Particles trail from moving object (coming from 3ds Max)

[Andrewray]

Hi there,

 

this is my first post here.

 

I'm moving my first steps with Houdini and, coming from 3ds Max, I'm trying to find out how to get similar results in the Houdini world.

 

One type of setup which I use quite often in 3ds Max is Pflow Spawn.

Basically in this case I've some particles emitting from selected vertex of a moving object, in other words I use the moving mesh as a particle tracker.

By doing so, it's easier for me to drive the particles, I can also add deformers to the mesh which will affect the position of the particles as well.

Once I'm done with this first step, I spawn the particles, which in Houdini I would translate with Trail.

This is what I get with Pflow in 3ds Max:

 

I tried to create a similar setup in Houdini with the following steps:

- I created a plane and animated its position/rotation

- I created a Source Particle Emitter (it's emitting from a vertex group)

- I deleted the Gravity, in order to keep the particles following the plane

- I added a trail in the Source Particles, but the result is not what I'm after and, with a lot of particles, Houdini gets really slow

 

This is what I get:

 

So, I guess what I'm trying to figure out is:

1) Is trail the only way to generate a mesh from a particle source? Maybe I can I generate splines? in other words, I'm trying to get a real geometry

2) If trail is the way to go, is there a way to improve the performance and get a smoother experience?

 

I've attached the file I'm working on.

Thanks for any help.

 

particle_trail.zip

[Farmfield]

You are thinking all wrong here. You're not emitting a trail, you are emitting particles that fly away with random directions and then adding a trail to those. If you want a trail from something, you can actually just ad the trail SOP, no need for particles at all.

 

 

SOP.trails.hiplc

[Farmfield]

And here's how you set it up within POP's using the POP replicate.

 

 

POP.trails.hiplc

[Andrewray]

Hey Johnny,
first off thank you so much for helping me out on this.
Sorry for my late reply here, I've been looking for help on this issue for a while and now that someone finally helps, I'm wrapped up in a lot of work.
 
Anyway, I've had the chance to take a quick look at your setup, it seems there's a lot to study on my side.
Coming from another application and tuning on one's own habits to a different 3d app, especially something like Houdini, it definitely takes time and serious dedication.
I hope I can get a grasp of what you did, but I guess I'll have questions which I'll post here.

 

Best,
Andrew.

[Farmfield]

Those are not very complicated setups, you'll manage.

[Rocky]

Hey Farmfield,

POP trail looks like thunder lighting.

Just in mind...If i want to make thunder light set up then what is the easiest process.

[Atom]

Thanks for the example files Johnny. If you reduce the life on the pop replicate you can get the trails to lift off the sphere after a short time.

 

@Rocky: There is a lightning preset generator for the L-System object. Add a polywire and emission material for rendering. Change the Random Seed to animate the lightning.

ap_basic_lightning.hipnc

Edited December 28, 2015 by Atom

[Farmfield]

Thanks for the example files Johnny. If you reduce the life on the pop replicate you can get the trails to lift off the sphere after a short time.

 

Well, the whole idea with that setup was generating static trailing, else I wouldn't have set the replication to a point and set the speed to zero.

 

As for the L-system lighting preset, it's pretty useless as you have no control, because in most cases you'd want to have control of the starting point as well as the end, or rather, in most cases the end, the goal, is the more important part to have control over, right?