Playing around with smoke

[Necora]

There was a discussion in the mod section about using particle systems to make cool effects.

I am bored, there fore decided to play around with the smoke, as you do. I figured I'd start this to document things, random things.

To start with, this is something for @RedKetchup and the Choo Choo mod. I apologize if you already know this, but it is late and I can't be bothered to go through old posts to see if you did it!

I made a new ChimneySmoke.rsc, called it 'MaritimesChimneySmoke.rsc' and put it in a 'Sherbrooke/ParticleSystems' folder. I then refer to this my sherbrooke house template rather than the vanilla chimney smoke so that I could play around with numbers to see what would happen. This is the first finding...

Code Select Expand

// emission
float _emissionRate = 1.0;
float _emissionAcceleration = 0.0;
float _emissionDrag = 1.0;
Time _emitterLifeTime = 0.0;

By changing the emission rate from 5.0 to 1.0, the smoke now comes out in shorted bursts rather than a more steady stream.

If I go further and change the emission rate to 0.5, it comes out very slow. The second smoke puff doesn't come out of the chimney until after the first has disappeared.

By changing this emission rate, Red's choo choo trains can have a steady puffing chimney rather than a continuous one.

[QueryEverything]

There was a discussion in the mod section about using particle systems to make cool effects.

I am bored, there fore decided to play around with the smoke, as you do. I figured I'd start this to document things, random things.

BTW - married to a sim dev myself I have seen some incredible products produced from sheer boredom. 
I also find that my lounge furniture has been rearranged or the kitchen is polished, it can be relatively hit & miss, haha. 

Good luck   I've been watching that thread for interest

[Necora]

Hmm, well it is actually a lot more limited than I anticipated.

I decided to set every value to 0 or 1 and change one by one. Apart from the previous emissions rate, which I ramped up to 10 for quite a solid line of smoke. With these settings, I get a horizontal line of smoke from a chimney. It seems I can't see how to change the direction of the smoke, it always seems to be going towards the 'top' of the map.

[Necora]

Or black clouds hanging around the chimney... getting closer to something that can be used as turbulence in the water.

[Necora]

IMPENDING DOOOM

[Necora]

But in all serious now, I did manage to make a nice bit of steam/haze/spray around the mill wheel... Getting closer to the foot of a waterfall!

[embx61]

I fell out of my chair laughing when I saw the IMPENDING DOOM picture. LMAO!!

[QueryEverything]

IMPENDING DOOOM

Winner!!! hahaha, that's awesome


@Necora I love the waterwheel too, I also sense of "closer" to my wish of a Steam boat, à la EmmyLou (not a *cough*hint*cough*) ... 
There are a few waterwheeled mods ingame, what you would be able to achieve ...  awesome!!  Very inspiring!!

[Paeng]

getting closer to something that can be used as turbulence in the water.

Cool! Now for some more natural looking rocks, pebble and sand and we can make the creeks a lot more interesting with some rapids and stuff... 

* assuming you can turn them into "ploppable" items...

[kid1293]

I have a nagging feeling that it is a blessing you are not modding Banished, @Paeng !

You have so many ideas it would make a new game. 

[Bartender]

In that case I'd say it's a shame ! It might give us some wonderful things.

This is cool stuff Necora! It's nice to know that we can play around with how the smoke looks and behaves.

[brads3]

i think it takes both players and great modders to do that. if we don't play,we won't find new ideas.

[Necora]

So the steam for the mill came out really nicely in the end. The only problem is, there is a rather harsh line on the top of the water. It seems that the smoke doesn't go through the water.

@Paeng unfortunately, it seems that the particle system needs to be triggered by something. For example, smoke only comes from a chimney when someone is living there. The spray here only comes from the mill when it is being worked. I tried to make a decoration, but without a trigger nothing happened. I'm not sure if there is a way around that, I couldn't see anything in the code. Unless we give it a worker and have them tend to the stream!

What I did have a go at though is applying a foam texture I found on google image search to a simple plane. I made it -1m, and gave it the foliage material. Being underwater already makes it move due to the effect of the water, but adding the foliage material does give it some good motion on top of this. So you could have a few of these with different textures, all ghosted, and perhaps could make something that can pass for a rapids? I placed it next to one of the mill bridges in the image attached.

[RedKetchup]

if it is ghosted you can say : true to the question (like my little torches and firecamps) but only if ghosted. it not ghosted and has a building time, it will appear at build01 before the building process will be completed.

[Necora]

true to what question?