With every major release of thinkingParticles new features are introduced, extending the power and flexibility of thinkingParticles by a magnitude, as compared to its predecessor. Release 4 represents a milestone in advancing the feature set.

Most of its new functionality was born out of the need for advanced technical effects that were required by several major block buster movie productions, such as: Roland Emmerich’s “2012″ that was all about demolition and disaster, Director John Woo’s “Red Cliff” which had an epic ship battle of more than 4000 burning and crashing ships, and sequences in the movie GI Joe “Rise of the Cobra” that needed our development attention as well.

Find below: a list of visible and invisible changes done to thinkingParticles R4 when compared to thinkingParticles R3.

Enhanced Operators

thinkingParticles ships with many operator nodes; its great flexibility and concept of wiring everything with everything offers an endless combination of nodes and setups, used to create particle effects. With every new node added to the tool set, the combinations and possible uses for effects increases by a magnitude.

This release of thinkingParticles is not only about adding complete new nodes, it is also about enhancing existing nodes, which offer extended benefits, as completely new nodes are expected to do.

The following existing thinkingParticles Nodes have been changed/enhanced
Intersect Node:
This node received new inputs and outputs to enhance its functionality.
New Inputs: Particle Shape, UVW Channel
New Outputs: Object Position, Face ID, Face Coordinates

One To X:
A new more generalized data stream concept has been introduced to this helper node
New: the Type of data stream connected and output can now be selected

Surface Pos Node:
New inputs have been added to this node to enhance its functionality
New Inputs: UVW, Particle Shape

Volume Pos Node:
By adding a new input to this node, particle shapes can now be used to define the volume for placing or generating particles.
New Input: Particle Shape

OP_ObjToParticle:
A new object state has been introduced to this node, the “No tracking” option will not use any transformation information at all, exceptposition.
New Selection Option: Initial Velocity
“None” now really does NO tracking at all

Get Reference Operator: by adding a new Number of Refs output, it is now possible to request the total number of references which a particle possesses.
New Output: Number of Refs, outputs the number of references

PAttach:
Particles can now attach to other particles either relative or absolute
New Option : Absolute
New Option : Relative

Fragment Operator:
A lot of fine tuning has been done to this operator. New inputs and features have been added.
New in Fragment Shape section: Segments
New in Remaining Shape section: Segments
New function for Edges: Automatic texture mapping added
New Inputs: Segments, R Segments

The NVIDIA PhysX dynamics solver is now true 64-Bit.