more power to the 3D Particles

[dbini]

I'm convinced that the development of the Izzy Particle engine holds the key to future Izzy awesomeness.

There's something that i think would be useful, and may even be easy to implement:

- Texture Map lock. You know how some elements of the particles can be decided and locked in to each particle when it is generated? (size shift, colour, fade times) - would this be good to be an option for the Texture Map? An option so that when a particle is born, the input to the Texture Map gets frozen onto that particle. It would enable a bunch of different images on particles in the same system. At the moment, if i need different things to be floating around, i tend to build a series of 3D Particles, each with a different video feed. you'd still need to do this for moving images on particles, but for still images, it would be much quicker and cleaner to use just the one actor.

(also, a quick question about good practice with the Virtual Stage: what's the right way to do multiple renders? is it OK to use a few renderers outputting to the same channel and use one Virtual Stage, or should each renderer be on a separate channel and use a number of Virtual Stages combined with a MultiMix?)

- We've talked before about attaching algorithms to particles to control their relationship to each other, or to a movable point in space. this kind of thing is beginning to arrive in the Izzy world - 3D Ropes has some of this physics implemented. are there any plans to upgrade 3D Particles with this kind of thing?

cheers,

john

[bonemap]

@dbini said:

At the moment, if i need different things to be floating around, i tend to build a series of 3D Particles, each with a different video feed. you'd still need to do this for moving images on particles, but for still images, it would be much quicker and cleaner to use just the one actor.

Hi John,

I do love your concept of Issy awesomeness!

Can't we already assign different still images and video to 3D Particles? I have a couple of example patches, in the first each new particle instance is assigned 1 of over 2500 individual images using the texture mapping parameters of the 3D Particles actor. In the second and much more complex patch (too much to demonstrate with one screen grab), short live captured video files are aggregated through a common virtual stage renderer forming a 'live' grid and input to 3D Particles using much the same texture map parameter concept as the first patch. 

But, perhaps you are suggesting something else? If it improves the particle functionality in Isadora I am all for it! 

Patch stage output video here and another video here.

best wishes

bonemap

[dbini]

Hi @bonemap 

lovely video effects, and thanks for letting me into the secret. i didn't realise the power of the Texture Map. to be honest, i never really understood what the across/down/col/row inputs did, and assumed they were just used to fit the image to the particle accurately. the sprite grid is really clever and explains it all clearly. thankyou for taking time to explain. 

i still think it might be useful if you could run a video feed into the texture map and select an option so that every time a particle is generated it is mapped with that particular frame. it was this thread that got me thinking about easy and quick ways to create a shower of words. 

all the best,

john

[bonemap]

@dbini said:

Hi John,

I have long been a fan of the high quality aesthetic work you produce - and they are works only glimpsed fleetingly through the posts you make to this forum. 

The texture map feature of 3D Particles opens up a whole world of potential for very dynamic, responsive and beautiful particle effects and I personally am very happy to share that feature insight with you. I can't wait to see what you do with it!

best wishes

bonemap