Using Layout Items

Particle Storm 2.0 now gives you the ability to use any Layout item to control a parameter. This is similar to the way you would use texture reference objects in the Surfaces panel. Best of all, by using Layout Items, you can control parameter settings such as Wind Strength right in layout (via reference object) without having to jump back and forth between Particle Storm and LightWave!

Affecting positions using Layout Items

Layout items can be used to animate controllers in Particle Storm. You can animate a null object in Layout and have the Fountain Emitter in Particle Storm use the x,y,z position of that null object to determine its movement. If you used just the z position of the fountain emitter, then the fountain emitter would experience only the movement of the null object on the z-axis. This allows for a great deal of flexibility because you are not constrained to using all the axis of an object.

Affecting Rotations using Layout Items

In addition to position, you can use a Layout item to affect the Heading, Pitch and Bank of a controller. Once again, you are not limited to using all three axis of rotation.

Quick Tip: Selecting each channel one by one can become tedious. To automate this process, right click on the cell (for example Rotation) and select Link To Layout Item. A listbox will appear just to the right allowing you to select the item you want to link to.

Right clicking on a cell will give you the option of linking all channels belonging to that parameter. It also gives you the option to reset all values belonging to that parameter.

Affecting Parameter Values using Layout Items.

A parameter value, for example, particle Birth Rate or Gravity strength, can be controlled using a Layout item. If the Position-x attribute of a Layout item was chosen to determine birthrate, then the actual x-value of that item would be the birthrate of the particle. A parameter that uses a Layout item can be adjusted "on the fly" as you are animating in Layout. You do not have to come back to Particle Storm's interface and re-record the particles.

Parenting

Sometimes it is desired to just parent a Particle Storm item to a Layout item. This can be done by simply clicking on the Parent button and choosing the item you wish to parent to.

Selecting an item from the parent list will parent the controller to the selected item

NOTE: Parenting an item in Particle Storm is just like Parenting in Layout. When you parent an item, all values of the parented object are relative to it's parent. This means that the child can have it's own range of motions, but they are relative to the parent items motion. This is NOT the same as the Link feature as descrived above. When using Layout Items instead of parenting, the value is locked to the value of the layout item.

Using items that have parent relationships in Layout

Often you will need to use a layout item that has been parented to another item in layout. If you use the "Link to Layout Item" feature and link just the x/y/z positions of the layout item, then these positions are relative to it's parents. For example, if you have two nulls such that the second null is parented to the first null, then the second nulls (the 'child' null) motion is relative to its parent. If you have not key-framed the child null, then it essentially is not moving relative to the parent. If however you link to layout items such that you specify World-X World-Y World-Z positions for that item, then the motion of the layout item will be given in world coordinates.

Changing parameters within Layout.

By linking a parameter to a Layout item, you can animate particles on the fly right from within Layout, without having to re-record the simulation. For more information, read the section "Integration with Layout".