ThinkingParticles 5 review

New Tools & Enhancements

Particle speed influenced by the speed of changing geometry

Aside from the new features I have mentioned above, there are some other tools that deserve mentioning. A new set of helpers has been added to the toolset, which aim to help in querying objects’ states. The new Geometry access helpers offer some really great ways to query mesh data that can be used create, attract, and influence particles. In previous releases you would have to use some complex setups in order to achieve what these new helpers can do. The video shows a few of these helpers in action where particle speed is modified based on the speed of the changing geometry underneath. These new tools provide some great ways to use mesh data in the creation and manipulation of particles.

There is now a ‘Path’ node that allows users to pick and work with splines in TP. Math and Matrix nodes have been added as well, which allow for even more control when using math and matrix operations. An EggTime node has been introduced which allows you to control time in a non-linear manner. Also enhancements have been made to the VolumeBreaker node which gives users a ‘Max Recursion’ parameter. This allows objects to break multiple times until a defined value is reached.

Conclusions

Overall, TP5 has some solid new features that make the upgrade worth the investment, even more so if you were considering buying the full license. It is an expensive plugin, but the features and control it offers in 3DS Max are second to none. The new Bullet features, coupled with the ability to import and work with .bin files and .prt files, make this a must have release if you do a lot of dynamics. The addition of new hotkeys, plus the optimization behind the scenes, really help speed up your workflow.

If you do a lot of particle and dynamics work TP5 is definitely something you should look into. The new features add to an already robust toolset that is reliable, production ready, and capable of creating some amazing effects. TP’s learning curve is a steep one, but with a user base that seems to be growing more an more each year, access to learning materials is becoming easier. As mentioned earlier, it would be nice to have a bit more documentation in the area of Bullet; specifically with setting up vehicles.

It will take new users some time to become familiar with TP and to learn how it works, but once you decide to invest the time and become comfortable with it, the possibilities are endless.

Joël LeLièvre is an FX Artist who works in film, television, and print. He has worked on features like Transformers: Dark of The Moon, Tron: Legacy, and Day After Tomorrow. You can find more about his work at Divisionof8 and Delicate Machines.