Particle System. Instancing ¶

Table of Contents

Particle System. Instancing

A particle system can be used to create multiple object copies (so called instancing). This technique simplifies scene authoring and also reduces loading time and memory consumption as compared to the using of single objects.

_images/particles_instancing_example.png

Using particle systems for instancing has some limitations though:

Movement and animation of objects inside a particle system is not allowed.
Parenting is not possible among the objects inside a particle system, except for dupli-groups.
Instancing of non-mesh objects is not possible.

Particle System Setup ¶

Activation ¶

Create a particle system of the Hair type on the emitter.
On the Render panel select the Object (or the Group) rendering type.
In the Dupli Object field (or in the Dupli Group field) select the object (or the object group) for instancing. Both local and linked objects (or groups) are supported.

Recommended Additional Settings

In order to display correct sizes in the viewport, set the Emission > Hair Length and Render > Size parameters to 1.0.

Display settings ¶

Render > Use Count

The option is available for groups of particle objects. When enabled, the interface for setting the relative number of objects in a group becomes visible. The engine does not reproduce the exact positions of objects of certain types.

Render > Randomize Location and Size

The option enables randomization for the location and the size of the objects. If enabled, the engine generates random coordinates and size (limited to the ±25% range) for the particle objects. If disabled, the exact coordinates and sizes of the particle objects are exported and used.

Render > Randomize Initial Rotation

This option randomizes rotation of the objects relative to the axis defined by Rotation Type. If enabled, the engine generates random rotation angles for the particle objects. If disabled, the rotation is taken from the Rotation panel.

Render > Rotation Type

An Axis of random object rotation (the property is available when Render > Randomize Initial Rotation is enabled). There are two options:

Z axis - the objects are turned randomly around the vertical Z axis

Random axis - the objects are turned randomly around a random axis

The default is Z axis

Render > Rotation Strength

Coefficient which defines the range of random rotation angles - counting from the direction towards the camera. Available when the Render > Randomize Initial Rotation checkbox is enabled. Examples:

Rotation Strength = 1 - the angles will lie within the \([-\pi, \pi]\) range

Rotation Strength = 0.5 - the angles will lie within the \([-0.5 \cdot \pi, 0.5 \cdot \pi]\) range

Rotation Strength = 0.1 - the angles will lie within the \([-0.1 \cdot \pi, 0.1 \cdot \pi]\) range

The default value is 1.

Render > Billboard

Enables billboarding for particles. Disabled by default.

Render > Billboard Type

Billboarding type. The option is available when the Render > Billboard option is enabled. Three types are available:

Basic - simple one-sided billboarding: particles will be turned with their front to the observer

Random -Random - random two-sided billboarding: particles will be more often turned with their front or rear to the observer and less often with their side; also there will be a small random turn; this model is designed specially for grass instancing

Jittered - Jittered - one-sided billboarding with particles wavering along the plane which is turned to the observer; this model is designed specially for instancing of tree leaves

The default is Basic.

Render > Jitter Amplitude

Coefficient which defines the particle oscillation amplitude. Available when the Jittered type is selected from the Render > Billboard Type menu. The bigger this parameter is, the bigger is the oscillation amplitude. The default value is 0.

Render > Jitter Frequency

Particle oscillation frequency in hertz. Available when the Jittered type is selected from the Render > Billboard Type menu. The default value is 0.

Render > Billboard Geometry

Billboard rotation type (the option is available when the Render > Billboard checkbox is set). Two types are available:

Spherical - spherical billboarding i.e. particles are fully oriented to the observer and their rotation is unlimited;

Cylindrical - cylindrical billboarding i.e. particles are rotating only around the vertical Z axis;

The default is Spherical.

Dynamic grass setup ¶

Dynamic Grass

The option enables the dynamic grass rendering mode. Disabled by default.

Dynamic Grass > Scale Threshold

Minimum size for dynamic grass particles. Smaller particles will not be rendered. The option is available if Dynamic Grass is enabled.

Inheritance settings ¶

Properties Inheritance > Wind Bending

Inheriting the Wind Bending settings by the particles:

Parent - inherited from the emitter

Instance - inherited from the particle object itself

The default is Parent.

Properties Inheritance > Shadows

Inheriting the shadow settings by particles:

Parent - inherited from the emitter

Instance - inherited from the particle object itself

The default is Parent.

Properties Inheritance > Reflection

Inheriting the reflection settings by particles:

Parent - inherited from the emitter

Instance - inherited from the particle object itself

The default is Parent.

Properties Inheritance > Vertex Color

Inheriting the vertex color from the emitter. Contains two fields:

From - the emitter’s existing vertex color name

To - the particle’s existing vertex color name

There is no inheritance by default.

Grass ¶

Instancing of objects can be used for visualizing vast grass. In this case grass is rendered near the camera when it moves through the landscape.

Activation

On a separate plane object create a particle system for object instancing. Enable the Dynamic Grass option.
Enable the Terrain Dynamic Grass option for the supposed landscape material.

Setup

It is recommended to create a few planes (for example 3) with sizes corresponding to the desired grass cascades (e.g. 100, 150 and 250 meters).

For the landscape’s material, the following text fields become active when the Terrain Dynamic Grass option is enabled:

Dynamic Grass Size (R): Vertex color layer name of the landscape mesh which is intended for modifying the grass size. The size (i.e. height) of the grass is defined by gray tints - the brighter color the is the higher is the grass.
Dynamic Grass Color (RGB): Name of the landscape mesh’s vertex color layer which is intended for grass tinting. The vertex color is multiplied by the grass material color. The Influence > Blend parameter for the grass material’s diffuse texture should have the Multiply value.

Vertex color layers with such names should exist in the landscape mesh.

It is also recommended to disable rendering of the emitter (the Render > Emitter option).

Tree Leaves ¶

Instancing suits the rendering of tree leaves well and allows to get a better level of detail.

Activation

Performed as described in the Particle system setup -> Activation section (see above). In this case the tree is the emitter and the leaves and the small branches are the particles.

Additionally, the following operations can be performed for the emitter:

create a vertex group which includes vertices on which the particles will be placed

create a vertex color layer for the wind bending parameters of the tree and the leaves

create a vertex color layer to be inherited by the particles (for example it can be used for tinting the particles)

Setup

Random rotation settings

If the Initial Random Rotation checkbox is enabled, it is recommended to select the vertical axis for random rotation - Z axis (by using the Rotation Type menu). The Rotation Strength value can be set at will.

Billboarding settings

It is recommended to enable billboarding, to set its type as Jittered (by using the Render > Billboard Type menu) and to make it spherical - Spherical (by using the Render > Billboard Geometry menu). The Render > Jitter Amplitude and Render > Jitter Frequency values can be set at will.

Particle position settings

It is recommended to select the Verts value from the Emission > Emit From menu, and to select the emitter’s vertex group (in the Vertex Group > Density field) which defines the positions of particles. Note, that the Render > Randomize Location and Size checkbox should be disabled.

Wind effect settings

It is recommended to enable inheritance settings from the emitter - select the Parent in the Properties Inheritance > Wind Bending menu. Then for the emitter on the Object panel enable the Wind Bending checkbox and set up the bending parameters. For a tree, it is enough to specify the Wind Bending > Main Bending > Angle and Wind Bending > Main Bending > Frequency parameters and also a vertex color name for bending in the Wind Bending > Main Bending > Main Stiffness field.

Vertex color inheritance settings

For the emitter’s vertex color to be inherited by the particles, it is required to specify both the emitter’s vertex color name and the particle’s vertex color name in the Properties Inheritance > Vertex Color > From and Properties Inheritance > Vertex Color > To fields respectively. As a result, the color of the emitter’s vertex that is closest to the particle (specified in the From field) will be copied and propagated into the particle’s To vertex color layer.

The resulting vertex color layer with the name specified in the Properties Inheritance > Vertex Color > To field can be used in the particle’s node material for its tinting and for any other effects.

Setting up the size of particles via vertex group weights

In order to create dependency between the size of particles and vertex group weights, select the name of the desired vertex group in the Vertex groups > Length field.

The influence can be tweaked by setting weights in the selected vertex group.