====== Tips: Creating dust-like animations using particle systems ======

Lasershow Converter MAX can be used to create stunning particle displays, such as floating dust and similar animations.

Successfully rendering dust-like particles with Lasershow Converter MAX can involve a lot of trial-and-error. However, it can be accomplished by roughly following these steps:

1. Use the **Spray** object in 3ds Max, and make sure the "particle size" setting is at least 0.1. (A particle size of 0.01 is simply too small...)

2. Select the **Spray** object, and then go to the Utility plugin within Lasershow Converter MAX. This is shown below.

3. In the Utility plugin, set the **Noise filter** settings between 1.5 and 2 -- with 1.8 being a pretty good starting point, but this depends on your laser scanners. 
- 1.5 creates more particles but also more points 
- 2.0 reduces the amount of visible particles and the amount of points 

{{:tools:lcmax:dust-1.png|}}

4. Adjust the **Object point spacing** settings in the utility plugin. Since you don't need any corners and lines, these can be reduced, as well as line endings and round overlaps. See the picture below for optimal operation.

{{:tools:lcmax:dust-2.png?nolink|}}

5. Note that whenever you change settings in the Utility plugin, you must press **Assign to selected objects** or the settings will not get changed.

6. Reducing the amount of the particles can help (then they can reduce the noise filter settings further). 

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