I can make something that looks decent, but it won’t animate well at all. I can’t figure out how to make it kinda just shoot out like the T-1000 in Terminator 2. I tried a lattice but that didn’t seem to help. I tried using a sphere and applying some nice looking textures, but it won’t stretch out properly and I’m just simply out of ideas. I want part of it to stay and the other to stretch out like Stretch Armstrong OR the water guy in The Abyss. For the shimmering/movement of the water one, would a wave particle system work? Thanks for any help.
Also, I read the water tutorials and tried to use one of them (using the sphere), I need more of an effect like in the Abyss, etc.
Have you tried using the Build FX in the Particle fx buttons?
If you have the ‘Pink dot’ of your mesh at the point you want it to come out from, use build to make it ‘shoot’ out to the new position. Reverse the time IPO curve for the build function to get it to retract.
Or maybe you could use mesh IPOs. Enter edit mode for your mesh, select all, add Key. Hit O to use magnet drag, pull one/two verts away in the direction you require, the magnet will drag those close to the selected verts, add new Key 10-15 frames on.
Again reverse IPO curve to retract.
Or ask WeirdHat how he does his fx like this. See his ‘Some fun compositing’ thread.