How do I render trails from X-Particles with Arnold?
There are a couple of different ways to render trails generated by X-Particles with Arnold, but the easiest way is by simply adding an Arnold Tag to the xpTrail Generator. By using an Arnold Tag, you get a good bit of creative control without having to deal with lots of complicated settings.
I’m going to assume you already know how to generate particles and trails with X-Particles as well as have a basic understanding of using Cinema 4D tags and Arnold materials. Here’s how I do it:
- Right-click the xpTrail you’ve created and add an Arnold Parameters tag.
- In the Arnold Parameter tag, you’ll find setting for both manipulating curves as well as a few of the usual settings for simply rendering objects with Arnold. These controls are pretty basic, but are usually all I need for creating the style I’m lookinga for. More detailed information on the controls can be found here: https://support.solidangle.com/display/AFMUG/Curves
- With the IPR window open, experiment with the settings. What’s really great is that you don’t need to re-simulate every time you make a change, since the changes only affect the rendered appearance of the curves and not the X-Particle system.
- Try experimenting with the Curve width scale. It’s really easy to shape your curves the way you want them.
- Add a texture to the curve. You can do some pretty surprising things with a texture added to the curve or simply make your curves more organic with subtle noise.
As this is a frequently asked question we have provided both the question and answer in this thread.
