How To Make Waterdrops

Pithlit · February 2005

<div class="IPBDescription">with the least possible enitity count</div> Well, is there a possibility to make raindrops with the particle system and not one entity per location? (eg. using the point spawn system)

There is the option to let the particles spwan in a box (so i could use one entity per drop "field" but it doesn´t seem to work.

I have also read all availiable tutorials, wich describe mky idea as possible, but do not explain, how to do it.

Any ideas?

GiGaBiTe · February 2005

you have to use a func_illusionary brush (or something similar) and have the env_particles_custom target that. the particles will automaticaly appear from different spots inside the brush so you dont have to make 500 info_targets to make rain look randomized.

i rarely use the env_particles_custom, so thats all the info i can give :X

Carnaxus · February 2005

ok...whatever he said, it must be good...gigabyte is a great mapper...

oh well. it's actually pretty useful to me too...I was planning on having a secret room in my RR...that led to a rainy area with thunder, lightning, etc...and the best part? you can see it from the map, but not reach it...

skulk1: Hey, what's up with those Marines outside the base?
skulk2: Dunno. But look out behind you, here come some we can get!
skulk1: Yeah, but I want those ones!
wise old <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif' /> :they are not really Marines, my sons. They are RR people that have found their way into the <span style='font-family:Impact'><span style='font-size:30pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:red'>SECRET ROOM!</span></span></span>

lol

NetBent · February 2005

I didn't know people did it any other way anymore.

Heres the basics. At the top of your sky create a brush with the "null" texture. Make sure it spans across everywhere you want the rain go. Turn the brush (or brushes) into a func_illusionary. For example purposes we'll call it Drip1.

Now create a env_particles_custom entity and place it anywhere you want, maybe close to the sky so it is easy to keep track of. Now these are the settings you need.

For Generation entity = Drip1
For Generation shape make sure it is a box.
Generation rate is something for you to tinker with. I have a leaky pipe = 3-5.
For Particle sprite go to your sprite folder and choose raindrop.spr It should be this: sprites/raindrop.spr
Maximum particles is to be played with also. On an outdoor area you would want a lot.
System lifetiime should stay = -1, unless you want it to stop raining at some point.
Particle lifetime defines how long each individual drip lives. The quicker they dissapear the faster new ones can spawn, so be a bit accurate.
Particle max alpha can change around but a value of .3 is good.
Randermode should always be set to Additive.
Animation speed is = 1.

Go to the Flags tab in the entity editor and check the following:

Start on
Use world grav
Constrain Pitch

You should now have rain.

GiGaBiTe · February 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>ok...whatever he said, it must be good...gigabyte is a great mapper...</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>

*cough* not really *cough*

i just know alot about entities and how to use hammer.

UltimaGecko · July 2005

I hate to revive a dead, buried and decomposed thread here, but is there any way to slow down the sprites? My water droplets move so fast that you basically see them for one frame (...like fps frame, the anmiation only has 1 <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /> ) before it's gone.

...I know there's that start velocity or whatever it's called but that doesn't seem to be what I need (pfft, maybe it is, but I don't know what that min x-z and max x-z actually is intended to do).

One other, not really important question: if the illusionary is covered with null does it matter if the rendering is set to normal or additive?

GiGaBiTe · July 2005

if your particles are moving uber fast, you probably are making them use world gravity. start a listen server, and change the gravity to something like 150 or 100 (sv_gravity xxx) if they slow down, then the particles are using gravity. if not, you have some other problem with velocity.

as for the func_illusionary, i would just texture it with AAATRIGGER, when i texture entities with null and arent using the null texture to strip un-needed faces off, i tend to get confuzilated.

but if your texturing an entity in null, rendermodes will not do anything, because there is no face on the brush to render.

UltimaGecko · July 2005

Bit slow on the response here, but they still seem to go incredibly fast. They start slow if I turn the gravity down...but it's like they keep the speed they had when they were destroyed the create the new sprite.

[As in: start at 100 ->200 on death, but then the new one starts at 200]

Although they do seem to eventually stop going faster. Maybe they just like being strange. One small other question: should my func_illusionary be just by the ceiling or should it be stretched to the floor (I've tried both ways with no discernable difference...but I don't have tht many drips).

GiGaBiTe · July 2005

make sure that the env_particles_custom doesnt have the "use world gravity" flag on.

as for the func_illusionary, i just make a 16 unit strip at the top of the room, and that works fine.

How To Make Waterdrops

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