I have a particle .bin sequence for Realflow, with a vorticity channel embeded.
I use A PRT loader to load it, and use a KCM to manage the vorticity the way I want.
But now, I need to use this channel in Frost, because I want Frost to only renders/shows/creates particles with a certain amount of vorticity.
I didn t see in the KCM some kind of Radius channel to do this.
Is it possible ?
Yes, all channels supported by Frost can be ENTERED in a KCM and thus CREATED as custom channels. In a future version of Krakatoa, the typical Frost channels will be included on the factory list.
To create a channel, simply type in its name in the Channel Name field of the KCM, then select the Data Type (e.g. float16 for Radius) and the Arity (1 for Radius) from the lists below the channels list. Remember channel names are case-sensitive, so “radius” is bad, “Radius” is good.
Alternatively, you can DEFINE the custom channels in the Krakatoa GUI > Save Particles rollout. Enter the name of the channel (e.g. “Radius”) in the “Edit Custom Save Channels” text field at the bottom of the rollout, then set the Date Type and Arity and press the [+] icon in front. When you open a KCM, you should now see the custom channel name on the factory list.
The additional channels currently supported by Frost but not on the KCM list are:
*Radius (float16[1]) - controls the radius of the Frost particles. You have to enable “Use Radius Channel” for this to work. Setting the radius to 0 will effectively KILL the particle. Note that for your case, you can alternatively set the KCM to output to Selection channel and add a Krakatoa Delete modifier to remove unwanted particles BEFORE they reach Frost.
*ShapeIndex (int16[1]) - In Geometry > Custom Geometry mode, controls which shape from the list will be assigned to a particle.
*GeomTime (int16[1] or float16[1]) - In Geometry > Custom Geometry mode, control which frame from the original shape animation to be loaded onto the particle at the current time.
Some other channels like MtlIndex, Orientation, Normal etc. are supported by Frost AND already on the KCM list, mainly because they are native to PFlow and/or Krakatoa.
Couldn’t hope for a clearer answer, thank you !