[Bf-committers] Particles support for modifier stack?

[Jakub Żółcik]

Hi everybody,

My name is Jakub Zolcik and I'm from Poland.

Some time ago I started trying to contribute to Blender in some way 
(because in my opinion Blender is a great piece of software).

As I am kind of a programmer I am trying to create a modifier that will 
allow creating animation of one mesh into another 
(http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?289299-Morph-Modifier). 
Because I designed modifier in the way that it's using faces and 
vertices order I thought that it also might be helpful to create another 
modifier (as I would need code for sorting anyway for my modifier) that 
will allow sorting mesh elements in some point in modifier stack. Such a 
modifier could benefit my modifier, build modifier and eventually 
particles. But here is a small issue. Particle systems don't take 
modified mesh from modifier stack so "sort" modifier wouldn't affect them.

Now please note that I haven't been programming in C/C++ for over 6 
years and have not much expirience in that field. Anyway today I have 
taken a look at particles code and modified it a little bit (patch: 
http://projects.blender.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=35205&group_id=9&atid=127). 
This patch adds checkbox "Use Modified" to particle settings that makes 
particle work with derived mesh from the stack. Surprisingly it works 
(also with for example explode modifier) and I think such a 
functionality might make working with particles easier without need of 
applying all modifiers first.

Of course as I said I have not much expierence and there is probably 
some reason why particle system works as it works, but if someone can 
look at my patch or (probably even better) consider adding such a 
functionality and let me now (for me to decide in which direction to go 
with my morphing and sorting modifier).

Best regardz, hope you undestood what I wrote and that I will be able to 
contribute to Blender in some way in the future.

Jakub Zolcik