use the surf pos, you can make a reference to the parent particles, and pick the velocity from the reference, with the set/get reference nodes.

[3ak]

Hi everyone
have a some problem with my first setup, can you help for some questions
I have blue boxes as particle (Obj.2Particle) the boxes is animated, and have a new gray particle on the boxes through Surface pos
the gray particles are Intersected with green boxes and then born new orange particle like sparks

   [u][img]http://archicg.name/tmp/TP/TP_01.jpg[/img][/u]
      
 the first 10 frames blue boxes don't move but the sparks are generated
      
      I need a condition in which the particles is born only if the blue boxes or gray particles is move in space (if they have some speed) , but how can I get it if the gray particles don't have any speed in TP, they just attached on animated objects through Set and Get Ref. operator, so thay have velocity = 0 for TP anyway ?
      
      please look at the [scene max[u] 2012[/u]](http://archicg.name/tmp/TP/Intersect_tst.rar)

Here is possible solution:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46208032/3ak_Intersect_tst.max

You simply get velocity from big cubes through reference. And don’t use intersect node with many particles - it will crash 3ds max. mine crashes=)

[ARCHICG]

Thanks guys!
to 3ak
I have slightly changed the scene
I try to add multiple objects to UDeflector node input but I’m not sure
3ak can you show the right technique to do it
there 2 green boxes Ground1 and Ground2 (I will need to add multiple object in future this is just a test) the 2 boxes should be used for collision with particles of sparks group

just I can connect single object through node helper

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/75976282/3ak_Intersect_tst_EDIT.max

[Glacierise]

Group them and put the group in the node helper.