How to fade out Sprites? [various solutions]

[Tom]

Hello Hashers-

This should be a simple task (but apparently not for me)😄 I am trying to simply fade out a sprite cloud over 20 frames using the Sprite opacity setting in the choreography window.

Attached is the simplest of projects. The sprites are dormant for 10 frames and then on frame 11 (only) 1000 sprites are shot out the emitter. Those 1000 sprites have their opacity set at 100% and then by frame 50 the sprite opacity is set to 0%.

Unfortunately there is no opacity changes going on (as you can see from the video).

 

Any suggestions are appreciated...

 

(SpriteFadeOut

.attached is the Project, the small blank white graphic for the sprite and the movie below)

[robcat2075]

HI Tom,

Eliminate the Keyframes for Opacity in "Sprite Test 1" and try keyframing 100% --> 0% for Opacity in "Sprite System"

The value in the Sprite Image ("Sprite Test 1") parameters changes the opacity of sprites currently being emmitted

The value in the System changes the opacity for all the particles at once.

Note that if you want each particle to have a fade or change over its own life regardless of when it was emitted, that needs to be key framed in the original material.

[Tom]

Many thanks!

 

I will give it a try and let you know...

 

and BTW- That MoCap looks intriguing. Definitely something to investigate🙂

[Tom]

Adjusting the Sprite system worked great! .....but I was unable to figure out how to selectively fade out different clouds from the same emitter. I have attached a graphic to explain the question. The cloud on the right should be 50% faded out and then a new cloud is being born on the left. How can you get the new cloud to come in at 100% opacity while the other one is fading out at 50%.

 

Many thanks for any insights!

[robcat2075]

Is this something all the sprites will do... be born at 100% and fade over time?

[Tom]

yes...

I thought about what you said about changing things in the material window but I don't know how to set key frames in the material window.

[robcat2075]

Try this...

1 make sure Curve View is selected

2 Use the magnify tool to squeeze the top scale so that 100% is visible

3 put values into "Over Life"

 

 

[Tom]

Excellent----Rob comes through again!

[Tom]

Quick follow up question...

In the graph that controls "opacity", the horizontal increments are the percentage % ... but what does the vertical increments stand for???

 

Thanks for any info..

[robcat2075]

The horizontal axis is the lifetime of the particle.

The vertical axis is the property being controlled, in this case the opacity.

[Tom]

OK...cool..thanks!

[robcat2075]

13 hours ago, robcat2075 said:

The horizontal axis is the lifetime of the particle.

The vertical axis is the property being controlled, in this case the opacity.

That percentage for "lifetime of the particle" refers to a percentage of the life that is set in the "Life" parameter a few lines up , "00:01:00" in the image above.

A keyframe that happens at 50% will happen at 0.5 seconds in the particle's life.

If you changed the particle's Life to 3 seconds, the keyframe at 50% will now happen at 1.5 seconds.

[Tom]

Thank you, that makes it very clear!

 

👍There are so many parameters that are cross referencing each other that it gets confusing sometimes..but I think I am finally getting it.