Subject: ATOMIC MODEL
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 94 10:05:36

> I'm trying to create a basic model of the Bohr Atom and I want to 
 > achieve an effect whereby the electron spinning around 
 > the nucleus leaves a trail behind it showing its previous path.  
 > I've got a nicely spinning electron but no amount of messing 
 > about (sorry experimenting) with motion blur and various levels of 
 > anti-aliasing seems to give me quite the effect I'm looking 
 > for. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Build a torus for the flight path and center it on the rotational center for
the atom. Attach a cylindrical transparency map of an IFF gradiating from 0% to
100%, then make sure the seam of the texture is where the atom is. Use
smoothing and transparent edges (values will depend on the scale of your
objects, experiment with the values) and you should have a path following your
atom that slowly fades away.

For an example, check out a JPEG of one of my animations called Orion.jpg on
the tomahawk site at tomahawk.welch.jhu.edu:pub/LW/framestores

good luck!

AC