Looping particle effects?

Will Faucher · Aug 2010

Hey,

So I just got an art test from a local studio. And I need to create a looping particle effect using SuperSpray in 3dsMax 2010.
I've tried everything and I can't see to get it to loop! Could anyone shed some insight here?

Thanks!

r_fletch_r · Aug 2010

have you tried making its starting point the negative of the end point.

eg start at -10 end at 10 that used to work in some programs.

edit: disregard that, i was talking shite.

Will Faucher · Aug 2010

Yep, tried that before posting. Normally I would use Pflow, but I was asked to use SuperSpray in this case. Probably for engine compatibility?

Mark Dygert · Aug 2010

For times when you have to kick it old school, this does the trick pretty well.

This script works pretty well even though its pretty old.
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/particle-looper

What it does you can do manually.
It creates 4 copies of your particle system and adjusts their start/end times so you have some firing off before and after to get a looping series in the middle.

SuperSpray 01: 00 start, 10 end, 10 life
SuperSpray 02: 10 start, 20 end, 10 life
SuperSpray 03: -10 start, 00 end, 10 life
SuperSpray 04: -20 start, -10 end, 10 life
Final Range with loop 0-20

If that doesn't make sense, make 4 identical sprayers and when each one ends displaying, the next one starts. Your loop will be in the display time for the 3rd sprayer.

This only creates one loop if you need the loop to play a bunch of times you have to run it on a few emitters set to fire off at regular intervals.

haiddasalami · Aug 2010

thinking about maya here but maybe there's a similar setting. Is there a pre and post infinity option in the graph editor or dope sheet or maybe as a modifier?

Mark Dygert · Aug 2010

haiddasalami wrote: »

thinking about maya here but maybe there's a similar setting. Is there a pre and post infinity option in the graph editor or dope sheet or maybe as a modifier?

Max has out of "Out of Range" controllers which will take a section of animation and, play a cycle, a loop, ping pong ect. They are applied to specific tracks as in XYZ rotation and can not be applied to things inside particle systems like birth, start, end ect... because those things can't be looped.

There are better ways of looping if you start using PFlow or a handful of other plug-ins but they are way more complicated, and in some cases expensive...

haiddasalami · Aug 2010

Vig wrote: »

Max has out of "Out of Range" controllers which will take a section of animation and, play a cycle, a loop, ping pong ect. They are applied to specific tracks as in XYZ rotation and can not be applied to things inside particle systems like birth, start, end ect...

ouch

Hopefully someone/prophecies gets the answer...

Will Faucher · Aug 2010

Hmm that script doesnt seem to be working with Max 2010. I guess it's too new. You know how to get it working vig?
Regardless, your manual method worked. So that's all cool

Thank you so much!

Illusions · Aug 2010

In Maya there is an attribute called "Cycle Emission" and "Cycle Interval" on particles/particle emitters. I'm unsure if they have the same thing in Max, I'm downloading the help files now to find out.

Edit: It doesn't look like from the documentation that Super Spray has attributes for "Cycle Emission" or "Cycle Interval", leaving this here though just in case either 3ds Max isn't required, or there is some equivalent available that I just don't know about.

Mark Dygert · Aug 2010

Proph,
I'm glad the method worked, all the script does it automate that process.
The plug-in worked for me in 2010 the last time I used it. The author was pretty light on install instructions so something might be missing. To install it, you run it once and it shows up under the Main Menu > Customize > Customize User Interface > Category: BPL Tools
From there you can either bind it to a keyboard shortcut (need to be on the keyboard tab), or assign it to a toolbar by dragging and dropping it (need to be on the toolbar tab).

It looks like it comes with icons you might have to put in "\3ds Max 2010\ui\Icons"

Illusions,
Yep there isn't an easy checkbox in max like that, instead you need to use Particle Flow and a little scripting. It's a node based editor with vastly expanded features past what you have in the modifier menu. Unfortunately its pretty complicated and if someone hasn't used PFlow before its really hard to first explain particle flow then explain now to make them loop.

Plug-ins like Krakatoa have simple loop, ping pong, but do a hell of a lot more and cost an arm and a leg.

Will Faucher · Aug 2010

Ahhh thank you vig. I'll have to get that set up once I get my renders done.

isolomon6 · Oct 2011

Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for the help. I ran into the same issue in regards to looping a particle system. That script worked perfectly!:thumbup:

Mark Dygert · Oct 2011

Sweet, I'm glad it worked for you too. I was actually hunting for this thread the other day and couldn't find it so thanks for bumping it, I've bookmarked it properly

Looping particle effects?

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