Particle Age Map

Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Particle Age

Particle age changes the appearance of particles over time.

The Particle Age map is for use with particle systems. Typically you assign the Particle Age map as a Diffuse map. It alters the color (or map) of a particle based on the particle's life. The particles in a system begin as one color. At a specified age, they begin changing (by interpolation) to a second color, and then they change again to a third color before they die out.

Tip: This map works well with the Particle MBlur map. For example, you could assign Particle Age as a diffuse map and Particle MBlur as an Opacity map. Another way to use Particle Age is in the mask channel of a Blend material. In this case, you could set up two of the colors to white, and one to black, which would make the particles change materials over their age. In addition, you could set up one of the two materials with an effects channel and use a Glow filter on it through Video Post.

Interface

Color #1—Sets the color of a particle at its birth.

Click the button to the right of the color swatch to assign a map instead of a solid color. The check box turns the map on or off.

Age #1—Sets the age where a particle starts changing from Color #1 to Color #2, expressed as a percentage of the particle's entire life.

Color #2—Sets the color of a particle in mid-life. You can also assign a map to this color.

Age #2—Sets the age where a particle's color equals Color #2, expressed as a percentage of the particle's entire life.

Color #3—Sets the color of a particle at its death. You can also assign a map to this color.

Age #3—Sets the age where a particle changes to Color #3, expressed as a percentage of the particle's entire life.