Any polygonal or NURBS surface can be used as a particle emitter. But the real flexibility lies with NURBS. In this video we look at a variety of techniques which allow for a high level of control over surface emitted particles. Using the 'Emit from Object' tool, we focus on texture emission. Various methods for working with and creating the source textures are demonstrated. Example scenes include Crawling Fire, Smoke, Steam, and Erosion.

Topics Covered
Emit from Object:
Surface Emission
Texture Emission
Need ParentUV
Cycle Emission
Paint Texture Tool
Paint Effects
Procedural Texture Animation
Frame Extensions
Photoshop/Flash
Various Fields
Hardware Rendering Techniques

Instructor Bio
Alex is founder and director of The Gnomon Workshop and of Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood. Alex has been published in industry magazines, websites, and books - plus he has taught courses at several major trade conferences. His character animation projects have appeared on many computer graphics websites, on the cover of the ‘Maya Character Animation' book published by New Riders, and his 'Zufuhr' project was commissioned by Alias for their Siggraph stage presentations. Alex is president of the Los Angeles Alias Users Group and sits on the Advisory Board for Highend3D.com. Prior to Gnomon, Alex worked for Alias, as a consultant and trainer for studios in the Los Angeles area. Alex is an alumni of the Art Center College of Design and the University of Pennsylvania.

For more of Alex's work, visit:
www.alexalvarez.com