Apply behaviors to cells, Apply particles behaviors to emitters or cells – Apple Motion 5.1.1 User Manual
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Chapter 14
Particles
547
Apply behaviors to cells
Simulation behaviors applied to cells are in turn applied to each particle generated from that 
cell. This can result in some extremely complex animations as dozens of particles move according 
to the behaviors you’ve defined. Behaviors applied to cells have no effect on the position of the 
emitter. Parameter behaviors on a cell only affect particles when they are created.
Apply a behavior to a cell
m
Drag a behavior from the Library to a cell in the Layers list or Timeline.
The behavior is applied to the cell, and all particles generated from that cell begin to move 
according to the parameters of the behavior.
Tip: If you do not see your expected result when applying behaviors to particle cells, try 
selecting or deselecting the Affect Subobjects checkbox (in the Behaviors Inspector) or selecting 
a different option from the Affect pop-up menu in the HUD or Behaviors Inspector. These 
parameters determine whether the entire object (such as the particle emitter) or its components 
(such as the particle cells) are affected by the behavior and how an object interacts with 
surrounding objects, respectively. (The Affect Subobjects checkbox only appears in the Behaviors 
Inspector when the Throw and Spin behaviors are applied to a group that contains multiple 
objects, such as a group, particle emitter, or text.)
Apply parameter behaviors to emitter or cell parameters
As with all objects in Motion, you can apply Parameter behaviors to parameters in the Emitter or 
Particle Cell Inspector.
Apply a Parameter behavior to an emitter or cell parameter
Do one of the following:
m
Drag a behavior from the Parameter category in the Library onto an emitter or cell in the Layers 
list or Timeline. In the Apply To section of the Behaviors Inspector or HUD, choose an option from 
the Go pop-up menu.
m
Select an emitter or cell in the Layers list or Timeline, then choose a Parameter behavior from the 
Add Behavior pop-up menu in the toolbar. In the Apply To section of the Behaviors Inspector or 
HUD, choose an option from the Go pop-up menu.
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In the Emitter or Particle Cell Inspector, Control-click a parameter, then choose a Parameter 
behavior from the shortcut menu.
Apply Particles behaviors to emitters or cells
The Particles category in the Library contains two behaviors specifically for use with the cells or 
emitter in a particle system:
•
Scale Over Life: This behavior lets you grow or shrink the particles in a system over the duration 
of each particle’s life. It has one main parameter and three optional parameters that appear 
depending on the selected Increment Type.
•
Spin Over Life: This behavior lets you spin the particles in a system over the duration of each 
particle’s life.
Apply a Particles behavior to an emitter or cell
Do one of the following:
m
Drag a behavior from the Particles category in the Library onto an emitter or cell in the Layers list 
or Timeline.
m
Select an emitter or cell in the Layers list or Timeline, then choose a Particles behavior from the 
Add Behavior pop-up menu in the toolbar. 
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