Specify where the cache files are stored
Maya has a workspace directory for particles. By default, this is given the name particles. You can specify your workspace particles directory using the Project Editor, the same as for all the other workspace directories.
If you are using an old workspace from a previous version of Maya, Maya creates the particles directory for you the first time you create a particle disk cache.
The disk cache files are stored in subdirectories of the particles directory. You can specify what subdirectory name you want to use by entering the name in the Cache Directory box of the Particle Render Cache Options window (see Setting particle disk cache options). Before each new caching operation, Maya automatically deletes any cache files existing in the specified subdirectory.
If Maya can’t find a cache file for the given frame, but finds cache files both for frames greater and lesser than the current frame it is evaluating, it interpolates between them. If the frame difference is large, you see the results of interpolation rather than the results of solving frame by frame.
In simple cases, to evaluate a given frame, Maya usually needs the particle cache files only for that frame. However, Maya may need to access the state of particles at some other frame in order to resolve expressions, rigid body motion, motion blur, etc. If you are in doubt, we recommend caching out all frames. For example, if you want to render starting at frame 100, cache all frames up to 100 as well.
