Duplicate polygons on the obstacle (select faces, and then use duplicate faces command). In this way particles will collide only with obstacle instead with whole terrain mesh. Select particles and obstacle mesh, and go to particles/make collide.

Obstacle mesh will have new attributes under geoConnector1 node tab. Resilience controls how much particles will bounce from object, friction – how much the objects surface will slow the particles. If you have 0 resilience, particles will slide along the surface. If you set resilience to 0 and friction to 1, particles will stuck on the surface. Only important attribute for us is offset. Offset will control how far from surface collision will be detected. Raise this number a bit, because pivot on our ship is at the back, so if offset is 0 ship will enter obstacle and then collision will occur. In this way particle will collide when ship hit’s the surface.

Then select particles and obstacle and go to particles/particle collision events. Hit create event button. This will create event0, check emit, set number to 1 and check original particle dies. So by doing that particle will hit the obstacle but it will emit another ship at the same place. This is happening because by default it will emit the same particles. To fix this create one emitter in the scene. This will also create another particle system (particle2). Delete the emitter. Particles will stay. So in the target particle line enter particle2. Now when ship hits obstacle it emits one particle in particle2.

For particle2 set lifespan to .2 with random of .1. This particles will stay very short. We will use them as spots where explosion will occur.

So select particle2 and go to emit from object. Yes in Maya you can emit particles from particles. Cool eh?

Set emitter type to omni. Min distance to .5, and max to 1. This will create sphere of particles. Set speed to 1, with random of .2. Also set the rate to 1000, since this emitter will emit particles for .2 seconds (in time particle2 is active).

So we have three particle systems. One is ship particle system, second is particle system which marks the spots where collision occurs. And third makes explosions in place that spots.

Set type to clouds. I will not explain how to use cloud particles. See my tutorial for making rocket trail. It’s about shading particle clouds.

When rendered it looks like this. Nothing special, but it works.

Also you make particle1 to emit trail particles. Piece of cake.

So that’s all folks!