Can I Use More Than One Object As Instanced Geometry; How Can I Exclude Particles From Certain Light Sources; How Do I Open Particle View Without Clicking Particle View Button On The Command Panel; Do I Need Multiple Particle Views To Manage More Than One Particle System - Autodesk 12812-051462-9011 - 3DS MAX 9 COM LEGACY SLM Help File

Force operator on page 2946 and Keep Apart operator on page 2894 with script
wiring, described in the respective topics.
In addition, you can execute a script at each integration step, and another
just before each frame is viewed or rendered; see Script rollout on page 2836.

Can I use more than one object as instanced geometry?

Yes. With the Shape Instance operator on page 2904, you can use groups,
hierarchies, and objects consisting of multiple elements, with each members
of the combined object constituting a separate particle. These objects can be
emitted in a specific order, or in a random order. For example, you can use a
text object, with the letters emitted in the order in which they appear in the
text.

How can I exclude particles from certain light sources?

To prevent particles from being affected by a light source, use the light's
Exclude function, found on the General Parameters rollout (Modify panel),
to specify any events containing particles to be excluded. Specifying the PF
Source XX object (default name) has no effect; you must specify all objects
listed as PF Source XX->Event XX.
Particle View
How do I open Particle View without clicking Particle View button on
the command panel?
Press the 6 key. It might be necessary to first turn on the Keyboard
Shortcut Override Toggle.
Do I need multiple Particle Views to manage more than one particle
system?
No: All particle systems appear in Particle View. You can scroll and zoom the
event display to see the different systems.

Can I selectively disable or "turn off" portions of a particle system?

Yes. Particle View gives you a number of different ways of doing this. You can
click an action's icon or an event's light-bulb icon to turn it off, or use the
right-click menu, or use Edit menu's Turn On and Turn Off commands. Also,
Particle Flow | 2805