Tracer bullet effect

[peter]

Guys,
Do You know some good solution how to make a good looking tracer bullet effect like in the "Dark Blue World" movie in the scene - attack on the train (http://www.upp.cz/rs/generate_page.php?page_id=1291). I did something in past that worked quite nice (either on still image nor animation), but perhaps You know something that works better. I was just using spray (with smoke material) that was moving along parabolic spline (quite fast - all animation took about 20 frames). The emiter of spray was deflected a bit its axis and during animation was spining round. The effect was quite nice, but I'm wondering maybe You know something that is better.

[kiwi123]

Good question Peter, have been trying to find a good way for that as well. Surely particle systems can do the trick, but you need so many of them.

[paddy]

Wiek,

not so long ago I was trying to get a decent tracer setup working in Lightwave for a big animation job. I got it looking ok with a trigger, tracers and impact debris but tracer has by nature to go very fast and Lightwaves collision wasn't up to the job. Neither was its particle emission rates that won't emit on fractional frames. So all guns look to be firing at the same rate.

I'll probably do it in Maya if I was to try it again. Seems far easier.

Paddy

[kiwi123]

That was my conclusion as well, a shame though...