>one particle morphing from a fire sprite to smoke sprite in a animated timeline during the particles lifetime.
If the particle is morphing from fire to smoke, it also has to change from additive to alpha blend. I dont't really suggest to do this. Otherwise morphing would be nice.
This is the result of five "toning down", it's a bit hard to make effects if I have to restart the game after every change to see how it looks actually. :)
A few questions: How can I hide the cones in the cinematic editor? How can I make flickering/animated lights? (I'll need it looped for the fire, and other continuous things.) How can I put in a floor/ a BSP in the cinematic editor? (To see the effects of the light. Intensity, falloff, etc. Placing object doesn't reall help.) Can I zoom the width and the height of the curve editor separately?
<!--quoteo(post=0:date=:name=PHX)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PHX)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->it's a bit hard to make effects if I have to restart the game after every change to see how it looks actually. :)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, real-time updating would be nice - I mean, its a build in feature of LuaJIT :\ Why not extend the same feature to all assets as well :D
PHX is a short for Phoenix, that's right, but never played Gmod. I'm not who you are looking for :)
>Yeah, real-time updating would be nice
Real time updating - the lack of it - is the minor problem. The major one is that it looks totally different in a lit room, than on a full black background. And by the way, the effect is overlaid by huge cones and lightbulb models :)
pSyk0mAnNerdish by NatureGermanyJoin Date: 2003-08-07Member: 19166Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Community Developer
Looks cool PHX. I think the first, thin part of the steam jet doesn't fit that good to the end part though. It looks like something is slowing down the jet in the middle and making it spread.
>It looks like something is slowing down the jet in the middle and making it spread.
That is intentional, I think when the air friction/drag (I don't know the exact word for it...) slows down a high-pressure steam jet, and it starts to wreathe, it look somewhat like this. I'm not sure, haven't found a good example for it on youtube.
Yes, it definitely can be hard to tell how an effect is going to look on just a black background, as opposed to in game. What we did was actually create a very small and basic test room, with floors, walls, some props, and lighting, to represent an in game environment and load that in the cinematic editor and create the effects in there. Much easier to get an in-game representation of how the FX are going to look.
While you can place new props and new lights in the cinematic editor, you need to use the level editor tool to create the level geometry first, then load that map in the cinematic editor.
>What we did was actually create a very small and basic test room,
Great Cory, that would be really useful!
>While you can place new props and new lights in the cinematic editor, you need to use the level editor >tool to create the level geometry first, then load that map in the cinematic editor.
I tried, of course. The level is not loading in the cinematic editor, and if I place some objects for scaling and comparison, and delete it afterwards, the editor becomes extremely unstable, and crashes every ten seconds.
How about some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDQzzQyZN3k" target="_blank">high-explosive rounds</a>? :D
It's just an attempt of course, a proper explosion will need some additinal features, like alpha blended particles, normal mapped distorting particles, volume emitter, camera shake, velocity scaling, locked particle orientation, etc.
Cory, editing substractive particles like these in this explosion on black background, that's what I call hard :)
Just started messing around with the editor, got some questions for you. Is it possible to set a starting point for the animation? Say I want it to start at frame 20 for instance. Also, is it possible to get the particles to go towards the source and not away from it?
>Is it possible to set a starting point for the animation?
You mean you want to delay the emitting of particles? Theoretically controlling the emission rate with a curve should do the trick, but it's not really working... :(
>Also, is it possible to get the particles to go towards the source and not away from it?
I don't thoink so. Since the particles are being emitted in one point. In the source as you call it.
The particles seem to blend with each other more than they do in source, in source you can always kinda see the particles even if you're really careful, least I always can.
In this they seem to be harder to tell apart, looks more natural, could just be that I am not familiar with the textures though.
<!--quoteo(post=1773485:date=Jun 5 2010, 09:06 PM:name=PHX)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PHX @ Jun 5 2010, 09:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1773485"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->>Also, is it possible to get the particles to go towards the source and not away from it?
I don't thoink so. Since the particles are being emitted in one point. In the source as you call it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If there is a positioning function you can usually use that to spawn them in a radius around the point, and if there is a velocity application function, try putting in a negative value.
Very nice effects PHX. I was trying to make a steam effect like yours but went on to trying other things. Did you do it by having 2 particle emitters one for the fast, skinny steam and one for the slower mist puffs?
I wonder if an electrical arch effect could be made and still look good from all angles or it may need a custom image.
Comments
If the particle is morphing from fire to smoke, it also has to change from additive to alpha blend. I dont't really suggest to do this. Otherwise morphing would be nice.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enKLd3G9NH8" target="_blank">Bullet impact closeup.</a>
A few questions:
How can I hide the cones in the cinematic editor?
How can I make flickering/animated lights? (I'll need it looped for the fire, and other continuous things.)
How can I put in a floor/ a BSP in the cinematic editor? (To see the effects of the light. Intensity, falloff, etc. Placing object doesn't reall help.)
Can I zoom the width and the height of the curve editor separately?
Yeah, real-time updating would be nice - I mean, its a build in feature of LuaJIT :\
Why not extend the same feature to all assets as well :D
PHX is a short for Phoenix, that's right, but never played Gmod. I'm not who you are looking for :)
>Yeah, real-time updating would be nice
Real time updating - the lack of it - is the minor problem. The major one is that it looks totally different in a lit room, than on a full black background. And by the way, the effect is overlaid by huge cones and lightbulb models :)
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJULiDy6W-I" target="_blank">A steam jet.</a>
And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SJg9ya3VPE" target="_blank">a sparkler</a> int the spark engine :) A huge one.
I think the first, thin part of the steam jet doesn't fit that good to the end part though.
It looks like something is slowing down the jet in the middle and making it spread.
That is intentional, I think when the air friction/drag (I don't know the exact word for it...) slows down a high-pressure steam jet, and it starts to wreathe, it look somewhat like this. I'm not sure, haven't found a good example for it on youtube.
Yes, it definitely can be hard to tell how an effect is going to look on just a black background, as opposed to in game. What we did was actually create a very small and basic test room, with floors, walls, some props, and lighting, to represent an in game environment and load that in the cinematic editor and create the effects in there. Much easier to get an in-game representation of how the FX are going to look.
While you can place new props and new lights in the cinematic editor, you need to use the level editor tool to create the level geometry first, then load that map in the cinematic editor.
--Cory
Great Cory, that would be really useful!
>While you can place new props and new lights in the cinematic editor, you need to use the level editor
>tool to create the level geometry first, then load that map in the cinematic editor.
I tried, of course. The level is not loading in the cinematic editor, and if I place some objects for scaling and comparison, and delete it afterwards, the editor becomes extremely unstable, and crashes every ten seconds.
How about some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDQzzQyZN3k" target="_blank">high-explosive rounds</a>? :D
It's just an attempt of course, a proper explosion will need some additinal features, like alpha blended particles, normal mapped distorting particles, volume emitter, camera shake, velocity scaling, locked particle orientation, etc.
Cory, editing substractive particles like these in this explosion on black background, that's what I call hard :)
pSykOmAn, thx!
You mean you want to delay the emitting of particles? Theoretically controlling the emission rate with a curve should do the trick, but it's not really working... :(
>Also, is it possible to get the particles to go towards the source and not away from it?
I don't thoink so. Since the particles are being emitted in one point. In the source as you call it.
In this they seem to be harder to tell apart, looks more natural, could just be that I am not familiar with the textures though.
<!--quoteo(post=1773485:date=Jun 5 2010, 09:06 PM:name=PHX)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PHX @ Jun 5 2010, 09:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1773485"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->>Also, is it possible to get the particles to go towards the source and not away from it?
I don't thoink so. Since the particles are being emitted in one point. In the source as you call it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If there is a positioning function you can usually use that to spawn them in a radius around the point, and if there is a velocity application function, try putting in a negative value.
No there isn't ... yet.
>Looks like its been forced out of a pressure release valve or something.
Exactly that was my intention :)
I'd like to add some smoke to it, but the whole effect is stopped (killed) after about 0.1 sec. Where can I change it?
And where are the hive and repairbot models?
I wonder if an electrical arch effect could be made and still look good from all angles or it may need a custom image.
The second version has 4 emitters.
>I wonder if an electrical arch effect could be made
How about this?
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-leJX6sTZw" target="_blank">Thou shalt not pass!</a>