How do I test an unusual particle?

[Dead Plant]

I am working with the Particle Editor for the first time to create a submission for the unusual effect competition. I already have a test effect created and saved as a .pcf in my tf/particles folder, how do I apply it to a hat in the itemtest map?

Bringing up the itemtest menu provides me with the option to select a bot class, hat, and effect on that hat, but my custom effect is not included in the list. Also, the button to spawn the bot doesn't appear to do anything (is that a bug or am I doing something wrong?)

 

[Yaki]

Not sure how itemtest works, so I decided to (hopefully not in vain) made a map that does what you need it to do. All you need to fix up is to put the particle system in the map and change the info_particle_system in the vmf to make it work.

What this map does:

1. Names the player to player_1
2. Spawns an info_particle_system on player_1
3. Parents the particle system to player_1 and attaches it to the head
4. Puts you in thirdperson (for easier testing!)

Tell me if you need anything. I'll probably upload the file to the downloads section in time, but not right now. Hope it works out for ya!

 

[Dead Plant]

Where should I put the .pcf file in order to have it in the map? I have it at tf/particles and tf/custom/particles and tried typing the filename into the particle system in the map but it was not visible when playtesting.

 

[Yaki]

You're going to need to create one .txt file named "hatparticle_test_particles.txt" and put the following in it:

particles_manifest
{
"file" "!particles/(your unusual particle name).pcf"
}

Where (your unusual particle name) is, put your custom particle's file name.

Please put the file in the same directory as your map (so tf/maps).

Then, in Hammer, put the name of the particle you made (this isn't the .pcf file's name) on info_particle_system. It needs to be the name of the particle itself in the particle editor.
(however I don't know where to look for that, but TopHattWaffle's tutorial here can help if you don't know: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7y0ImnnELM)

Hope it works!

 

[Yrr]

you can also just load up itemtest, spawn bots with a hat, give it an unusual effect, and then override that unusual effect in the editor
(i do sunbeams and create a new "superrare_beams1" with my particle as the child)

you will need to reload all particles to make the override work, by starting to record a demo and stopping again (a couple times at first)
you can do this using the command "record fix; stop"

this does not require a particle manifest or any special maps

 

[Yaki]

you can also just load up itemtest, spawn bots with a hat, give it an unusual effect, and then override that unusual effect in the editor
(i do sunbeams and create a new "superrare_beams1" with my particle as the child)

you will need to reload all particles to make the override work, by starting to record a demo and stopping again (a couple times at first)
you can do this using the command "record fix; stop"

this does not require a particle manifest or any special maps

Oh, this method sounds a lot easier than the one I made, because you wouldn't have to close TF2 to refresh the particle.

Is that right? I'd assume my method would require TF2 to be restarted every time (because the particle itself would be pre-cached and not update)?

Yrr knows better than I do, since she actually made particles before.

 

[Yrr]

i dont think your method would require restarting either but its a lot of additional effort and likely not accurate to how an unusual would actually look

 

[Dead Plant]

Thank you so much to the both of you, but I am still having problems. On itemtest my particle is spawning super far away from the bot, and has glitchy shading that flashes whenever you look at it from some angles and is completely black at others.

 

[Puddle]

Thank you so much to the both of you, but I am still having problems. On itemtest my particle is spawning super far away from the bot, and has glitchy shading that flashes whenever you look at it from some angles and is completely black at others.

that sounds like you forgot to add an initializer like "position within box random"