Data Channels

New in TP 6.8 - Maxscript (MXS) access to Data Channels (DC)

MXS Access:

Float 25

Integer 27

Point3 26

Alignment 5

Color 20

Data Channels (DCs) are index-based, meaning the string name does not matter.

You can change the string name after caching and TP will access the DC properly.

If you change the order of the DCs it will fail.

DCs are cached per particle, per sample.

If you set a DC at birth in the cache where the particle is born, it will carry that DC value through its lifetime (or until modified).

If you set a DC value for a particle in an existing cache, it will only be applied as often as the logic tells it to be applied. (e.g. once at birth will set it at birth, but all subsequent samples will use the previously-cached value).

References and Memory are not cached at all.

Important Nested Caching DC Issue:

The first time you cache a dynset and the particles have a DC assigned at birth, that DC will be available on all following samples.

If you then nest that cache inside another cache and want to overwrite that first DC value, you have to apply a DC value EVERY SAMPLE, else it will only apply at that single sample when you first updated it in this new nested cache.