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7. Separate Particle Groups

Keep shared ground contact while giving two populations different motion and color.

Continue with Point Cloud and Trails

Continue from lesson 6 with Point Cloud and Trails enabled and Instance disabled. Save as 07-groups.blend.

Create two populations

  1. In Groups, create named groups Main and Accent.
  2. Assign Fountain's Default Group to Main. Move Fountain Source to (-0.8, 0, 0.4) and change Rate to 80 /f.
  3. Add a UV Sphere named Accent Source, Radius 0.25 m, Location (0.8, 0, 0.4), and apply Scale. Add an Emitter named Accent Fountain, change its source to Volume, assign Accent Source, and choose Density fill.
  4. Set its Rate 80 /f, Start Frame 1, Duration 96, Lifetime 48, Variation 0, particle Radius 0.025 m, Radius Random 0, and Emission Seed 23.
  5. Use Initial Velocity (-1.2, 0, 5), Surface Push 0, Random Velocity zero, birth Color orange (#FF6F2C), and Default Group Accent.
  6. Set Curl Noise and Change Color Apply to: Group, selecting Main on each. Keep Gravity, Drag and Collision applied to All.
  7. Replay to frame 72.
A blue and green fountain alongside a separate orange particle group
Frame 72: Main uses Curl Noise and an Age ramp; Accent stays orange.

Main and Accent respond differently

Both fountains launch and contact the same ground. Main receives curls and the age ramp; Accent keeps constant orange color and ordinary gravity-and-drag motion. Together they maintain approximately 7680 live particles.

Use the Group selectors to target Main or Accent by name. Group membership does not duplicate particles or isolate their physics: an effect applied to All still affects both groups.

Optional: apply the color ramp to both groups

Set Change Color to All and replay: both populations should receive the age ramp. Restore Group Main.

Troubleshooting

  • Both fountains curl: inspect Curl Noise's Apply to setting.
  • Accent changes color: inspect Change Color's filter and the second Emitter's Default Group.
  • One fountain is missing: check its source assignment and post-effect group filters.

Reference: Particle Groups.

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