Complete noob to particles an physics here. Never used them before.
Also, I’m stuck with version 2.76, as it’s the most recent that still runs on XP, which I’m stuck with because I have a very old machine with very old but expensive software on it I can’t replace.
Anyways, I want to animate a Starship launch.
My first experiment:
(Can’t upload ANYTHING today; not here, not to youtube, not through Data, not through wifi… Donno what’s going on).
There’s 3 kinds of volumetric things I need: condensation clouds forming around wherever cryogenic gases are vented, before and during liftoff. These are clouds made of water droplets condensing from the air as the escaping gas cools the ambient air. They drift randomly with wind, and move slightly downwards overall due to increased Density from the chill. Note that these clouds “disappear” (become transparent) after a few seconds, as the chilled air mixes with warmer air.
Second volumetric thing is the huge, growing white cloud at take-off. I believe it is due to jets of cooling water boiled off instantly, then re-condensing.
Finally, there’s engine fire, which is emissive as well as translucent.
Today I did my first experiments. First I tried “smoke”, but could not get it to work, at all.
Then I tried particles…
I still can’t upload.
They look like fluorescent fireflies. Not good. I need them to scatter the light they receive, NOT produce their own light. And I need them to grow in size while decreasing in alpha during their 10-second lifetimes; not disappear suddenly.
Wind doesn’t seem to work for me.
Anyways, my total noob question is, should I use smoke or particles? Any tips how to achieve my goals will be appreciated.
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