by Didik Wijaya
If you are unfamiliar wth Particle Flow, please read our previous tutorial Getting Started with Particle Flow

In previous tutorial, you have prepared grouped text object. Now, in this tutorial you will use Particle Flow to re-create the same paragraph. This means, we will display each particle as letters and punctuation.

1.Continue your previous lesson. In Command Panel, go to Create>Geometry tab. Choose Particle Systems from drop down list. Then click PF Source button. In Top viewport, create PF Source icon. You can create this icon in any size and location.

2.Open Particle View window by pressing "6" in keyboard. We need to use letter object as particle, so replace Shape 01 (Tetra) operator with Shape Instance operator. To replace, just drag Shape Instance operator from Depot (operator list in bottom) inside Event 01. Drag on top of Shape 01 (Tetra) until you see red line and release. Then, in Shape Instance 01 rollout, click button under Particle Geometry object and click text object in viewport. Also, activate Group Members to make particle use all group members (that means letters). Remember or jot down Number Of Shapes value. You'll need that later.

Select Display 01 operator. In Display 01 rollout change particle display type to Geometry.

3. Move slider, you'll see all particle taking shape as letter, but they are all scattered. Next, you need to arrange them to form a paragraph

4. Delete Rotation 01 (Random 3D) operator. Replace Position Icon 01 (Volume) operator with Position Object operator. You don't need to change any parameter in this Position Object operator. Next, select Birth 01 operator. Enter Emit Stop=0, and Amount=88. Emit Stop=0 will make all particle visible since frame 0. And remember Number Of Shapes value earlier. Particle amount should be the same as Number of Shapes

Some of you may not see all letters using Amount=Number of Shapes. It's okay. You can try to render the viewport and you can see all letters. Those letters are just disappear in viewport.

Download 3dsmax lesson file up to this point

Text Dispersion Effect Using Particle Flow Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Any question or comments regarding this tutorial should be sent to:
Didik Wijaya, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Discuss this tutorial