How do you create particle effects for games?

Xenocidex11

I am wondering if anyone knows how to create particle effects for games prefferabley using 3ds max, maya, or even combustion. Or if there is any other program that is great for making particles? and how do you get them from those programs to something usable?

EarthQuake

Generally creating particles is something very specific to each game. Most will have their own completely proprietary systems that will either have an editor, or require you to write scripts/code(yuck). The basics of particles tend to come down to 2 types, using a sprite, or multiple variations of a sprite with specified behavors, such as shooting, growing, gravity, etc, or a series of animated sprites, that could also have the same behaviors. Generally a given effect is comprised of a group particles to try and achive something specific, or a single particle for really simple effects.

To create effects you need to first, figure out which engine you want to use, then figure out if there is a tool you need to learn. Usually you'll be able to load up some samples and start experimenting with it.

Once you're familiar with the particle system you can start creating your own sprites, you should be able to find tons of examples for sprite content as well if you look at the files of virtually any game. I generally do most all of my sprite work in photoshop, but i know people like to render out effects from max/maya/etc at times.

Kawe

I have a followup question. For jobs.

If you apply for a job as FX Artist would it be sufficient to just show effects made in one of the major 3d packages? Is it possible to get the job by just showing stuff done in say... UE3? (materials, particles, scripting and whatever else goes with it)

Not that I'm going to aim for FX Artist but well.. just wondering I just have never seen anyone posting about their FX Portfolio and it'd be cool to see/know what it really entails.

sprunghunt

It's definitely possible to get a job showing FX you've done in UE3. Especially if the studio you're applying to uses UE3.
It is better to show off your effects in a game as it shows that you can fit them into the engine constraints. These constraints are usually quite different to what you can do in max/maya.
However the source images are sometimes generated in max or maya and then exported to bitmaps that are used in-engine.

For example the plugin "afterburner" for max is sometimes used to make bitmap sequences for explosions.

Mark Dygert

3dsmax has a great setup for doing particles. UE3 mimics it pretty well but has to fall short because its real time. I'd say if you can demonstrate a good command of 3dsmax's particle system/particle view you'd have no problem translating that to UE3 or any other particle system. But thats just a tiny part of being an FX artist.

I think for games the most common type of effects are glowing spells, debris scatter and smoke/fog.
For spells you can use the particle system for spawning opacity mapped pieces of geometry at the right times, use wind to float glowing balls of light around. Then use video post to make the geometry glow. Bake the particles into key'ed animation and use morphs to make it loop. You can always render it out like sprughunt suggested.

Debris scatter is even easier. If you can place an emitter in the right place its not too hard to make crap come out.

Fog/smoke is trickier, and there are a bunch of ways to do it. But Fume works well for making animated planes.


I think the reason you don't see more FX reels around here is three fold.

1) This is more of a game modeling board, FX reels tend to be film oriented.
2) Demand is high so they get picked up fast. FX artists are sometimes born from within a company as someone grows over time.
3) There isn't one tool that FX artists use, its not like you can read one tutorial on doing one effect and know it all. There are a bunch of different ways to do different things and a big part of the job is having a big bag of tricks to pull from.

If you're interested in getting your feet wet, check out Allen McKay's site he has some great video tutorials and his Fume work is amazing.