ATPA Lesson 6C: Glitter (Complex)

DISCLAIMER: The ATPA Lessons are a self-service pyro academy from the days of vPyro. I saved the lessons from the academy back in 2011 before the site went down for good, and feel that they should be accessible again, not just as a historical record of what was, but also for new pyromaniacs to learn the ropes in the same way that many of us did so many years ago. Because of their age, the videos included with the academy are of a lackluster quality, and some of the information in these lessons is outdated. In the name of history, I wish to preserve these lessons as they are, but as a recognition of how out-dated some of the advice can be, I will strikethrough and italicize the text of any information that should be ignored. If you run into questions or issues, leave a reply.

Also, the lessons ask for you to submit a video of your progress. Feel free to reply to the lessons with your submissions! Some of us old vPyro vets would love to see and comment on your progress and creations. 😊

- StickyGum32

6C – Glitter (Complex)

Here is where we push glitter and its capability as a pyro decoration. I marked this as orange, not because the lesson is difficult to follow...but because it requires a LOT of tinkering to get it to move the way you want it. I'll provide the reasons for each emitter, but it's your job to make it work!

The end result is very rewarding though - look how the glitter seems to be caught by the wind and the wobble of the comet in the air.

1. We're going to start where we left off - this lesson is simply a continuation of what has already been learned - we're just opening up the possibilities a bit more. Open the 6B effect and click on the first emitter. We're going to make a more radical change to the Emitter Rotation.
2. For this tail, let's push the movement a bit. When comets burst, they don't always stick to one linear direction - they can be taken by the wind, they could have a slight spin to them, they could wobble back and forth and the tail should be able to show this. To keep you guys from pulling out your hair trying to figure out what I mean, start by setting the Emitter Rotation panel like this:

As always, these are jumping off points - try to find a different combination that provides a similar effect.

You should notice a big difference in the very subtle whip you made in the previous lesson. This new tail seems to flip back and forth - still subtle but a different movement. If the movement is a little cloudy, go to the Emitter Speed panel, change the sphere to 0.00 and drop the speed to 0.30. Now the tail's form should be a lot clearer.
3. Add two emitters after the second glitter tail emitter - these will increase the depth of the glitter. You should now have 4 emitters in a row:

The first emitter controls the tail's overall movement
The second emitter controls the tail's primary glitter
The third emitter will control the tail's secondary glitter
The fourth emitter will control the tail's final sparkle effect

Confusing enough? Let's just dive in!
4. Click on the second emitter and change the lifetime to 0.85. This allows room for the secondary glitter to shine through.
5. Select the third emitter and add 1 particle to the Emitter Rate panel. Increase the lifetime to 1.30 seconds at 100% randomness (1.00). Then open the Particle Basics window and create a style for this secondary glitter:

Anything is fine as long as it's small and darker than the previous glitter style.

When you're satisfied with the look of the secondary glitter, open the Particle Motion window and set the gravity to approximately 1/4 of the primary glitter - for me, I have 0.20 gravity on my first glitter, so I set the secondary glitter to 0.05.

Why set multiple gravities? Gravity is relative in the AFE - when you look at particles dropping from real fireworks, they don't ever fall at the same rate. Variances in size, burn, wind and other environmental factors can warp their path slightly. We compensate for this by assigning two different gravities for the same overall glitter.

Now if you look closely, you have two different glitter tails falling at different rates - zoom back though, and it looks like one solid effect.
6. And finally, the icing - select the 4th emitter and add 2 particles to the Emitter Rate panel. Also, set the Start Time to 0.50 and the random to 25% (0.25). Set the lifetime to 0.10 and use this for the particle style:

It's a simple addition that provides a little bit of sparkle - just enough to make your glitter stand out in a show!

7. Name you effect, save your effect (don't forget .frw!) and submit with a video containing multiple glitter comets in a variety of colors. Be bold and experiment with Silver and White tailed glitter too!

If you've followed everything right, you should have a very luxurious glitter that feels like it's being tousled by the elements. Lesson 6 is a hard one to follow because it takes so much tinkering and experimentation to get a decent product, but I hope this gave you a better understanding of how to approach glitter and the simple things you can do to make your effects look spectacular.

Next Lesson: Lesson 7 - Palms

Edited April 22Apr 22 by StickyGum32