by Didik Wijaya

In Part 2 tutorial, you've created falling snow using Particle Flow. The result should be good enough to render. But in this tutorial, you will get more dramatic rendering by changing particle shape with snowflake image. I also want the snowflakes spinning around vertical axis while falling down.

1.First, create a plane in Front viewport. Use Length=23 and Width=20 with each segments=1

2. Next, we will create material for plane object. Before we continue, right click and save snowflake image below.

Open Material Editor. Select unused material slot. In Shader Basic Parameters activate 2-Sided to make both plane sides textured. In Blinn Basic Parameter, change Diffuse Color to white. Activate Self Illumination and change color box to grey if you want more brighter result.

Now, plane is textured with white color. click small button right next to Opacity. In Material/Map browser choose Bitmap. Use snowflake image. Now, when rendered, black color in snowflake image will make area in plane transparent

3. In Particle View, drag Shape Instance operator from Depot into Event 01. Make sure it replaces Shape 01 (Sphere) operator. In Shape Instance 01 rollout click button under Particle Geometry Object and click plane in viewport. Because plane is too big, use Scale=20% with Variation=10%

4. Next, we are going to add rotation to snowflakes particle. First select Rotation 01 operator, and change Orientation Matrix=World Space and X=90. Scrub slider, you'll see particle going down vertically.

Drag Spin operator from Depot into Event 01. Make sure you place it under Rotation 01 (there's blue line when you successfully insert operator into Event 01). Use Spin Axis=World Space and Z=1.

5. Congrats you've finished Snowy Cartoon Landscape tutorial. Here's sample movie of finished scene. I changed the background with darker image.

Download 3dsmax lesson file up to this point

Snowy Cartoon Landscape Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Need more 3ds max Particle Flow or special effects tutorial? Click here

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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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