Dynamic Particle Sketch Animations Using DualMode Paint

This post discusses how to build a DualMode Paint preset that dynamically sketches a static source image with paint particles whose paint stroke trails fade out over time. The DualMode Paint preset is composed of a time particle based paint synthesizer preset along with the Fixed Color image operation for it’s Dual Op to fade the painting time particles over time. The end result is a paint animation that dynamically paints in the source features over time.

The goal for the desired paint preset for this effect is to program a set of paint time particles that sketch out source edge features over time as the particles move. I started out by reinitializing the paint synthesizer using the Reinitialize paint synthesizer macro edit command in the integrated Help browser (first gallery image below).

I then configured the Path Start control panel (2nd gallery image above) to use a Max Stroke setting of 200 (which means I will be painting with 200 paint time particles when I run the paint preset in loop action mode). Note that I turned on the Texture Range parameter. Set the Texture Min and Texture Max values so that you get a good edge sketch with your chosen source image. Higher texture numeric values mean stronger edges, so you set your Texture MIn to get a good edge rendition without noise artifacts.

The 3rd and 4th gallery images above show off the 2 Time Particle control panels. I configured the time particle controls so that time particles were turned on, and they painted based on the source orientation using curved paths over time. I wanted the life of the time particles to be relatively short and variable, so I set the Life Option control to Fixed Time with # Frame set to 30 and Life Mod set to 40. This means that the time particle’s lifespan will be approximately 30 frame (with 40% variability).

When the time particles expire they are restarted. I made sure the Rebirth Texture Inhibit control was turned On, and I used the same Rebirth Texture Min and Max values as I used in the Path Start control panel. Normally if time particles are reborn they are randomly repositioned.

The goal for this effect was to run it in loop action, and to have the paint paths generated by the time particle movement fade over time to black. So I switched from the Paint Synthesizer Classic operation mode to DualMode Paint operation mode, and set my Dual Op control in the Editor to be IpOp which uses the current image operation effect as the DualMode dual op (5th gallery image above). DualMode Paint presets combine a paint preset along with an interleaved image processing effect that runs in real time as the paint synthesizer paints.

A simple approach to fading to a solid color in an animation is to use the Fixed Color image operation effect (6th gallery image above). Note that I set the Mix to 3 so that the effect slowly fades the painted canvas to black when the effect is run in loop action in the DualMode Paint preset.

I initially tried painting a single anti-aliased paint nib (Fill From set to Paint Color and Fill To set to Canvas in the Paint Fill Setup control panel, along with a Max Path Len of 1 in the Path Shape control panel). But after watching this dynamically paint I decided I wanted to have a stronger paint effect. So I first changed the Max Path Len parameter in the Path Shape control panel to 50. This painted in a short paint stroke that tracked the image features as opposed to just painting a single paint nib for each time particle. Remember, time particles are dynamic path start particles that move over time, so you can draw individual paint strokes that are drawn out from the time particle path start positions.

i then tried switching the Pen Mode from Interactive Pen to Region Fill as Brush. So now rather than painting with single paint nibs or short paint strokes for my individual time particles, the time particles were painted in as small flat color regions. I set the main Render Option in the paint synthesizer’s Vector Output control panel from Raster to Vector (solid color) to get smoother anti-aliased vector edges for my individual time particle based painted regions.

The final paint animation can be seen here. To generate it, I opened up a new Movie Stream (File Stream : New Movie Stream menu command) with an Enable Write on Op End write flag turned on. So a new frame is output at the end of each DualMode Paint loop action cycle.

Dynamic Particle Sketch Animations Using DualMode Paint

Related posts

1 Comment