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Trapcode Particular

3D Model Emitter group

Choose ‘3D Model’ as your Emitter Type to emit particles from 3D models.

Using a 3D object as an emitter can create some very complex and powerful results, including creating the look of a three-dimensional object being created out of particles.

 

Importing Models

There are two ways to bring in 3D models. After selecting the 3D Model option from the Emitter pop-up, you can import a 3D file (or sequence) with the Choose Model… button. This opens a window that shows you the models that are included with Particular. You can also import your own models from here by clicking the Add New Model… button in the upper right corner of this window.

The 3D files included with Particular can also be accessed through the Designer by going to Blocks > Emitter Type > 3D Model, and then clicking the Choose Model/OBJ button in the Block controls.

You can also import models or animated 3D sequences into the Project panel in After Effects, and add them to compositions manually as you would any other asset.

Note for Cinema 4D Models : Cineware (.c4d) files can be exported directly from Cinema 4D under File > Save Project for Cineware .

If you want to Save Polygons or Animation in your Cineware file, you can toggle these options under:

  • Cinema 4D vR21: Edit > Preferences > Files
  • Cinema 4D vR22: Edit > Project Settings > Cineware

For animations, these typically have best results when:

  • The animation frame rate matches the AE Composition
    • >In After Effects, this is under: Composition > Composition Settings > Frame Rate
    • In Cinema 4D, this is under: Edit > Project Settings > FPS
  • The Point Level Animation (PLA) for the objects is baked in, which can be done by following these steps:
    • Moving your objects to the Animate timeline ( Layout > Animate )
    • Select the objects, then choose Functions > Bake Objects
    • Under Include , toggle PLA and Animated Parameters
    • This creates a copy of your object. Delete the original

Note that when using 3D model files with Particular (regardless of the method used to import them), the model's layer will need to have its visibility disabled in the composition. Otherwise, a warning about the file format may be displayed.

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Note: Particular does not support negative indices (also called relative indices) inside the model. Indices are used to reference vertices inside the 3D model file.

Model Emitter Settings

With your Emitter Type set to 3D Model, the settings in the Model Emitter group will become available. These give you more options for customizing the way your particles look.

3D Model

Once you have imported a model and added it to your composition, use this menu to choose its layer.

Emit From

The Emit From menu determines which component of your 3D model will be emitting particles. This changes to a Particles From menu when a Classic or Dynamic Form behavior is selected. There are four options:


Examples of Emit From set to Vertices, Edges, Faces and Volume on a pyramid model

On A Grid and Particle Density

When you have a form behavior selected, you can choose to have your particles be placed on a grid . When choosing this, the particles (ie: how many particles) property disappears. This is because the On a Grid option doesn’t use these particle count settings anymore to determine the number of particles on an 3D Model. Instead, the particle count is determined by the mesh of the model in conjunction with the option selected in the Particles From pop-up. Reducing the Particle Density value allows you to remove particles from the mesh, making the form less dense. Note that you can also take this value above 100% in order to add more particles.

Normalize

Normalize scales and moves the model to ensure it is centered around the Emitter position and fits within the bounding box defined by the Emitter Size parameters. If the model is an animated sequence, the first frame is used as the reference for the normalization.
If you turn off Normalize, your model might not be visible within the field of view or be very small or large depending on the range of coordinate values used by points in the model.

C4D Files : When this option is disabled and you’re working with a C4D file, the model is centered around coordinates defined by the C4D file. If the model is disappearing when this option is disabled, check that the imported scene aligns with the camera; the C4D coordinates may have positioned the model somewhere off screen.

If you want your Composition to match the imported C4D scene, select the Cineware plugin on your .C4D layer and make sure Comp Camera is selected as the Project Settings Camera, then click Extract at the bottom to bring the C4D camera into your composition. This camera will have the same duration as your C4D scene (not your Composition), so it may need to be adjusted after its import

Invert Z

Invert Z flips the model on the Z axis, turning the object to face forwards or backwards (if located at default values).

Using Animated Sequences

You can import static 3D models, or you can import an animated sequence of 3D models. This creates an animated emitter. There are three parameters that allow you more control when working with animated sequences.