Animating particles on a path

JCook · Post by **JCook** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:22 pm

Is there a way to make particles move along a path? I need to show an ocean current, and show which way it flows, and I thought particles might do the trick, but I can't get them follow the curve. I've downloaded the macton scripts and I can get a shape to follow the curve, but not particles. I also have to animate the curve itself and make it change shape, and the particles need to still follow the curve as it's changing shape as well. A complicated problem.

Anyone have any ideas about how to do this, with particles or any other ingenious method? I'm open to anything that works. I don't even need to use the particles, it was just an idea I had. Basically, I need to animate this curve, while showing the direction that it would be flowing in.

thanks,
Jack

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:09 pm

Check out this thread and see if it helps.

http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1956

Lost Marble had also posted an example somewhere of particles showing blood flow in a human heart, or maybe this was in the official examples with the product - not home now so can't check.

JCook · Post by **JCook** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:23 pm

Thanks, bupaje, I'll check out that tutorial. It looks like it may have some possibilities. I don't know if it will help with the part where i have to change the shape of the path though, but I'll try it.

Jack

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:01 am

Ah, missed that part about moving the curve. I'm still a 'Moho-tinkerer' so not sure. Not exactly sure what you are doing but if you can't animate the curve and have particles follow it as it animated maybe you can generate particles on a layer and use an animated mask to expose the movement you want?

JCook · Post by **JCook** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:54 pm

I gave the tutorial a try and after a few problems was able to make a waterfall like that one. So now I'm going to try it using a more complex path, and a moving mask. this may prove to be pretty tricky. I'll let you know how it comes out (might be a few days)

Jack