Emitting nParticles

A typical workflow for creating an nParticle effect in Maya breaks out into two parts: motion and rendering. First, you create and define the behavior of particles through emission. An emitter is a Maya object that creates the particles. After you create fields and adjust particle behavior within a dynamic simulation, much as you would do with rigid body motion, you give the particles renderable qualities to define how they look. This second aspect of the workflow defines how the particles come together to create the desired effect, such as steam. You’ll make a steaming locomotive pump later in this chapter.

To create an nParticle system, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you’re in the nDynamics menu set, choose nParticles ...

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