How to Freeze Particle or stop it grow in Motion

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Level 1

5 points

How to Freeze Particle or stop it grow in Motion

Hi To all of you. I am wondering if it is at all possible to to freeze a particle system to a particular point in time (without exporting a frame as a still image which would not be 3d) so that I can sweep a camera around it. I can not find answer to this anywhere.

Lets say a particle is growing in 3d for a second or two, then I want to stop particle or replicator growing and get the camera to sweep around it, then I want to make the particle continue to grow. This is very possible to do in Particular (AE filter).

Can something like this be done in Motion 3.

intel mac, http://embryo.me.uk

Posted on Mar 21, 2008 1:56 AM

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Answer 1

_DIGK_

Level 1

30 points

Mar 21, 2008 2:08 AM in response to zak peric

Maybe you could try to use the grab behavior or the stop behavior.

Grab behavior may help you to stop the particules to move on the scene, I did use this to do what your tried to achieves but with a replicator. This this thread : http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6878389#6878389

and here a a discussion on the grab behavior : http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6878451#6878451

Or maybe the stop behavior to affects the grow parameters.

Message was edited by: DIGK

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Answer 2

Mar 21, 2008 6:43 AM in response to zak peric

The Drag behavior is what you want - will slow down and stop the particles very nicely.

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Answer 3

zak peric Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 21, 2008 2:40 PM in response to Mark Spencer4

Thanks for the reply guys. I try using a drag behavior on a particle I created just to test things. I have created a square and then used created a particle at it's default settings. What is happening is that the squares are being stop at some point (or rather they are puled back to the center). The problem is that they do not stop. I have tried many different setting, even gone into negative value without getting what I want.
I also tried applying the Drag behavior to the cell, emitter, and the group, nothing.

By the way Mark I am going to email you this project, if you have time maybe you could demystify this.

I like to thanks you both for a prompt reply.

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Answer 4

zak peric Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 21, 2008 3:03 PM in response to _DIGK_

Hi Thanks for your reply. Love the movie with the photo cut into pieces. The drag behavior did not do the trick with Particle unfortunately. I am out of the ideas for this one. when you think Particular (Plugin for AE) does such a great job of it. Unfortunately it is not available for Apple Motion.

Please help.......

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Answer 5

Mar 21, 2008 3:13 PM in response to zak peric

Zak,

Works fine for me. Try setting the birth rate to 0, with a large initial number, so you get a burst of particles at the beginning. Crank up the speed. Add the Drag behavior (from the Simulations category) to the Emitter. Crank up the amount to the point that makes the particles stop where you want.

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Answer 6

zak peric Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 25, 2008 5:50 AM in response to zak peric

Well thanks to Mark Spencer the freezing of the particle is now possible;

If you want to freeze the particle system you must do the following; Apply Drag behavior, and make sure that in your particle setup, the birth rate is set to 0 and that the initial number is something you want i.e 30 particles. Also I have been plying with the drag behavior and realized that the value of 2 is enough to freeze the particle, although this might not be the case for what you want to achieve.

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