Library Controls

The main list in the Library controls is a collection of emitters organized into folders. You can think of the library as a palette of emitters, since only the emitters in the currently loaded library can be added to the clip.

To rename a library emitter, select it, then click it again a moment later.

Each emitter has a thumbnail of the result next to it. You can change the size of this thumbnail in the Particles preferences. There is also a Library menu of options. To the right of the list, there are eight buttons for working with emitters and libraries.

Add Current to Library

Adds a copy of the emitter object selected in the Workspace panel to the library. It is added to the selected library folder or the folder that the contains the selected library emitter.

Replace from Library

Replaces the particle types and some or all of an emitter's properties with different properties from a library emitter.

Load Library

Loads a different Emitter Library for combustion (ELC) file. (You can also load an Illusion Emitter Library file.) If changes were made to the current library, that library is saved first.

Libraries are usually stored in the Particle Libraries folder (in the combustion program folder) so you can load them quickly using the Library menu.

Save Library As

Saves the current library file with a different name or in a different location. When you save a library using this button, a backup file is also saved. It uses the BAK extension and cannot be loaded; you first need to rename the file in the folder.

Update Emitter

Updates a library emitter after you make changes to it. If you select a library emitter, then change one of the controls in the Emitter controls (or the available Transform controls), a red outline appears around the preview. The outline indicates that you changed a library emitter. If you want to save the changes, click Update Emitter. If you do not want to save the changes, select a different library emitter.

Duplicate Emitter

Duplicates the selected library emitter. The name of the new emitter is "Copy of Name," where Name is the name of the selected library emitter. The copy appears at the bottom of the folder list.

Note: This command cannot be used to duplicate an emitter object. See Copying Emitter Objects.

Delete

Deletes the selected library emitter or folder of emitters. A dialog prompts you to confirm the deletion. You cannot delete the last emitter or folder.

New Folder

Creates a new folder in the current library. Enter a name in the New Folder Name dialog that appears. You can only make a folder structure as shown in the following illustration. In other words, you cannot create a folder inside another emitter folder.

Library Menu

The menu on the right side of the library includes the following menu options.

New Emitter Library

Creates a blank library in the Particle Libraries folder. Enter a name in the New Library Name dialog that appears.

A blank library includes a folder named "New Emitter Folder" that contains one emitter named "New Emitter Type." This emitter has one particle type named "New Particle Type," which uses the default shape, a 32 x 32 gray square.

Delete Emitter Library

Deletes the current library from disk. It does not matter if the library is in the Particle Libraries folder or not.

After the current library is deleted, the first library in the menu list is loaded. If no libraries are in the list (if there are none in the Particle Libraries folder), a blank library is created.

Update Thumbnail

Creates or updates the thumbnail for the selected library emitter. The image that appears in the preview is used for the thumbnail, but it is cropped to be square.

Some emitters need to be moved around to get a better view of what they look like. While actively dragging in the preview, press Ctrl to take a snapshot of the preview for the thumbnail since it is impossible to drag in the preview and choose a menu option at the same time.

Note: In the Particles preferences, you can set the size of the thumbnails.

Update All Thumbnails

Replaces the thumbnails for all the emitters in the current library. By default, the image that would appear in the preview at frame 45 is used for each thumbnail. This produces inaccurate results for some emitters, so you can replace them individually using Update Thumbnail.

List of Libraries

The remainder of the menu options is a list of all the libraries found in the Particle Libraries folder. The list is sorted alphabetically and a checkmark is shown beside the current library (if the current library is from the Particle Libraries folder). Select a library from the list and it becomes the current library.

Note: If the current library has been changed in any way (new emitters added, a name changed, emitters reordered, and so on), it is saved before the next library is loaded. Libraries are also saved automatically when you close the workspace file.