Particle Example 1 : Particle Galaxy

As the first example, we will make a simple particle galaxy using Particle Tool. Particle Tool is easy and quick way to create individual particles, particle grids and random collections of particles.

1.  Select Particles - Particle Tool - Option box.

2.  Settings
        Particle Name : galaxy
        Number of Particles : 20
        Maximum Radius : 3
        Sketch Particles : On
        Sketch Interval : 5 

3.  In the top view, click and drag cross shape. press Enter.

4.  Select the galaxy particle object in the outliner. If you can't find the object, enable the
     option Display - Shapes in the outliner.

5.  With the particle object selected, select Field - Vortex. Vortex field makes the particles
     spin.

6.  Playback the animation and increase the time range if you need. You will see the particles
     going back to the cross shape whenever you play the animation.

7.  Playback the animation until the particles are in a galaxy shape.
     With the galaxy selected, select Solver - Initial State - Set For Selected.
     This prevents the galaxy returns to the cross shape and initiate the particle shape looks
     like galaxy.

8.  Select the galaxy, press ↓on your keyboard to open particleShape node or open
     the Attribute Editor by pressing Ctrl+A and click the "galaxyShape" tab.

9.  Set Conserve to 0.8.
     By lowering the conserve value, it prevents the particles spinning out of control.

10. Select the vortex and change the Magnitude to 200 in the channel box.

11. Playback the animation. 

Conserve

Conserve is very important particle attribute. It is short for "Conservation of momentum." Default value is set to 1 : particles never lose any of their motion as they move through space.
It is very sensitive attribute so lowering it very slightly is usually best. (ex. 0.99 : particles' motion will look more realistically.)

Reference

• Autodesk Maya 2011, 2010. Autodesk Maya Online Help : Introduction. [online] Available at : < file:///Applications/Autodesk/maya2011/docs/Maya2011/en_US/index.html?url=./files/GS_Introduction.htm,topicNumber=d0e1838 > [Accessed 25 February 2011].

• Marc-André Guindon., 2005. Learning Maya 7 : The Special Effects Handbook. Unknown: Sybex