by Tim Zoet·Simulation
Images © Tim Zoet. Used for product review; image policy.
Particle Instantiator earns its place in the superhive library by giving Blender artists per-object control over particles, treating each one as a real, animatable object rather than a cache entry. Version 1.1 clarified the UI and added fraction instantiation, animation shifting and renaming conveniences. Worth weighing the disk-space and particle-count tradeoffs before committing to large systems.
Blender can simulate large numbers of particles, but animating individual particles is difficult. Particle Instantiator addresses this by turning particles into real objects. Each object follows the exact motion of its particle using keyframes, and copies the animations, constraints, modifiers, drivers and custom properties from the dupli objects it is based on.
Particles can also be turned into rigid body physics objects. Animations copied from dupli objects can be remapped to the lifetime of each individual particle, and drivers can address each particle by replacing references to the dupli object. Copied custom properties keep the add-on compatible with other add-ons that define properties on objects. You also get different interpolation modes for particle motion, parenting to translate, rotate or scale a whole system independent of gravity, plus naming and layer options.
There are tradeoffs. Objects carrying keyframes use much more disk space than normal particle caches, and large simulations are hard to run, so the add-on suits small particle systems that need complex per-object animation. A large collection of .blend files is included to demonstrate the main features.
Particle Instantiator is best for small particle systems that require complex animations for individual objects.
Particle Instantiator is completely free to download and use.
Particle Instantiator is built for Blender's particle system, converting the particles it generates into real objects. Each object follows the exact motion of its particle using keyframes, and it copies the animations, constraints, modifiers, drivers and custom properties from the dupli objects. You can choose different interpolation modes for the particle motion, and parenting lets you translate, rotate or scale a complete particle system independent of gravity or anything else. Version 1.1 also added an option to instantiate only a fraction of the particles, so you can preview different settings quickly before committing to a full run.
Particle Instantiator is intended for small particle systems that require complex animations for individual objects, not massive simulations. Because the instantiated objects carry keyframes, they need much more disk space than a normal particle cache, and running simulations with a large number of particles is very difficult depending on your hardware. As the developer notes, you should not expect to run a simulation with 100,000 objects. If your goal is fine per-object control on a modest number of particles, that is exactly where the add-on fits.
Particle Instantiator turns particles into real objects, and that changes how materials behave. Particle materials that rely on the Particle Info node no longer work once the particles become objects, since that node is tied to the particle system. Part of this functionality is replaced by the Cycles Object Color add-on, which Particle Instantiator can be combined with to add random colors to the instantiated particles. If your materials depend on Particle Info, keep this tradeoff in mind before converting a system.
Particle Instantiator copies custom properties onto the instantiated objects, which makes it compatible with many other add-ons that define custom properties on objects. It can also be combined with the Cycles Object Color add-on to add random colors to your particles, and with the Level Of Detail Manager add-on to add level of detail and improve render performance. Version 1.1 made it fully compatible with both the Cycles Object Color and LOD Manager add-ons, so those pairings are officially supported.
Particle Instantiator is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing and pricing can change over time, so check the developer's page for the current terms before you download. The add-on is made by Tim Zoet for Blender and ships with a large collection of .blend files that demonstrate its main features, which gives you working examples to study. A demo video is also available if you want to see more before deciding.
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