The Path Follow operator allows you to apply forces to particles using regular shapes and splines.
The default additive nature of forces can cause particles to quickly fly away from any input shapes. In order to cause particles to follow shapes more closely, force damping is required. The best way to dampen forces is to add a Slow operator to your event (above this operator) and increase the velocity slowdown value until the desired effect is achieved.
Follow forces are forces that are parallel to shape tangents.
Velocity:: the value of the force applied to particles.
Falloff: the distance over which forces will be diminished, according to the inverse-square law. A value of 0 means no falloff will be computed.
Attraction forces are forces that are perpendicular to shape tangents, which cause particles to move toward shapes.
Velocity:: the value of the force applied to particles.
Falloff: the distance over which forces will be diminished, according to the inverse-square law. A value of 0 means no falloff will be computed.
Clamp to distance: when enabled, the length of the attraction velocity vector will not exceed the distance from a particle to the target spline. This prevents velocity overshoot.
Spin forces are forces that are perpendicular to shape tangents, which cause particles to move around shapes.
Velocity:: the value of the force applied to particles.
Falloff: the distance over which forces will be diminished, according to the inverse-square law. A value of 0 means no falloff will be computed.
Dynamic: no constraints are placed on the distance particles are allowed to travel towards/away from input shapes.
Locked the initial distance any given particle is to an input shape, is the exact distance they must maintain while affected by the operator.
Initial distance is min distance the initial distance any given particle is to an input shape, is the minimum distance they must maintain while affected by the operator. Particles are allowed to travel further than that distance away from the input shapes.
Initial distance is max distance the initial distance any given particle is to an input shape, is the maximum distance they must maintain while affected by the operator. Particles are allowed to travel closer than that distance towards the input shapes.
Custom min/max: the range of distances a particle must stay within, from input shapes, is defined by the user.
Min/Max: the range of distances used in ‘Custom min/max’ mode”
If shapes have a lot of overall curve complexity, this value should be increased.
Lock to first shape: controls whether particles will continually look for a new shape to derive their forces from, or if they’ll stay locked to the same shape for their entire stay within the event.
Relative to mass: controls whether particle forces will be relative to particle masses.
Simulate substeps: forces will be interpolated in a way that simulates the addition of forces at smaller simulation substeps.