Multiple systems
A system contains an emitter, its particles, and its motion controls. Navigator manages these systems inside After Effects. Composer also provides system rows for selecting and editing a design. Each system runs as part of the particle setup when you preview time.
A parent supplies settings or emission events to a child. A cascade is a chain of these related systems.
Build a hierarchy
Entropy has three levels: Main, Child, and Sub Child. Add a child with the + on a Main or Child row. A Sub Child cannot have another child. Add another Main for an independent source.
For a spark with a trail:
- Create a Main system and name it Sparks.
- Set Sparks to Burst and give it visible starting velocity.
- Add a Child and name it Trail.
- Set Trail to From Parent's Particles.
- Give Trail smaller particles and a short life.
- Replay. Each living Spark should create Trail particles along its motion.
The child's Particles/sec rate applies to each living parent particle. Ten living parents at 20 particles per second produce about 200 child births per second while all ten are alive. More parent particles can therefore increase the child workload quickly.
Choose On Parent Death for a secondary release at the end of a parent's life. A normal Static parent does not age into death. Force Mapping's Release Kills can supply a death event for it.
Select, name, and copy
Select a row to edit that system. Double-click its name to rename it. In Navigator, renaming changes the display name without changing parent links.
Duplicate copies the selected system with its role and parent. Hold Shift when duplicating to include descendants. If Navigator reports that graphs or curves stayed at defaults, re-edit the copy's curves and gradients before using it.
Navigator's remove action removes the system and its descendants. Check the branch before selecting ×.
Inherit settings
Inheritance makes a child follow its parent's settings. The Emitter, Particle, and Forces links control separate groups. Turn a link off to restore the child's own saved values.
For example, link Particle if a trail should follow its parent's appearance. Unlink it when the trail needs its own size or color. Expand linked Forces to choose which individual force groups follow the parent. A local force group starts from its own defaults.
Hide a system
Select the colored pip to hide or show rendered particles. Hidden systems continue to simulate and preserve their child relationships.
This lets a parent drive a visible child without showing its own particles. Hiding a system does not remove its simulation cost.
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