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How to create a simple crowd
How to create a simple crowd
adry, added 2005-09-27 14:44:16 UTC 122,815 views  Rating:
(5 ratings)
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Now you must apply the scripts to allow particles to simulate more complex movement.
Select in order the particles and the locator, on the Shelf Tabs you can find the new shelf "Crowd Maker", apply the Create function.
Execute OK to apply the script.


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If you press play you can see the particles that follows the target. It has the same direction and velocity for two reasons: they don't have a initial velocity and the value of the Alignment function is too high.
The Alignment function control the influence that each particle have to another one. We will learn about the script on the next page.
Try to insert inside the Expression Editor (Window/Animation Editors/Expression Editor), on the Creation section this expression:
vel0= <>;
and try to insert on the Output Function of the Crowd Maker Setup window 0.01 for Alignment.
Restart from frame 0 to see the new path of the particles.
You can change the value of the attribute to obtain new particles motion.


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Select the particles and press the Setup icon on the Shelf, a new window will appear.
This window allows you to setup the control value of the script.


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The section "Obstacle Avoidance" provides controls to setup the script that manages the interaction with the obstacles in the scene. "Cylinder Length" represents the length of an imaginary cylinder on the front of the particles, you can imagine this like a sensor.
If the sensor touchs an object, this will be an obstacle and then the particle will rotate a little to avoid collision. "Cylinder Radius" represent the diameter of this sensor. "Rotation Angle" instead is the rotation angle to avoid the obstacle. It is represent in radiants (0.017 radians = 1 degree).
"Separation" gives the particles the ability to interact each other to prevent the collision: the function
generates a repulsive force to reject the other particle. "Visibility Radius" defines the perimeter, each particle inside this perimeter generates and receives a repulsive force.
"Alignment" finally provides the ability to align the direction and the velocity of a particle with the direction and the velocity of all the particles inside the perimeter of its "Visibility Radius".
This function is very useful in situation like a group of soldier that runs in a battle.
In this case the path of every soldier is similar to the motion of the entire group.


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