As a rule-based system, thinkingParticles can be used by artists who
have no programming skills at all. Through simple drag and drop wire operations,
a user can write his or her very own unique particle system that can do
the exceptionally complex things. Beyond just being able to create particles
and have them tested with conditions, there are a number of useful Helper
nodes that can further extend the sophistication of the particle animations.
As such, in some situations you benefit from having a basic understanding
of how binary mathematics works and also some knowledge about vector operations
and how they are represented. As binary arithmetic is the basis for all
PCs in the world, it's a good idea to refresh or start learning binary
logic skills.
In addition to the Standard Operators, there is a drop-down menu within
the Helpers panel that gives you access to another set of helper controls
to build your particle system with.
Helpers are split in logical categories, these different groups of helpers
can be used for specific use cases.
Standard - These helpers have a broad range of uses, from providing
color functionality to giving you advanced Non-Linear Animation capabilities
that let you encapsulate blocks of animation and trigger them at any time
within your particle animation.
Math - no 3D special effects without math! thinkingParticles offers a wide range of math helper nodes that will allow for advanced special effects.
Time - animation is key to thinkingParticles. Even though, thinkingParticles is a fully procedural animation system dealing with time can not be avoided. This menu section will show all helpers related to managing animation time.
Position - These helpers give you the ability to read in a selected
object's surface or volume information so that you can place your particle
animations in very specific locations within your scene and have them
track and follow accordingly.
Geometry - accessing objects or geometry data is an important task when creating special effects. The helper nodes in this section help a lot in achieving all kinds of object or geometry related tasks.
Script - the script section will show any of the scripted helper nodes when available.
