CompuServe Messages

Gary, I just noticed the thread on Bubbles. I apologize for the difficulty in getting Bubbles to follow a path, but there is no easy way to do this in IPAS 2. IPAS 3 has a new feature called world coordinates. Basically it allows us to create an AXP that releases particles that are independent of the bounding box coordinates. In simple terms, you can create a cube and just move the whole cube along a path to release a stream of particles. Our MAGIC routine will have this feature – after which we hope to release a new version of BUBBLES with it. As for the step by step examples, the new manuals have them. Our first manual was…well…our first manual. We're getting better. Now to answer your original question about Bubbles along a path; Let's suppose you want a submarine and Bubbles to travel in an S shaped path along 60 frames. 1. In the 2D Shaper create an S shaped polygon. It needs to have 60 vertices with no steps OR a combination of 60 vertices and segment steps. Once that is done, draw a connecting line between the two end vertices. This closes the polygon and makes it valid. Because we're using 60 frames, only the first 60 vertices of the shape will be used. Vertices and steps along the closing segment will be ignored. 2. Import this shape into the 3D Editor and connect it to your Bubble cube. 3. Back in the 2D Shaper, delete that last connecting segement in your S polygon. Now it's going to be used as a path for the sub, and paths don't need to be closed. 4. In the Keyframer assign the 2D shape in the Shaper as a path for the sub. Turn the display of the path on and line up the 2D shape of the Bubble cube with the sub path. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Try this out and hold on a little longer and I'll let you know when Bubbles V2.0 is ready. Hope this helps, David – Digimation