HELP! How do I use BlizRibbon?!? (i have already read documentation)

OMG I'm so confused!

First of all let me explain what I'm doing. I am going to attempt a space mod, for multiplayer, but that will take 2-3 megs (so only for dsl/cable people) using custom units. However, as good as i am of a modeler, i have run into 2 problems.

1) i suck at skins. This should be solveable if i find some1 who would like to do them, or if i figure out wtf im doing in photoshop.
2) i cant figure out for the life of me how to use and abuse partical effects and/or ribbons.

number 2 is the problem im conserned with, because i know for assurity that some1 here knows how to make a ribbon, and lets face it, a spaceship without a ribbon from the engine when its moving is going 2 be very stupid looking....

To create particle emitters go to the "Create" panel (it's the first on the right bar), change "Standard Primatives" to "Particle Systems", choose "BlizPart", and click and drag in a view.
To create a ribbon, go to the "Helpers" panel, make sure it's on "Standard", and choose "BlizRibbon".

LOL he is not stupid, i think he means how do you get ribbons to work, which i dont know -_-

I dont think many people have gotten it to work

If he can't figure out how to use either, then it wouldn't make a lot of sense to assume that he can make either.

If you're stuck on getting them to work, say how far you've gotten and I'll tell you the rest. Here's a .max sample of one I just made.

oy, yes i do know how to add 1, i just have no idea how to make it make a trail, when i used it it makes a fan... its very very gay, i can post a screeny if u want to see what im talking about, im about to look at ur example, and oh, while ur helping me, plz describe how the skinning of these things works out....

EDIT: Eh, um ur example.... wtf is that? anyway what im trying to do is simulate a trail... like that of a arrow shot from an archer, u know how there is a trail behind it? that thing. particals may be the way that has to work, but im not exactly sure how they work either, and i was pretty sure ribbons were supposed to do this job... am i wrong?

My example is just a ribbon attached to a box and swinging around. It isn't suppoed to actually be anything.

Anyway, I've never used ribbons much so I'm not a great person to answer this. The only time I've seen a ribbon work in the previewer is when it is actually moving. I'd assume that having it move around in-game would also make it show, but I'm really not sure.

To attach a texture, just make it in the material editor and then choose it on the modify panel (there is a button to pick; make sure you're on 'Mtl editor").

ehrnm, i think u have me misunderstood at this point. Im farily competent navagating 3dsmax5. My main problem is figuring out how individual processes work. I actually have many more questions, but i have to goto bed right now :/ ill make a detailed link, and i would apreciate if u and heroic_milkman could lend me a hand. im at the stage where i would say on a scale from 1-10 in knowledge of modeling id be a 4, all i need is that little boost to set me on my way :P

If you already know how to create and use ribbons, I'm not sure what you're asking. Could you try rephrasing your question or something?

You may try to read the BlizzParticles/Ribbons part in THIS stickie.

Greets

NOTE: all refrences to ships in this are spaceships, not boat ships, when i proof read i noticed that this might not be clear to some1 who didn't read the first post.

Eh, that didn't help at all. The picture of the moving blob shows a little trail of team color, that is sort of what im trying to acomplish. I want a STREAM of particals basically to come out of my ships engines, so that it looks like a fuken ship, its really quite obvious what im trying to do, i thought. i want it to be a solid stream, with like the brighter collors in middle, and fading to yellow on the outside of the stream, think spaceshuttle launch. I was under the impression this was done with ribbons, however what i have been able to accomplish with ribbons at this point looks kindof like a freaken fan. wtf good is that? only thing i can think of is if u give it a low lifespan, it could be a helicopter blade....(oh yea, but i cant even figure out how to make it go flat ways(x-y plane), no matter how i turn it, it seems that it twirls like a fan(on the y-z plane). so now im wondering if there is something else i should be trying, and at the same time id like to learn how to make a lazer (should it just be a box?) because and missles will make up the arsinal of the ships.... anyhow this is just the ship part of what i need to do. I also need to make stars (the size of suns), so im going to need to learn lighting effects...

The stickie just shows you how to make basic adjustments so it looks ok. But that what you want to do seems not possible with BlizzParts or, i guess, very hard to make (look good).

Greets

You want particles. its hard to explain in detail by typeing so im gonna say to make it horizontal u have to animate it rotateing. Or u could use cone objects and add a texture to it and animate them with opacitys and sizes and movement.

aight, i belive u, plz either explain, or give me a little example, leave in max plz. all it needs to be is a cone/line (if its a line, ill just make a few little lines at slightly different angles, might even work better that way)