Enhancing Trapcode Particular with scripts

I always wanted to be a script writer. In France you need a second job if you want to survive as a writer. So rather than waiting tables I started using After Effects and soon began writing scripts, just not the kind of scripts I had planned!  Scripts are a powerful yet under-utilized feature of After Effects, which you can use to enhance and customize your workflow. Some are even mini-plug-ins with their own interface and many options.

One of the first third party plug-ins I owned was Trapcode Particular. It’s probably my favourite effect but it can be a challenge to set-up and control the particles. For one project I had to create rain in a 3D composition and noticed that, even though Particular was aware of the 3D camera, the particles where not intersecting in 3D. So I searched inside Particular and found a way but it was time consuming and difficult to modify. Enter “sParticular”!

sParticular controls the spread of particles in your 3D world using sub-instances of your layer. It’s not a true 3D intersection but does give great looking results. And best of all, you can update your particles via the sParticular Control layer, without having to change any sub-instances individually.

You can download the script and check out the tutorial at aescripts.com, where you’ll also find most of the best scripts available for After Effects.

My latest script, also for Trapcode Particular, is due for release in December. Named “sTraberry Fields”, this script takes much of the guess-work out of setting up particles by creating a bounding box for the emitter, and for the area where the particles live. I’ve been using the current build on a project, and it’s really helping. So if like me, you’re not a Particular guru and need a helping hand, keep an eye on Motionworks and on aescripts for sTraberry Fields.