Particle Tools

Phil (Composition by gtoledo3)

Author: gtoledo3
License: (unknown)
Date: 2009.08.24
Compatibility: 10.5
Categories:
Required plugins:
(none)

I just want to give mounds of thanks to Steve Mokris for Particle Paint, and Toneburst for the javascript from his Strokething.qtz, as well as Chris Wright...

This really reminds me of something I did in Nodebox awhile back...(http://www.vimeo.com/2927946)... but it's nice because there are all of the Particle Paint physical force patches easily available, which I love.

This is one where I REALLY wish that there was programatic control of layer via published input ports somehow, because I would like for the published settings to naturally suggest trying different layer orderings.

In order to get the "fill" effect, you have to have the line and the points rendering, and then toggle the quad on.

The caveat is that this is finicky, and not meant as any kind of serious tool, just to be what it is.

ParticleTools Usability Poll

We're interested to know what direction we should focus on for future development of ParticleTools -- it's complex enough now that future development really needs advanced planning and direction to be executed in a timely manner.

Please rank these issues by importance, "1st" being most important.

Choices

Lacks Adequate Documentation

Lacks Adequate Examples

Lacks Direction

Lacks Flexibility

Lacks Tutorials

Too Complicated

Too Generic

Too Slow

Too Unstable

Your Vote

Release: Particle Tools, v0.3

Download 0.3
Release Type: Production
Version: 0.3
Release Notes
ParticleTools only works in 32-bit mode.
  • New Colliders:
    • Added "Collider: Kineme3D Object" patch — collides against the surface of a Kineme3D mesh
    • Added "Collider: Quad" patch — collides against a single quad; easier to use than the "Collider: Triangle Structure" patch
  • New Renderers:
    • Added "Render: Structure" patch — outputs a structure suitable for GLTools
    • Added "Render: Kineme3D Objects" patch — renders a Kineme3D Object at every particle
    • Added "Render: Textured" patch — simple renderer which adds support for a single texture
    • Added "Render: VBO" patch — renders points, lines, triangles, or quads
  • New Objects:
    • Added "Object: Boid" patch — implements the Craig W. Reynolds boid algorithm
    • Added "Object: Gravitate" patch — implements particle-to-particle inverse-square gravitation
  • Added "Backface Culling" option for all colliders
  • Some performance optimizations
  • Fixed compatibility with PerformanceInspector
  • Fixed "Motion: Shear" setting when using "Render: Standard"
  • Fixed ports to allow publishing and use with "Input Splitter" and "(De)Multiplexer" as a Virtual Port
  • Fixed crash related to updating Settings panels while the composition is stopped
  • Fixed crash related to removing a live object from the Scene or an Emitter
  • Fixed crash related to removing a live object from an Emitter of Emitters
  • Fixed rendering of collision meshes when using "Render: Standard"
  • Improved force rendering — more forces now honor the Color property
  • Renamed most patches to be more intuitive and to take up less space in the composition editor

Help guide the future of ParticleTools by participating in our usability poll.

Ali Demirel uses Kineme in series of Richie Hawtin's M–NUS events

interactive cube with blue lights

This year, Richie Hawtin's label m–nus celebrates its 10th anniversary with a series of interactive performance events called CONTAKT. Ali Demirel, Hawtin's visualist, uses a combination of Quartz Composer and other software to produce the show's video and also to interact with the audience. Here he talks about his use of Kineme to do this.

A little background: the most unique feature of the CONTAKT events is a lighted cube (pictured left) which contains an RFID scanner. Users who register in advance on the CONTAKT website have RFID chipcards which they can hold up to the cube's reader to interact with it in various ways.

[more »]

Particle Pen Macro/QTZ

I would really like to see an implementation of the Kineme particle tools ala eMotion's particle pen tool, or Processing's Yellowtail (which has a better QTZ, imo).

I can't really figure out any way to get this working given the current functions, but it might be possible already in some way.

I would love to see that with the Kineme Particle abilities... it would be so cool to write a name, draw a shape.... and then reach over to a wind force slider and have particles start blowing away. Or have it spin into a vortex and explode....