Introduction

The particle systems in Motion 5 are a powerful engine by which we can take nearly any object, image, layer, or group and animate it using the parameters available to us in the HUD and Inspector. A particle system consists of two items—the emitter and the cell. The cell is referenced by the emitter and the emitter creates the animation over a lifespan specified by you. Let's say we had a PNG layer of an orange. If we created particles out of it, that orange would be put into a cell that is referenced by the emitter. You could use the emitter's parameters to duplicate that orange multiple times per second and have it animate in a particular direction until you decide it should end or die. On top of the ability to turn nearly anything your heart desires into particles, in Motion's library there are pre-animated particle emitters available to incorporate in all of your animations.