Particle System Releases Particles In Uneven Bursts

[drumlug13]

I don't know if I would consider this a bug so I'll ask here...

I have rain in a particle system that doesn't start until later in the cartoon. Turning the particles off on frame 0 and waiting until later in the timeline to turn the particles on causes AS to draw the rain in uneven bursts... like this


This one is the work around. The rain particles are on at the start, but kept invisible until later in the cartoon. The problem is that I kinda wanted to see the first raindrops start falling from the top of the screen and continue to the end. Also making the rain visible and have it suddenly appear didn't look good, so I had to hide the starting frame in a flash of lightning.


I've tried to randomize and change the "Lifetime (frames)" around (odd numbers, even numbers, prime numbers). I've tried particles in a single layer and multiple layers. Nothing I've tried so far has made a steady flow of rain. There has been several other times that I needed a particle system to start after frame zero and I get this 'bursting' behavior. Is there a trick to smoothing it out?

[ITAK]

You can try use masks. Briefly, you turn on and off the extra particles using the transparency of the mask layer.
*.anme-file is here: http://sharesend.com/rcvw9

Hope it helps

[heyvern]

Easy fix.

Uncheck "Full Speed at Start" in the particles settings. Set "on at start" to ON (checked). remove any keys for starting on later keys, they won't be needed.

Use the SEQUENCER to "delay" the start of the particles. Slide the particle layer forward on the timeline to where you want the rain to start. This eliminates the "pulses" and allows the rain to start at any point. Another bonus is that if you stop and start the particles later there is no "pulsing".

-vern

[drumlug13]

Works like a charm Vern.... You Sir, are a scholar and a saint.