Practical tips and tutorials from pro artists to improve your CG skills

My name is Adrien Ravelli, and in this tutorial, I'm going to show you how easy it is to create particle-based visual effects in Notch.

Notch is a real-time motion graphics tool well known for creating brilliant particle systems in just a few clicks. I am going to explain how to create a goodlooking particle system in just four simple steps, and then show you ways to adapt this workflow for endlessly exciting results. Particle systems have huge potential when combined with other node families. They can drive all sorts of effects, and are fantastic at animating a scene without keyframes.

You will see how I have combined particles with modifiers, procedurals and video to create a suite of unique looks. The beauty of Notch’s real-time generated particle systems is that they will generate endlessly without looping, meaning you can build hours of original generative content in less than ten minutes. Working in real time allows me to create for many different canvases, whether that’s rendering out video for largeformat screens using NotchLC, or creating installations driven by human interaction.

I hope that by the end of this step-by-step you will see how endless the possibilities are when creating particle effects!

01 CREATE A BASIC PARTICLE SYSTEM

Here I am going to explain how you can easily create a particle system that will run continuously. Particle systems are incredibly easy to generate in Notch, and the workflow gives you a great deal of parameter control. The best bit about creating particle systems is that they are so versatile and look fantastic on a range of canvases. The Notch community is