afe 3
In this section we will go through making a basic firework, general tips tricks and caveats.
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3. Basic Fireworks
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Now it is time to get started on your firework, If you have skipped to this part with out reading any of the above it could make it harder on your self especially the emitter sections. To begin we need to get into the AFE if you have vanilla then rename a guest to Guido Fawkes, this will make the AFE available from the left hand side of the mix master or on the top of the scrolling list of fireworks if you have update 2+ or Expansions. Once the AFE is opened up you need to click the create new on the left side the 3rd one down. This should put your first emitter into the box in the middle. The next step is to click on the Add child emitter, the top icon with the "+" sign. This will be your first shell. As you can see the box on screen has a drop down menu at the top. Your first stop will be Emitter rate. I have put at the start of all points the catergory which the effect is in to make it easier.
3.1 Launch Shell
Once you have the emitter rate page you need to change.
1. (emitter rate) set #particles to 1
2. (emitter speed) set speed to 30.00(click on the number and drag it up, do not use the arrows as it takes a long time).
What we have done here is set the launch shell to have one particle and travel at 30 speed, this should make your particle go straight up into the sky.
3. (particle basics) here we want to change the look of the particle, click on the particle graphic button on the bottom right of the white box. Choose a star from the left second row from the bottom.
Once it is selected we can now change the colour of it.
3.2 Colour
1. (particle basics) While still in the particle basics panel click on the white box anywhere. This will bring up a colour circle and choose a colour you would like. Keep in mind a dark looking colour will be almost invisible. Now we need to give the launch shell some depth.
3.3 Tail
1. Create a new child emitter
2. (emitter rate) set #particles to 10
3. (emitter rate) end time of 0.90
4. (particle basics) choose a shape can colour you like (Preferably a circle without the bloom around the edges and a close colour of the main shell).
5. (particle basics) make it fade to black near the end by placing a black square at the end.
6. (emitter speed) parent speed 0.80.
7. particle life) life 0.30.
8. (special effects) stretch 0.25 (this stretches the particles a little to remove the rounded edges, be aware that the more you stretch something the more it stretches at both ends).
This is a basic tail, you can tweak this how you want it but for now leave it as is. Now we will make an explosion from the shell, select the shell.
3.4 Stars
1. Create a new child emitter so the last 2 are in line with each other, the newest ones go in at the bottom.
2. (emitter rate) #particles to 10.
3. (emitter rate) start time 1.00 and an end time of 1.00.
4. (emitter speed) parent speed 0.00.
5. (emitter speed) sphere 5.00.
Now you should have a firework that goes up and explodes at its peak into 10 stars, these stars need to fade to black so they do not just disappear.
6. (particle basics) make it fade to black near the end by placing a black square at the end.
3.5 Sound Effects
1. (particle life) for the launch shell make it 0.05 and choose a launch type sound.
2. you can add a child emitter after the launch shell and put a sound on it if you want one for the explosion of the stars, put it at 0.05.
With sounds you should only put them on single particles so it plays only once, if you put it on multiple particles(like the tails and stars) it can cause lag.
By now you should have a basic 10 star firework. But this firework does not look very real you say? This is where the basic tutorial ends, this is where you decide on what looks real, you choose the graphic that suits the firework. You work out the best tail or no tail at all. This is the fun of building fireworks, seeing what works well together and what does not.
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4. Realistic Effects
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4.1 Gravity
Gravity can act on particles in 3 different ways, at -2.00 it will push particles away from the ground at 2x normal gravity, at 0.00 it will do nothing and at 2.00 it will pull particles back to the ground at 2x normal gravity. You can apply this to single particles, so you can have the shell with 0.00 gravity and the stars with 0.50 gravity, in most cases this will make the firework look a lot more realistic. Too much gravity or not enough will make your firework look out of place. When making sets of fireworks it is always wise to use the same amount of gravity. The best way to see what works for you is trial and error and once you have found a amount you like try to keep it about the same for all fireworks in a show.
4.2 Drag
Drag increases wind resistance on a particle, making it slow down. it is really good for launch shells as it slows in an exponential rate. I.E at faster speeds it does not slow very much, at slower speeds it slows down very quickly. Teamed with gravity in the right amount it can create really realistic effects.
4.3 Randomness
Real fireworks do not shoot straight up, your fireworks should not either. Adding a little circle or sphere to the launch shell will make the destination completely different. Some randomness in the particle life is good so all stars do not go out at once. Combine these two simple tweaks and your firework will never fire exactly the same again. Trial and error is the best approach here.
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5. Concepts
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5.1 Templates
Template shells are a great time saver, you can create a template and save a lot of time by not having to make the launch shell and tail every time you make a firework. Just change the colours and you are right to go. Just save the template as something like "launch shell template.frw".
5.2 Default Colour Modifier
This is also another time saver, just make one firework and check the default colour modifier check box. When you place the firework in the mix master you can select the colour you want without having to make a new firework. Each emitter that you want to change must have the Use Default Modifier checked in Particle Basics for this to work. If you have a golden tail and want to keep it, do not check the box on that emitter.
5.3 No Visible Launch Shell
Sometimes in your shows you want to have a big build up but not let on that it is about to happen. This is where an invisible launch shell comes in handy, to make this effect make the launch shell completely black or make the start and end size 0.00 in particle basics.
5.4 Glitter
Glitter is made by alternating between a bright colour and a dark colour, say gold and black. Using this on a tail with a little circle to spread the particles out works best, the more you alternate the colour the more it will change. Keep in mind if it has too many changes you almost wont notice a difference.