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Particles can be complex to work with for visual effects. There are numerous engines available, but none make the process as logical and fun as X-Particles from Insydium. The power of the engine is undeniable and it takes advantage of multi-threading, allowing for millions of particles without slowing down your system.
It can be used on individual elements, but really works best when using its own logic. First add a particle system, which has a number of elements pre-attached, then simply add 'questions' to define actions. For example, you can add a question to find the life of a particle, then at a specified time you can change the particle group, or kill the particles, and so on.
X-Particles' clearly laid out workflow makes playing with particles easy, and integration with Cinema 4D is well implemented so adjusting settings feels natural. Fluids have been improved in the latest version. It's not a fluid simulator but it is capable of some impressive fluid results and has a good selection of tools.
This release has many new features and enhancements, including a skinner, new modifiers, wet mapping and a caching system, making X-Particles 2.5 a fully featured particle solution.
Words: Rob Redman
This article originally appeared in 3D World magazine issue 180 - on sale now!
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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.