Creating Emitter Objects Using the Library

The most common way of creating particles is to add an emitter from a library of emitters. When you do this, a separate copy of the library emitter is added to the clip, and it appears in the Workspace panel as an emitter object.

The link between the library emitter and the emitter object is broken at this point. Changes in one do not reflect in the other.

Note: You cannot update the library emitter with changes made to an emitter object (workspace emitter). Instead, save the emitter object to the library and delete the old library emitter.

To add an emitter:

1. In the composite, select the layer (or an operator such as Footage) to which you want to add particles.
2. Choose Operators | Particles.

The Particle Controls panel appears and the operator automatically becomes the current operator in the active viewport (like Paint does, for example).

Note: If another operator becomes the current operator later, you can always return to the Particles operator by double-clicking the Particles operator in the Workspace panel.

3. In the Particle Controls panel (F8), click Library to show the Library controls.



4. Select an emitter from the library.

Initially, the library that was last used appears. You can load another library if necessary. See Loading and Saving Libraries for details.

Note: If Enable Preview is turned on, you see the emitter in the Particles preview.

5. Show the Toolbar (F2).

The Toolbar shows the tools for the Particles operator.



6. Select one of the four Emitter tools (Point, Line, Circle, or Area).

Note: If you want the emitter to appear exactly as it does in the preview, use the tool that matches the Shape setting in the Emitter controls. To do this automatically, double-click the library emitter and the appropriate tool is selected.

7. Do one of the following:
• If you selected the Point Emitter tool, click in the viewport to add an emitter.
• If you selected the Circle Emitter or Area Emitter tool, click in the viewport and drag to the second point. (For a circle emitter, the points are the corners of the circle's bounding box.)
• If you selected the Line Emitter tool, click to add each point, then double-click, press Esc, or select another tool to end the line. (When you click and drag a point, it becomes curved with tangent handles.)

The emitter object is added to the Workspace panel, and if you open the object (click the triangle), you see its particle types.

8. To see the result, click Play (Enter).

The emitter creates particles as defined by its properties and the properties of its particle types.

Note: The particles are emitted exactly the same way each time you play the clip (as long as no changes were made to the emitter).