Steam and stuff

Hicks

<div class="IPBDescription">Particles</div>Ok I am trying to, for each hallway that leads to the alien hives, add random steam comming from several different pipes. I am new to doing particles and I wounder what is the best way to do this?

Relic25

Here is a set of particle setting that work well for me in making random steam bursts:

"classname" "env_particles_custom"
"spawnflags" "9"
"pSpriteNumFrames" "15"
"pNumParticles" "41"
"pGenRate" "35"
"pSize" "4.0"
"pSystemLifetime" "4.75"
"pLifetime" ".6"
"pVelShape" "2"
"pVelParams" "-91,0,-10,-75,0,10,0,0"
"pScale" "15"
"pMaxAlpha" ".25"
"pRenderMode" "5"
"pAnimationSpeed" "1"
"targetname" "burst5"
"pSprite" "sprites/xsmoke1.spr"
"origin" "-1911 2335 -168"

If you make several env_particles_custom entities and give them all different names you can have them set off at random times using a trigger_random.  Here are example settings for a trigger_random that sets off one of 5 different steam bursts at a random time between 5 and 20 seconds:

"classname" "trigger_random"
"spawnflags" "3"
"maxfiretime" "20"
"wait" "5"
"minfiretime" "5"
"burst1" "0"
"burst2" "0"
"burst3" "0"
"burst4" "0"
"burst5" "0"
"origin" "436 1488 -348"

If you also create an ambient generic for each steam burst and give it the same name as the env_particles_custom that it's near, the ambient_generic will be triggered by the trigger_random as well.



<!--EDIT|Relic25|April 14 2002,13:06-->

KungFuSquirrel

Hey, Relic (or any other team member), what sprite does the welder use? I think Merk had use of this in Hera at one point, but I've yet to find the damn thing...  <!--emo&???--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'><!--endemo-->

Relic25

I'm not sure. :/  I think that one is going to be changed though, if I remember correctly.

Cremator

damn, that looks complicated.  i wish there was an easier way to set up the particles...

Merkaba

I think it is wallpuff.spr

KungFuSquirrel

You think correctly. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--> Just checked it. Working great, nonetheless.

Relic25

Btw, for those of you not yet too familiar with the particle settings, the velocity parameters shown above ("pVelParams" "-91,0,-10,-75,0,10,0,0") will result in a steam jet that is roughly horizontal and blows to the west in the overhead view.  To get the steam to move in other directions, try the following (all the directions listed are relative to the overhead map view):

East: 91,0,-10,75,0,10,0,0
North: 0,91,-10,0,75,10,0,0
South: 0,-91,-10,0,-75,10,0,0
Up: -10,-10,91,10,10,75,0,0
Down: -10,-10,-91,10,10,-75,0,0