ANCIENT MACHINES — TURN YOUR DRAWING INTO PARTICLES

Build notes for recreating this example in the game. This text file is not an importable .am level.

Guide: https://chakygames.com/ancient-machines-example-drawn-particle.html

YOU WILL BUILD
A stream of your own painted shapes, drifting and fading in the scene.

BEFORE YOU START
An editable level and a little space for the effect. Use the expanded right-side menu to find Draw Image and Particle Editor.

STARTING SETTINGS
- Brush: Star Shapes. A simple graphic that stays readable when small.
- Single Shape: On. One shape per stamp for this supported brush.
- Thickness / Hardness / Alpha: 48 / 100 / 1. A crisp first mark; use a bright colour.
- Particle preset: Falling Leaves. Keep its initializers and actions for a working starting motion.
- Pattern / New particles/second: Steady / 12. A suggested starting rate; tune density in the preview.
- Drawing: Your saved drawing. Apply it to the selected emitter and inspect Current graphic.
- Blendmode: Normal. Keep the painted colours visible against your background.

BUILD ALONG

1. Paint one clear shape
Expanded right menu → Draw Image → Brush → Settings
Use a visible, unlocked raster layer. Choose Star Shapes, switch Single Shape on, set Thickness 48, Hardness 100 and Alpha 1. Choose a bright colour and tap once. Leave the surrounding canvas transparent.
Check: You can see one crisp shape without an opaque rectangle around it.

2. Save the drawing
Draw Image → Save → Drawings
Save the artwork as My First Particle. Reopen it from Drawings to check that the mark and its transparent surroundings were saved. If the shape is very small within the canvas, adjust the artwork before continuing.
Check: My First Particle appears in Drawings and opens for editing.

3. Use your image in an emitter
Expanded right menu → Particle Editor → Preset → Drawing
Choose Falling Leaves as a starting preset. With its emitter selected, open Drawing and choose My First Particle. Check Current graphic. The preset supplies the starting motion, life and actions.
Check: Current graphic shows your artwork in place of the original leaf.

4. Tune and restart the effect
Particle Editor → emission controls → Restart
Set Pattern: Steady, New particles/second: 12 and Blendmode: Normal. Keep the preset’s other settings for the first test. Press Restart. Adjust Scale if your drawing looks too big or small; the required size depends on its canvas.
Check: Your shapes move, turn and disappear over time. Try both a light and a dark preview background.

5. Save and place it
Particle Editor → Save → right menu → Particles
Save the effect as Painted Drift. Return to the level and open Particles. Select its saved tile, then tap a clear position in the scene. Use Scene Object when the placed effect should be scenery without a physics body.
Check: The saved effect is available in the library and placed in your scene.

6. Test it in context
Level → Play → return to editor → Save Level
Enter Play and look at the effect over the actual level background. Check that the stream stays readable and old particles disappear. Save the level, reopen it and test again. Change one setting at a time when making a variation.
Check: The effect still uses your drawing after the level is reopened.

CHECK YOUR BUILD
[ ] My saved drawing has a transparent background.
[ ] Current graphic shows my drawing.
[ ] Particles move and old particles disappear.
[ ] Painted Drift is saved in Particles.
[ ] The effect still works after saving and reopening the level.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Nothing moves
Check that the emitter is Active. Velocity supplies starting motion; the Move action updates particle positions. Start again from Falling Leaves if the action list was cleared.

Particles keep accumulating
Check the Life initializer and the Age and Death Life actions. Reduce the emission rate while testing.

The drawing has a coloured box around it
Reopen the drawing and check whether a background layer was painted. Transparent empty canvas should surround the particle graphic.