"Christopher James Huff" wrote:
> Huh? Using file I/O is just a way to avoid recalculating
> the particles for each frame, it has nothing to do with
> what you can compute collisions with.

True.

However, Tim Nikias' particle system is not only non I/O, it's actually non
calc-frame. It doesn't recalculate the data for each particle a certain
number of times per time unit to get the cumulated result at a given time.
Instead it directly returns the position (and other data) for a particle for
a given time, without having to first calculate its history, and this is
100% accurate, unlike calc-frame based systems. Gravity is for example a
parabolic function. However, the complexity is limited with this method.
Collision detection is only feasible with planes, in and Tim Nikias' system
only with a single box. Chaotic-like simulations, where the result for a
given time is highly unpredictable, are also practically impossible.

(Please correct me if I'm wrong at any of this.)

So, in conclusion, a non calc-frame system has both advantages and
disadvantages.

Rune
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