BCC Particle Emitter 3D

Category: BCC Particles

Effect Name: BCC Particle Emitter 3D

The BCC Particle Emitter 3D filter, part of the BCC Particles category, enables the generation of particle stream effects, and can be used to create a large variety of natural occurring effects such as smoke, fog, clouds, dust, fireworks, swarming bees etc etc.

Working with the Filter

Presets and Common Controls

• BCC filters come with a library of factory installed presets plus the ability to create your own custom presets and preview them with the BCC FX Browser™.
• BCC filters also include common controls that configure global effect preferences and other host-specific effect settings.

For more information about working with presets and other common controls, Click Here.

Effect Controls

Mocha Mask and Track

Continuum effects include integrated masking and matte tools that allow you to restrict the effect to specific regions of the image.

• Mocha masks: used to create custom spline masks. Mocha also includes Matte Assist ML and Matte Refine ML, which use machine learning to generate and track masks.
• Pixel Chooser: used to generate geometric shapes, gradients, or mattes based on channel, luma, or color-based selections. Additionally, an AI depth map generator, and an AI-powered face detection model allow for precise control of masks and mattes.

For more information, see Mocha and Pixel Chooser.

Beat Reactor

The Beat Reactor is an audio-driven animation system that links effect parameters to an audio track. This allows visual effects to react dynamically to sound without manual key-framing.

For more information, see Beat Reactor Documentation.

Render Group

Includes parameters affecting the image quality of the effect and other global render related settings

• Anti-Aliasing: Sets the level of anti-aliasing applied to smooth edges.
• Opacity Boost: Sets the opacity of the particles.
• Use Source Mask: When enabled, the particle array will take any masking applied to the filter layer into account in it’s use of the layer, otherwise it will ignore masks.
• Particle Intersection: When enabled, the particles will intersect in three dimensional space.
• Motion Blur and Shutter Angle: Offers options for various levels, simulating motion blur seen in camera footage. When set to Host Settings, the motion blur of the filter matches the motion blur set for the AE comp it’s applied in.
• Depth of Field Blur: Determines the amount the amount of blur in front and behind the focus of the camera.
• Use Comp Lights: When enabled, the filter will use AE lights enabled in the comp. The maximum number of total lights (including built-in and AE lights) the filter can use at once is 8. If there are more than 8 enabled AE lights in the comp it will use the 8 enabled light tracks that are topmost in the timeline.
• Use Built-in Lights: There are also 3 built-in lights available. It’s possible to use both built-in and AE lights simultaneously. If enabled, the built-in lights will have priority over AE lights in terms of which lights get used if the total number of lights exceeds 8.
• Use Comp Camera: When enabled, the filter will display the Pin Screen from the perspective of the enabled AE camera whose track is topmost in the timeline. When Use Comp Camera is enabled, the Built-In Camera group is disabled.

Emitter Group

• Birthrate:Sets the number of particles born per second.
• Particle Speed: Sets the velocity of the particles.
• Speed Random %:Adds randomness the velocity between particles.
• Speed Random Dist:Adjusts how the randomness is distributed between particles.
• Particle Lifespan, Lifespan Random %: Sets the length of time a particle will exist before dying off.
• Lifespan Random %:Adds randomization to the lifespan between particles..
• Pos XY:Sets the position of the emitter along the horizontal and vertical axes.
• Pos Z: Sets the position of the emitter along the z axis.
• Emitter Shape: Determines the shape of the emitter source.
• Has Animated Layer Map: When enabled the particles will reflect the animated history of the selected layer map.
• Emitter Follow: Determiens what source the emitter will follow.

• Pos XYZ: The emitter follows the position defined by the Pos XY and Pos Z parameters.
• Comp Light(s): The emitter follows the After Effects composition lights.
• 3D Layer: The emitter follows the 3D After Effects layer.
• Mask Layer: The emitter follows the After Effects mask.

• Emitter Layer: Selects the composition later that the emitter will follow.
• Layer Map Mode: Determines which channel the layer map will use.
• Layer Map Threshold: Sets the threshold of the pixels used in the layer map for the emitter to follow.
• Use Legacy Layer Emitter: When enabled, the filter will use the legacy layer emitter. Useful for older projects.
• 3D Layer Rotates Emitter:When enabled, the direction of the particles rotates along with the 3D layer.
• Follow Selected Lights: Determines which comp lights the emitter will follow.
• Intensity Scales Birthrate: When enabled, the emitter will base it's birth rate on the intensity of the composition lights.
• Choose Path: Determines whether the emitter will follow a specific mask, or all masks. If multiple masks are present, it is possible to have the emitter follow all the masks as one, or individually.
• Single Path: Determines which individual mask path will be used.
• Use Global Path Location and Path Location: When enabled the Path Location slider determines the position of the emitter(s) along the mask(s). When disabled it is possible to use the Mask Expansion parameter on the mask to move the particles along the mask(s).
• Path Scale: Sets the size of the path when using Emitter Follow Mask Layer.
• Direction: Sets the direction of the particles as they are born out of the emitter.
• Spreads: Sets the spread of the particles as they are born out of the emitter.
• Gravity:Sets the amount of gravitational force interacting with the particles.
• Rhythm: Determines the particle flow style.
• Continuous: Particles are emitted in a steady continuous pattern.
• Randomized: Particles are emitted randomly.
• Bursts: Particles are emitted in steady bursts.
• Random Bursts: Particles are emitted in random bursts.
• Rhythm Speed: Sets the speed at which the particles are rhythmically emitted.
• Burst Duration: Sets the length of each particle burst.
• Acceleration Type: Determins how the particles accellerate away from the emitter.
• None (Constant): Particles use a constant velocity when emitted.
• Explosive: Particles decelerate over the course of their lifespan.
• Accelerate: Particles accelerate over the course of their lifespan.
• Inertia from Emitter %: Set the amount of influence moving the emitter position has on the particles.
• Rotate X: Rotates the emitter along the horizontal axis.
• Rotate Y: Rotates the emitter along the vertical axis.
• Rotate Z: Rotates the emitter along the z axis.
• Scale Master: Sets the master scale for the emitter.
• Scale X: Sets the scale of the emitter along the horizontal axis.
• Scale Y: Sets the scale of the emitter along the vertical axis.
• Scale Z: Sets the scale of the emitter along the Z axis.
• Pre-Run (secs): Sets the length of time the particles have already been emitted before they would normally begin emitting.
• Time Scale: Determines the scaling of the physics time – so it is possible to speed up the overall movement of the particles without changing the pattern of movement.
• Time Scale Affects: Determines if the time scale affects both the Movement and Rotation of the particle collectively or individually.
• Time Jump: Sets an amount of time that the emitter has already progressed. For example if it is set to 1 second, then when particles begin their life, they are already 1 second advanced in their movement.
• Time Jump Random %: Adds randomness to the Time Jump amount.
• Time Resolution: When the emitter is moving very fast and changing direction rapidly and / or following smooth curves it sometimes helps to increase the Time Resolution from it’s default to get particle trails that conform well to the motion path. Increasing Time Resolution can slow down the effect’s performance a bit so it is recommended not to increase it unnecessarily.

Particles Group

• Particle Shape: Determines the kind of particle the emitter uses.
• Image Collection: Selects from a collection of images installed with the product and located here:

On Windows systems – C:\Program Files (x86)\Boris FX, Inc\Image Collection – Particle.

On Mac OS systems – Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/BorisFX/Image Collection – Particle

• Size: Sets the size of the particles.
• Random %: Adds randomness to the size between particles.
• Use Size Evolution: When enabled the Size Evolve Graph becomes available.
• Size Evolve Graph: Sets the particle size over the particle lifetime. In the graphs, the left most edge represents the time of particle birth and the right most edge represents the time of particle death, while the top of the graph represents higher values and the bottom represents lower.

Working with the Graph Control Interface

• Graph Buttons:The graph includes buttons for flipping the graph horizontally and vertically, buttons for making the graph FULL (completely blue color) or EMPTY (completely black color) or half and half using even diagonals. The RANDOM button will generate a random graph and it can be useful to try clicking this button repeatedly watching the graph and the effect on the particle array to spot interesting results. The CHOOSE button cycles through a series of preset graphs.

These preset graphs can be used as they are or modified in various ways. By keyframing the graph itself it’s also possible to interpolate between them.There are also buttons to Soften or Normalize the graph.

Moving the cursor over the graph display itself results in a different cursor display and clicking and dragging within the graph allows for freehand drawing to edit the graph. The “mode” button toggles between 2 different graph editing modes (and different cursors); Absolute (ABS) mode will completely redraw the area of the graph in which the mouse drag occurs, while Relative (+/-) mode will either extend or carve away from the blue area depending on where the cursor is when the click/drag begins.

The cursor shows a “+” (plus) sign when in the blue area of the graph and clicking and dragging then will allow for adding to the blue area, and the cursor shows a “-” (minus) sign when in the black area and clicking and dragging then will allow for subtracting from the blue area. When editing the graph by hand the result is sometimes not so smooth but clicking the “soften” button a few times can smooth it out nicely.

• Color Mode: Determines how the plugin defines the color for the particles ;
  • Current Color: Uses whatever the color chip currently is.
  • Birth Color: Uses whatever the color chip was at the time the particle was born. If the Color parameter is not animated Current and Birth Color will give the same results.
  • Gradient Random: Uses the colors from the gradient and randomly assigns them to particles.
  • Gradient Evolve: Uses the colors from the gradient with the first color parameters (the left most colors in the gradient display) being the color at birth and the right most color being the color at the end of the particle life.
  • Layer Random: Uses the colors from another layer and randomly assigns them to particles.
  • Layer Evolve: Uses colors from another layer mapping them in relation to particle life.
  • From Comp Lights: Uses the color of AE light(s) in the comp to define the particle color.
• Color: Sets the color of the particle.
• Color Gradient: Enables complex, multi-color gradients for use in a variety of effect settings such as colorizing light sources. For more information on the BCC Gradient tool, Click Here.
• Color Layer: Selects the composition layer used to set the color.
• Color from Comp Lights: Determines how the particles inherit their color from the AE comp lights.
• Material Shininess: Sets the level of surface lighting for 3D particle shapes using lights.
• Material Specular Color: Sets the color of surface lighting for 3D particle shapes using lights.
• Opacity: Sets the particle opacity.
• Opacity Evolve Graph: Sets the particle opacity over the particle lifetime. In the graphs, the left most edge represents the time of particle birth and the right most edge represents the time of particle death, while the top of the graph represents higher values and the bottom represents lower.
• Blend Mode: Determines how the particles composite with the source image For additional information on blend modes, click here.
• Blend Mix: Adjusts the level of blending by mixing back with the Normal blend mode.
• Image Layer: Selects the AE layer to be used for particle coloring.
• Layer Mode: Determines how the color and alpha of the layer are used by the particles.
• Mix-in Particle Color: When enabled, the image layer’s color mix with the color from filters particle color parameters.
• Sample Mode: Determines where frames are sampled on an animated image layer.
• Num Frames: Determines the specific frame that is sampled when using an animated image layer.
• Shape Character: Adjusts the shape of the 3D Discs and Cylinders to appear with hollow centers or Cone shapes respectively.
• Feather Blurs: Sets the softness of the blur shapes.
• Auto-Orient to Camera: When enabled, the 3D particles’ orientation in relation to the camera is maintained regardless of the camera perspective or system rotations.
• Image Facing: When enabled, particles auto-oriented in relation to the direction they are moving (does not apply to 3D particle shapes).

Transform Particle Group

• Randomize Orientation: Adds variability to the initial orientation between particles.
• Auto-Rotate Speed: Sets the speed that particles auto-rotate around the Z axis.
• Auto-Rotate Random %: Adds randomization between particles for auto-rotation around Z axis.
• Auto Rotate Bi-Directional: When enabled Auto Rotation will occur in both directions with some particles auto-rotating clockwise and some counter clockwise.
• Scale X: Sets the scale for particles along the horizontal axis.
• Scale Y: Sets the scale for particles along the vertical axis.
• Scale Z: Sets the scale for 3D particle shapes along the z axis..
• Rotate: Sets the manual rotation of the particles around the z axis.
• Rotate Random %: Adds variability to the manual rotation of the particles around the z axis.
• Bi-Directional Rotation: When enabled manual rotation will occur in both directions with some particles rotating clockwise and some counter clockwise.
• Tumble: Sets the manual rotation of the particles around the horizontal axis.
• Auto-Tumble Speed: Sets the automatic tumble of the particles around the horizontal axis.
• Tumble Random %: Adds variability to the manual tumble of the particles around the horizontal axis.
• Bi-Directional Tumble: When enabled manual tumble will occur in both directions with some particles rotating clockwise and some counter clockwise.
• Spin: Sets the manual spin of the particles around the vertical axis.
• Auto-Spin Speed: Sets the automatic tumble of the 3D particles around the vertical axis.
• Spin Random %: Sets the automatic spin of the 3D particles around the vertical axis.
• Bi-Directional Spin: When enabled manual spin will occur in both directions with some particles rotating clockwise and some counter clockwise.

Physics Mode Selection

• Physics Mode:Determines how the particles will interact with the world around them.
• External Forces: Enables the external forces group controls. These forces affect the particles via na outside source such as wind.
• Interaction with Layers: Enables the layer interaction group controls. Particles will bounce, stick and otherwise be affected by existing layers.

External Forces Group

• Air Resistance: Sets the amount of air resistance the particles encounter while moving through the scene.
• Air Resistance Affects: Determines which which particle attributes are affected by air resistance.
• Wind X: Sets the wind amount along the horizontal axis.
• Wind Y: Sets the wind amount along the vertical axis.
• Wind Z: Sets the wind amount along the z axis.
• Wind Gustiness: Sets the intensity of the auto-animated gusts of wind.
• Wind Gust Freq: Sets the frequency of the auto-animated gusts of wind.
• Wind Gust Balance: Sets the balance of the auto-animated gusts of wind.
• Wind GustL XYZ Individual: When enabled the gusts will be more randomized between the X, Y, and Z axes.
• Circular Movement, Circular Freq, Fade-in Circular Move: Applies a circular movement to the particles, with frequency control and the ability to fade in the effects of circular movement over the course of the particle lifetime (so circular movement increases and is greater toward the end of the particle lifetime.
• Circular Movement: Sets the amount of circular movement to the particles.
• Circular Freq: Sets the frequency of circular movement to the particles.
• Fade-in Circular Move: Fades the circular movement and frequency over the course of the particle's life.
• Enable Sink Point: When enabled, creates a point that can draw particles towards it.
• Sink Pos XY: Sets the position of the sink point along the horizontal and vertical axes.
• Sink Pos Z: Sets the position of the sink point along the z axis.
• Sink Time: Sets the time that the sink point is affecting the particles.
• Sink Pull: Sets the strength of the sink point.
• View Sphere Warpers: When enabled a sphere warper will display a blue or red preview onscreen (blue for positive strength values and red for negative).
• SW Strength: Positive values will repel or displace particles while negative values will attract particles
• SW Pos XY: Sets the position of the sphere warper along the horizontal and vertical axes.
• SW Pos Z: Sets the position of the sink point along the z axis.
• SW Radius:Sets the size of the sphere warper.
• Feather: Sets the gradient force (feather) of the sphere warper.

Interaction With Layers Group

Note: when using AE 3D Text layers as interaction layers, the text layers should be precomposed in AE at comp dimenions!

• View Interaction Layers: Enables a white grid onscreen preview for interaction layers.
• Layer Type: Determines if the filter uses the built-in plane, or an AE layer.
• Interaction: Determines how the particles interact with the layer.
• Bounce: The particles bounce off the layer.
• Stick: The particles stick to the layer and accumulate.
• Slide: The particles slide across and off the edge of the layer.
• Disappear: The particles vanish once they come into contact with the layer.
• Interact Probability %: Determines what percentage of the particles interact with the layer, and what percentage pass through.
• Choose Layer: Selects an AE layer to use as the interactor.
• Alpha Threshold %: Determines opacity threshold of layers with alpha to interact with.
• Friction: Sets the amount of friction the particles will encounter when interacting with the layer.
• Friction Random:Adds variability in the amount of friction particles encounter.
• Layer Pos XY: Sets the position of the layer along the horizontal and vertical axes.
• Layer Pos Z: Sets the position of the layer along the z axis.
• Layer Scale: Sets the scale of the layer.
• Layer Rotation X: Sets the rotation of the layer along the horizontal axis.
• Layer Rotation Y: Sets the rotation of the layer along the vertical axis.
• Layer Rotation Z: Sets the rotation of the layer along the z axis.

Fractal Field

• Movement Noise, Size Noise, and Opacity Noise: The amount the noise pattern affects particle position (movement), particle size, and particle opacity.
• Strength X, Y, and Z: Individual axes control for Movement Noise.
• Noise Freq and Freq X, Y, and Z: The frequency of the noise pattern, with individual control for XYZ.
• Auto Evolve Speed and Auto Loop: Speed of noise auto-evolution as well as an option for specifying the number of seconds at which the noise evolution will seamlessly loop.
• Evolve X, Y, and Z: Individual axes (non-auto-animating) control of noise pattern.
• Individual Particle Noise: When this option is enabled, the particles follow different noise patterns for a more random appearance.
• Noise Character: Options for different looks to the noise pattern.
• Fade In Noise: Option for having the effects of the noise pattern fade in over the particles’ lifetime.
• Wind affects Field: How much the noise field is affected by Wind in the External Forces group if it is being used.

Spawn Particles

(many of the parameters in this group have the same functionality as the corresponding parameters in the Particles group, so only the unique ones are described here to avoid repetition).

• Spawn Particles: when spawn particles are born (Continuously, Particle Death, or Layer Interaction).
• Spawn Shape: If spawn particles are set to use the same shape as the master particle and the master particle is using a 3D particle shape, then the spawns can appear as a 3D shape – otherwise spawn particles are limited to using 2D particle shapes.
• Spawn Rate: The number of particles spawned for every main particle.
• Rate Evolve: When set to spawn Continuously, this evolve graph allows for having the spawn rate evolve over the lifetime of the main particle.
• Spawn Probability: Probability of a spawn being born (within parameters of the Spawn Particles choice) – can give a more organic randomized result.
• Spawn Velocity: The amount of random velocity from the spawn itself (beyond inherited velocity).
• Inherit Velocity, Inherit Velocity Mode: How much of the spawns’ velocity is inherited from the main particle and at what point in the main particle’s life that velocity is taken from.
• Gravity: Gravity applied only to spawns, effect on spawn is in addition to main emitter gravity.
• Inherit Size, Inherit Size Mode: How much of the spawns’ size is inherited from the main particle and at what point in the main particle’s life that size is taken from.
• Inherit Color, Inherit Color Mode: How much of the spawns’ color is inherited from the main particle and at what point in the main particle’s life that color is taken from.
• Inherit Opacity, Inherit Opacity Mode: How much of the spawns’ opacity is inherited from the main particle and at what point in the main particle’s life that opacity is taken from.
• Inherit Rotation: How much of the spawns’ rotation is inherited from the main particle.
• Add Randomized Rotation, Rotate Speed, Rotate Speed Random: Orientation and auto-rotation options for spawn particles.
• Air Resistance Spawn, Wind Affects Spawn: How much the Air Resistance and Wind (form External Forces group) affects spawn particles.

Effects

• Mirror Mode: Various options for achieving a symmetrical look to the array.
• Disperse Master, Disperse X, Y, and Z: Disperses the particles from their original locations based on a random algorithm – a master control and control for dispersion along the individual 3D axes.
• Disperse Variance: Allows for adjusting the range of random dispersion between the particles.

Transform System Group

• Global Scale: Sets the scale for the array including scale of the particles
• Center X, Y , and Z: Sets the 3D position of the array
• Mirror Mode: Various options for achieving a symmetrical look to the array
• Rotate X, Y, Z: Array based rotation on 3 axes – rotation is applied to array and particles
• Lock Pivot, Pivot X, Y, and Z: Unlocking the pivot allows for offsetting 3D pivot from position
• World Rotate X, Y, and Z: World based rotation on 3 axes

Built-in Camera Group

• Camera Model ; Position, Orbit: Camera offering 3D position and orientation control, or an orbit camera for easily adjusting perspective while remaining focused on the 3D center
• Field of View: An adjustment that can be used to simulate the look of various lenses – a large value gives a wide angle look
• Camera Position X, Y, and Z: 3D coordinate control for camera
• Camera Tumble, Spin, and Rotate: controls for orientation of the position based camera
• Use Depth of Field, DOF Focal Point, Aperture, Blur: controls for simulating camera depth of field

Built-in Lights Group

• Enable: 3 built in lights which can be individually enabled/disabled
• Ambient: increasing this value gives some of the light color to the dark (unlit) areas
• Type: determines whether the light will appear as a spot light or point light
• Light Intensity: intensity of the light
• Specular Highlight: determines how much the light contributes to any specular highlights on the particles – the color of the specular highlights is determined by the Material Specular prameter in the Particles group
• Color: the color of the light
• Position X, Y, and Z: 3D position of the light source
• Tumble and Spin: determines the orientation of the light if it is a spotlight
• Spot Angle and Feather: for spotlight, these determine the angle of the light cone and the softness of spot edges

Global Settings

• Random Seed: There are several features in the plugin that use some kind of randomization to generate results (Fractal Field, Speed Randomness, Size Randomness, Opacity Randomness, etc.). Changing the Random Seed tweaks the random algorithms to produce a somewhat different result. It can be used to simply try a few different takes on an effect and it can also be used when you want another instance of the effect to look the same but not identical – give it a different Random Seed value.
• Near and Far Clip Plane Adjust: These can be used to clip or extend the bounds of the area in which particles will appear.
• Pos Z Use Pixel Units: When this is enabled, Position Z uses absolute pixel units.
• Alpha Cutoff: Determines what alpha value is equivalent to zero for the particle renderer.
• Z Sorting Mode: Defaults to true 3D, with options for sorting by birth order.
• 3D Slice and Stack Resolution: For 3D particle shapes, these determine the resolution (how many polygons) used to define the shape. Higher resolution values will result in slower performance. For effects where the particles appear small, it may be possible to lower the resolution values to get faster performance (without adversely affecting the appearance). For effects where the particles appear large, it is possible to increase the resolution values to give a smoother appearance to the shape.
• Accessing Image Layers: Determines whether (and how) an animated Image Layer used as a particle will loop when the end is reached.