PRODUCE DAZZLING PARTICLE EFFECTS

Award-winning designer Adrien Ravelli explains how you can take your particle systems to the next level with Notch

- Adrien Ravelli

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.

The 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 good looking 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 the video for large-format 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 always coming up with new ways of using particle systems. The best bit is that working in real-time enables me to tweak and adjust settings and see the results instantly.