Need Help: Particle Movement Along PCB Traces

[Rostislav]

Introduction
Hello everyone! I'm working on a project where I need to create an effect of particles moving along the traces on a printed circuit board (PCB).

Details
My goal is to use TyFlow to simulate particles that will follow the PCB traces. I have a texture where white pixels represent these traces, and I want the particles to follow these white paths.

The Problem
I've hit a roadblock: I'm not sure how to make TyFlow read this texture and correctly direct the particles along the white traces.


Questions:

1. Are there ways to make TyFlow read the texture and use it for directing particles?
2. Can the texture be used as an input parameter for the speed of the particles?

I'd greatly appreciate any help or guidance!

[tyFlow]

How complex is the PCB texture? Are we talking 100k little lines or is it more like a few dozen?

There's no image edge-detection feature in tyFlow that could convert an image into meaningful particle trajectories...so first step would be converting the image to a particle-friendly format. First thing that comes to mind is doing some kind of auto-trace in a program like Illustrator, then importing the result as splines that can be used in a Path Follow operator...

[Rostislav]

Thank you for the quick response!

Complexity of the PCB Texture:
The PCB texture I'm working with isn't as complex as 100k lines, but it's not simple either. I anticipate around 1-2 thousand splines at most after conversion. I understand that tyFlow lacks native image edge-detection features, making my original approach less feasible.

Auto-trace in Illustrator:
The suggestion to auto-trace the image in a program like Illustrator to create splines is promising. I hadn't considered converting the texture into a more "particle-friendly" format and will give this a try. I had thought about manually converting this into splines, but considering the complexity and volume, it would be a laborious task.

Questions

1. Additionally, are there any notable limitations or pitfalls I should be aware of when applying the Path Follow operator to manage the motion of particles along these relatively complex paths?

2. Are there any limitations I should be aware of when using the Path Follow operator for a path as complex as this?

3. Are there specific settings within the Path Follow operator that you'd recommend tweaking for optimal results with this type of particle movement?

Thanks again for your help and guidance!

[tyFlow]

The answer to all three questions really depends on the paths you'll be using. Keep me updated with your progress and I'll try to offer more advice along the way.