Hi, I'm reposting this - I haven't got any responses from the Apprentice forum.

I'm very new to Houdini. I'm trying to do a particle simulation where particles first move around and then each go back to specific points, that will eventually define a static shape(s).

The simulation is working (sort of), but I'm getting many stray particles that continue to fly around. I understand that I can fix this by animating drag parameters etc., but I'm wondering if I'm missing something and the attractor pop could be doing what I want.

Also, if anybody has suggestions, or a better way that might help….

I've attached the file (hipnc)

Thanks

No, I don't think you're missing anything. The attractor POP only has the ability to stop a particle when it reaches the attractor point, but this only works if this actually happens on a frame boundary. You'll be better off by adding a drag and scaling it based on the distance to the attractor point.

Thanks for the help! Now how do I animate the drag based on proximity to the attractor points? Is this where I delve into Houdini expressions? Please nudge me in the right direction….

I think what you're looking for is the Follow Pop. I've included an example file.

François

Thanks Francois. That looks just like what I need!