Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
As for the fluid simulation itself, I've left all the values on the domain at the default, except of course the
particle values. To create Drop and Float particles, you must enter a nonzero value into Generate Particles, and
to create a Tracer, you must enter the number of particles you want as Tracer particles. For presentation pur-
poses in this example, I've set the particles at a very high level in order to make them as visible as possible
in the screen shots. I set the Tracer particles at 10,000 and the Generate Particles value at 10.00. In practice, a
Generate Particles value of 1.00 is considered “normal,” and depending on the situation, even much less than
this is often sufficient.
When you bake the fluid simulation, the three particle systems are generated. These particle systems now
can be selected similarly to ordinary particle systems, by selecting their base mesh, which is the Particle object
associated with the particle type. As you can see in
Figure 7-26
,
when the monkey associated with Drops is
selected, the float particle system shows up as a selected system, and likewise for Floats and Tracer. This figure
shouldalsogiveyouanideaofthedifferentrolesthattheDrop,Float,andTracerparticlesplay.Asyoucansee,
Drops spread out from the center, whereas Floats tend to stay collected in a central area where fluid is. Tracers
trail behind the falling fluid and lead back to the original sphere-shaped Fluid object mesh (over time, they will
catch up to the fluid's current location).
