While most things about pI 3.0.2 functioned well, I did find some weird issues with the Super Emitters. Super Emitters are one of the coolest, unique elements of pI and one that any microfilmmaker will want to seriously spend some time working with. Since these are so contingent on you being able to add emitters and take them away, to experiment with different effects, it’s imperative that the “undo” command work properly. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. When you create a super-emitter and join other emitters to it, while other elements of super-emitters can be ajusted without adverse effects, you can’t delete or undo the addition of these emitters. The best you can do is delete the entire super emitter or press Cntrl-Z and watch particleIllusion behave bizarrely. What do I mean by ‘bizarrely’? Well, there’s some random glitch that occurs when you press Cntrl-Z, which can take the form of duplicating your super-emitter, moving your super emitter to a different location, turning your super emitter into a normal emitter, or making part or all of your super-emitter invisible. I’m not sure what the glitch with this is, but this is something that definitely needs to get fixed.
For folks creating a sci-fi masterpiece or a low-budget version of CSI, emitters like this fingerprint scanner can be mapped to monitors and security devices.
Value
It’s not often that you find a program that has this sort of Hollywood history, that you can afford on a microfilmmaker budget, but particleIllusion is the rare exception to this rule. Because it is so versatile for everything from blood hits and muzzle flashes to mesmerizing titles and title backgrounds, it’s an amazing value, regardless of its legacy or who uses it. The fact that it has such a huge, free emitter library base makes it an even better value.
Plus, if you don’t feel like making your own emitters and the emitters that are available for free aren’t suited to your specialty needs, you can choose from one of twelve professional libraries that feature really impressive quality effects, like: high quality explosions, high-end text backgrounds, space-age holographic emitters, and realistic bullet hits. Each of these Professional Emitter Libraries sell for $39 and contains 30 emitters. All 12 can be purchased together for $329. Either way you go, you're getting some really useful, professional emitters for between $.92 to $1.30 per emitter, which is an awesome deal.
For credit sequences, particleIllusion can create great backdrops. From cracking ice for a winter suspense film to blood splatters for a slasher flick.
Final Comments particleIllusion may be one of the best kept secrets in Hollywood for creating breathtaking fires, realistic gun battles, and mind-altering title sequences. With its versatility, power, and price point, it’s an excellent addition to any low-budget filmmaker’s arsenal and one that I highly recommend you check out. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to download the demo version and try it out.
Ease
of Use
9.5
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
9.0
Value
10.0
Overall
Score
9.6
The
director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films,
Jeremy Hanke
founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make
better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted.
