Tag Archives: Trapcode Particular
Using Trapcode Particular Z-Buffer
In this QuickTip, I’ll show you how to use Trapcode Particular’s Z-buffer to allow particles to move around 3D objects – such as those generated in AE with VideoCopilot’s Element or Maxon’s C4D (and other 3D apps).
Red Giant TV Live – Episode 10: Let it Flow
Trapcode Particlar and Form are very similar in many ways. Sometimes, you might even want the organic look of Form with the 3D position control of Particular. We’ll discuss how to get detailed control over particle grids to create something organic. This also is the first published image of a new product coming soon.
This lesson was inspired by some freelance work I did for Blind on the Optimum by Sealy spot, which you can view here.
Alien Attack II: They are Coming!
In this episode of Red Giant TV, let’s bring back the Alien Apocalypse! Only this time, it’s coming to a neighborhood near you. Staying entirely within After Effects, we’ll create a composite of a UFO flying overhead.
Creating a Rocket Ship Trail of Letters
In this QuickTip, I’ll guide you through the set-up and expressions required to emit a paragraph of letters from a moving After Effects layer.
Newton Physics Engine Experiments
The folks at Motion Boutique were kind enough to send me a copy of I’ve been experimenting with mixing the Newton physics engine for After Effects with Trapcode Particular. Although it’s still not a substitute for something like Krakatoa or Fume, there’s some cool possibilities here.
Newton is incredibly easy to use. So far, I’ve not needed any additional reference or tutorials on it. Just pop it open, experiment and you shouldn’t have any problems. The short story is this: create your 2D layers in a comp, access Newton from the composition menu, and solve. Just like any dynamics system, you’ll have to define what objects are dynamic, static, etc.
In this example, I used about 20 null objects, and parented a light to each (this is begging for a script to speed along the process, and I hear Motion Boutique is working on it.) From here, I used these lights as emitter objects and created some basic Particular settings that mimic basic fire.
The biggest shortcoming I’ve found in the process is that Particular forces the user to choose between Bounce and Air Physics. The impact of this is that I can either have my particles affected by turbulence and wind, or I can have particles bounce off surfaces. You’d think the bounce would sell this more, but I opted for the Air physics and some turbulence.
This is just an early test. I plan to fine tune this and develop for a future tutorial.
You can get a demo of Newton at www.motionboutique.com
Fairytale Lighting in After Effects
In this quick tutorial you’ll learn how to take video and turn into something straight out of a fairytale. You’ll learn how to set up a down-and-dirty 3D track, add volumetric light and dust to a live action shot, and then finish it with some simulated camera lens blur.
RGTV 50: Alien Attack!
In this episode of Red Giant TV, I will show you how to destroy the city of Los Angeles through an alien attack. We’ll explore compositing, 2D and 3D tracking, color correction and visual effects techniques that will blow your mind. Kablooey!
Music Visualization with Trapcode Suite
This tutorial is inspired by recent animated works that utilize music along with Trapcode Particular and Soundkeys. Here, you’ll learn how to create particle-based visuals to match your audio.
Nulls vs Light Emitters
Some people like to use Nulls or Solids as emitters in Particular, and some like to use Lights. But when is it best to use one or the other? Both have strength and weaknesses. Here you’ll learn where an when to use them.
Creating a Shooting Particle Effect
In this episode, designer I show you how to create a cool motion graphics “shooters” effect with Trapcode Particular. After that, I also go into Maxon Cinema 4D and Adobe Illustrator to create a full logo build with this effect.