by Didik Wijaya
This tutorial needs you to understand basic use of 3dsmax. If you are unfamiliar with Particle Flow, try Getting Started with Particle Flow tutorial first.

Imagine one day, a guy from chocolate company ask you to create their logo animation. Here's what they want, "I want our chocolate candy product falling from the sky and then slowly forming our logo.Can you do it?" Your head may be begin to spin. Isn't that difficult? No, if you follow this tutorial. I just create this animation in minutes, and so can you. In this tutorial, I will explain how to create particle forming into a logo. I will use Particle Flow to create this animation. Techniques described in this tutorial—I have no doubt—will be very useful when you are working in advertising field or movie company.

1. At first, download exercise file here (3dsmax 8 format, zipped). In this file, you will find 2 objects. One is 'table' and the other is 'logo'. Our logo is created using Text then extruded with Amount=0. You can replace this object with your own text or logo. Select this logo and move it up 3 unit along Z axis. Why 3? You will find the answer later.

2. With logo still selected, right click onto it, then select Properties in Quad menu. Properties window will be opened. In Rendering Control, uncheck Renderable. Click OK. We don't need our logo to rendered. We just need logo object as containment for particle.

3. In Command Panel, go to Create tab. Choose Particle Systems in drop-down list. Click PF Source button. Next, click and drag in Top viewport to create PF Source icon. Then, go to Modify panel. You can use any parameters like image below. Make sure you set Viewport Quanity Multiplier=100%, in order to see all particles in viewport.

4. Move PF Source icon up, about 400 unit above 'table' object. We want particle come out from above table.

5. Open Particle View window (just press 6 in keyboard). Move Shape and Display operator from Event 01 into Global Event PF Source 01. This way, we can set the appearance in all event automatically. Select Shape 01 row, and set Shape=Sphere and Size=6. In Display 01, set Type=Geometry. Remember, you moved 'logo' object up 3 unit. That is exactly a half of 6 unit sphere height.

6. Next, we will set another particle appearance. Open Material Editor. Select one empty material slot. Name this material "choco". Set Diffuse Color R=106, G=90, B=0. Fill Specular Level=40 and Glossiness=30. You will get glossy brown material.

7. Back to Particle View window. Add Material Static operator into Global Event PF Source 01. In Material Static 01 rollout, click button under Assign Material. Material/Map Browser window will open. Choose Mtl Editor in Browse From. Then, double click "choco" material to apply this material to particle.

8. In Event 01, select Birth 01 operator. Set Emit Start=0, Emit Stop=0, and Amount=500. We set 500 particle to appear since frame 0. Then, select Speed 01 operator. Set particle speed =0. We don't want particle to move anywhere.

9. Try to scrub slider, you will see all particles don't move a bit in PF Source icon. In the next tutorial, we are going to create particle animation.

Particle Forming Into Logo Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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Didik Wijaya, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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