Particle systems are useful for a variety of animation tasks. They're most often employed when animating a large number of small objects using procedural methods; for instance, creating a snowstorm, a stream of water, or an explosion. In these tutorials, you learn how to create such effects with the two different types of particle systems in 3ds Max: event-driven and non-event-driven.
The event-driven particle system, called Particle Flow, tests particle properties, and, based on the test results, sends them to different events. Each event assigns various attributes and behaviors to the particles while they're in the event. In the non-event-driven systems, particles typically exhibit similar properties throughout the animation, although they can come under the influence of external forces such as wind and gravity.
All the files necessary for this tutorial are provided on the program disc in the \tutorials directory. Before starting the tutorials, copy the \tutorials folder from the disc to your local program installation.
The particle effects tutorials are divided into two sections:
Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems
Working with Particle Flow (event-driven particle systems)