Method
Generates a set of points over the surface of an object or set of objects, within a given bounding box.
The generated set of points is intended to be used in conjunction with other nodes. For example it can be used for lighting, particle emission, and cloning. The advantage of using a point cache for these purposes is that the points are only generated once and are then re-used for all specialised nodes rather than each node generating it’s own pointset. Furthermore, lighting calculations can be cached for each point so for some purposes the results of those calculations can be re-used.
The cache also groups the points into a voxel hierarchy for the purposes of lighting, when Apply Lighting. Keep this option disabled whenever possible, as Apply Lighting costs performance.
When there are no objects plugged in to the Objects input then Point Cache will use all of the objects in the scene by default.
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| Nodegraph Example |
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Transform
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Position X | Move its position along the x-axis in local space. |
| Position Y | Move its position along the y-axis in local space. |
| Position Z | Move its position along the z-axis in local space. |
| Rotation Heading | Rotate the object about the y-axis. |
| Rotation Pitch | Rotate the object about the x-axis. |
| Rotation Bank | Rotate the object about the z-axis. |
| Scale X | Scale along the x-axis. |
| Scale Y | Scale along the y-axis. |
| Scale Z | Scale along the z-axis. |
Inherit Transform Channels
Toggle which transform channels should be inherited. By default, all are on.
Attributes
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Debug Render Level | The voxel hierarchy level to display for debugging |
| Show Points | Draw the points directly in-frame. |
| Apply Lighting | Apply lighting operations to the points. |
| Point Density | Controls the amount of points to generate on the surface. |
| Max Num Points (Millions) | The maximum number of points to create. If the points are not completely covering the surface then try increasing this number. |
| Dynamic | The Point Cache be dynamic or static. When it is dynamic it re-generates the point set on every frame. When it is static it retains the last-generated set of points. When static, Point Cache uses less computational resources. |
Inputs
| Name | Description | Typical Node Input |
|---|---|---|
| Objects | The objects for which points will be generated over all surfaes. | 3D Object |
| Bounding Box | The region to which point generation will be restricted. | Bounding Box |
| Transform Modifier | Links all transform properties to the input node. | Null |
| Target Node | Always faces the x-axis towards the inputs anchor point. | Null |
| Local Transform Override | Override the transformation values of the node, relative to its parent. | Null |
Outputs
Outputs a point cache that can be used as n input for other nodes, such as the Light the Clone To Point Cache nodes.
Notes
