©BBB3viz

Table of Contents

This page documents the VRayParticleColor operator, a Particle Flow operator in 3ds Max.

Overview

The VRayParticleColor operator is a Particle Flow operator that creates additional color information for particles. It's only used in the shading of Metaballs surfaces defined by the particles. It can be added to any Particle Flow event.

The VRayParticleColor operator works similarly to the standard Display operator with regard to shading Metaballs surfaces, with some key differences:

  • Both the Display and VRayParticleColor operators set an RGB color as a vector value, with R, G, and B values set individually. But while the Display operator sets integers from 0 to 255 for the R, G, and B values, VRayParticleColor operator specifies floating point values. The range from 0.0 to 1.0 is interpolated internally to floating point values from 0 to 255 to cover the standard RGB range.
  • The color set by a Display operator is valid only for the event in which the Display operator resides. Conversely, the color set by VRayParticleColor remains valid throughout any subsequent events in the Particle Flow series in addition to the event in which it resides.

 

 

UI Path: ||Graph Editors menu|| > Particle View window > VRayParticleColor operator

 

 

 

 

Parameters

The VRayParticleColor operator has only one parameter.

group color – Sets the color for the particles using a Color Selector window that allows floating point values.

While VRayParticleColor includes an Alpha value, this value currently does not affect the color or operation of the operator.

 

 

 

 

 

Scripting Color Values

When using MAXScript to set color values for VRayParticleColor, the values are set as floating point values. The values are not limited to the 0-255 range.

 

 

 

Using VRayParticleColor with Metaballs

To use the VRayParticleColor operator to shade a Metaballs surface, follow these steps.

  1. Create a Metaballs surface and associate it with a PF Source, as described on the Metaballs page.
  2. Add the VRayParticleColor operator to the Particle flow event(s) associated with the Metaballs surface and adjust the color, either with the group color parameter or with scripting.
  3. Create a VRayMtl, and place a VRayParticleTex in the VRayMtl channel which you want shaded with the operator's color (such as the Diffuse color). Assign this material to the Metaballs surface.
  4. Set the Metaballs color source parameter to VRayParticleColor.