Particle Ideas

From SYW

Particles can be used for an incredible variety of things in SL. You are really limited only by your imagination. Table 9.1 shows a few ideas to inspire you. Appendix B lists a handful of texture UUIDs (Universally Unique Identifiers) that you might find useful as a starting point. By combining many particle effects, you can dramatically increase the effect, as shown below. This extinct Costa Rican volcano, Volcán Tenorio <174,37,23>, shows a mix of waterfalls, lightning, and rain particles to create a fabulous natural effect:

Ideas for Constructing Particle Systems

CONCEPT	PATTERN	KEY PROPERTIES	OTHER COMMENTS
Dance ball	Explode	Similar to Listing 9.1 Frequent color changes
Jet pack	Cone	ANGLE_BEGIN close to PI ANGLE_END exactly PI Velocity	Flames while flying. Smoke for a moment when landed.
Candles	Cone	ANGLE_BEGIN 0 ANGLE_END a little bigger Small velocity Wind	Flames when lit. Smoke for a moment when extinguished.
Starscape	Cone	ANGLE_BEGIN = 0 ANGLE_END = PI No velocity Large radius
Sprinkler	Angle	ANGLE_BEGIN = 0 ANGLE_END approx PI/4 Omega to turn the emitter Velocity Gravity
Cherry tree in spring (Figure 9.6)	Drop	Wind Petal texture	This cherry tree at The Botanical Gardens <194,60,38> drops petals in bursts, as if a gust of wind knocked them off.
Butterflies	Cone	ANGLE_BEGIN approx. 0 ANGLE_END approx. PI/ 2 Small velocity Butterfly texture	Wind adds randomness.
Ants	Angle	Target location Velocity and wind add randomness	The ants will look like they’re going for Grandma’s strawberry pie.
Lightning	Cone	Large Short-lived Lightning texture	Add sound. Target location optional.
Volcano (see Figure 9.7)	Cone	ANGLE_BEGIN = 0 ANGLE_END close to 0 Very slow-moving Very slight gravity Texture	This volcano at Lindeman Design Beach <167, 123, 30> combines texture animation and particle effects to create a realistic volcano.
Footprints	Drop	Long-lived Fading One particle	Emit from shoe, check for AGENT_WALKING.