Well, I got TMParticleFX working but I was having a functional grievance with the emitters. While it seemed like a good idea in the design phase, the practicality of it was not so good. So, I changed course and created launchers instead and that solved all my problems. Launchers attach to anything else, particularly particles and allow much more flexibility than the original emitters idea. Launchers carry a Magazine of particle templates which get fired off in turn. They also have a burst mode that really benefit explosive moments! The launchers allow for a rotatable offset from the attached point and there can be many launchers attached to one thing. So, for example, if you had a spaceship with two engines, you would have two launchers offset to the back of the engines that create the jet stream and trailing smoke if you wish.
The naming difference between launcher and emitter is somewhat semantical in truth, but I shifted names to help me ensure I covered all the bases.
Its all looking pretty snazy now.. and working like a charm. I can't at this point think of any special effect I would not be able to achieve.
But.... Christmas is here and my children would probably appreciate me being more family focused over the next few days. Thats no problem... it will give me time to solidify some optimization ideas I have. One optimization I believe will speed up TileMax entirely as it should reduce calculations down by an order of magnitude.. not that its slow... but there is always room for "faster" :)
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.. I know I will!
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