Notch Notch Manual 0.9.23
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Point Renderer

Point Renderer

Renders a each particle as a sprite.

image

Method #

This node renders a point sprite for every particle. A point sprite is a plain rectangle which is positioned in 3D space, is rotated to face the camera and may be textured. This is the most commonly used rendering node for particle effects. An image or video may be used as a source for the sprite, set via the Texture parameter, or via a Video Node connected to the Image Node input. If an alpha channel is available, The alpha channel of the image is used to affect particle transparency.

Particles, like other 3D objects, are rendered to normalised viewport coordinates with sub-pixel accuracy. For some forms of output target such as low resolution LED screens it may be desirable to make particles fit exactly to pixels. The Pixel-Align Output control can be used to snap them to pixel boundaries and the size limits may optionally be specified in pixels.

Parameters

These properties control the core behaviours of the node.

ParameterDetails
TextureSelect a texture to be rendered at each particles position.
VisibleControl whether the node is visible or not to the scene.
Particle AlphaControl the alpha value for each particle.
Blend ModeEdit the blend mode used for the particles. See Blend Modes for details.
Particle SizeEdit the size of the particles once they are rendered.
Particle X ScaleControl the x-scale of the sprites emitted.
Particle Y ScaleControl the y-scale of the sprites emitted.
Particle Use AmountPercentage of particles that can be used by the node.
Pixel-Align OutputAlign the rendered points exactly to screen pixels, with no sub-pixel interpolation.
Particle Scale CoeffsHow much the particle scales are affected by the node at different stages of the particle life. Values 1 and 2 are control points, and are used to control the curve between values 0 and 3.
Screen Size LimitsThe minimum and maximum size of the rendered particle in normalised screen coordiates.
Specify Size Limits In PixelsIndicates whether particle size limits are specified in normalised viewport coordinates which are consistent across different render resolutions, or in pixels.
Size RandomnessControl the randomness in size of the particles.
Scale Over TimeChange the scale of the sprites over time.
Scale Over Time ModeHow the particle is scaled over time.
  • Particle Time : Individual particles scale over their life time; particles that live longer will end up scaling more.
  • Normalised Emitter Time : Individual particles scale over the time of the emitter.
  • Normalised Particle Time : Individual particles scale over their life time; the time is normalised so all particles reach the same scale at death.
Scale / Alpha ModeControl how the scale and alpha modes relate to each other.
RotationControl the rotation of the sprites.
Rotation RandomnessERROR: Variable not found: {att-node-particles-rotation-randomness-description}
Rotation Follows DirectionToggle whether the rotation of the particles follows the direction the particle is moving in.
AlignmentControl what the orientation of the sprites aligns too once spawned.
Luminance RandomnessControl how much randomness is in the luminance of the rendered particles.
Render Geometry TypeChoose whether the particles spawn as single pixel points or spawn as a sprite texture.
Blur Mip LevelsThe number of MIP levels in the image that may be used for blurring effects.
Sort Key ValueBiases the depth-based render order, to force the particle system to be drawn before or after other objects in the scene.
Sort ParticlesToggle whether the particles are sorted by depth from camera from back to front before rendering, enabling transparent particles to be rendered correctly.
Depth BiasOffsets particles in depth so they are closer or further away from the camera, changing the point at which they intersect with the rest of the scene.
Motion Blur AmountControl the amount of motion blur.
Mipmap EnabledToggle whether mipmaps are enabled.
Depth Of Field AmountHow much depth of field effects the particles.
Randomise DOF AmountRandomises the position of particles based on their distance from the focus plane.
Depth Of Field Texture SizeThe size of the texture used when depth of field is enabled.

These properties control spritesheet animation for input images which contain an animated texture.

ParameterDetails
Use Texture AnimationEdit whether the texture animation is shown with the rendering.
Texture Animation RateEdit whether the texture animation is shown with the rendering.
Texture Animation Loop FrameThe index of the frame that will be jumped to after a loop.
Texture Animation End FrameThe index of the last frame in the texture, which causes a loop when reached.
Num Frames XChange how many tiles the sprite image will be spread across the x axis.
Num Frames YChange how many tiles the sprite image will be spread across the y axis.
Texture Start Frame ModeThe method by which the start frame of the texture animation is chosen.
  • Frame 0 : The animation always starts at frame 0 for every particle.
  • Random : A random frame is chosen as the start frame.
  • Particle Index : The particle’s emission sequence index is used to choose the start frame.
  • Emitter Index : The particle’s emitter is used to choose the start frame, so all particles from one emitter start on the same frame.
Choose Frame By Best Fit To ColourChoose the texture animation frame by analysing which frame best fits the colour of the particle.

These properties control how the renderer is lit by other particles.

ParameterDetails
LitControl whether the particles are lit.
Volumetric ShadowsEnable volumetric shadows.
Volumetric Shadows AlphaThe transparency of the volumetric shadows.
Cast ShadowsCast shadows from particles onto the scene.
Shadow Particle SizeThe size of the particles when rendered into the shadow map.
Shadow Particle AlphaThe transparency of the particles when rendered into the shadow map.
Local Lighting EnabledToggles per-pixel lighting on particles.
CurvatureThe curvature of the particle when used for lighting.

Inputs

NameDescriptionTypical Input
Image NodeUsed to provide a texture for sprite rendering.Video Node
LightsControl which light nodes affect the particle shading.Light
Bounding BoxLimit the area for which shadow casting will be calculated.Bounding Box
Rendered EmittersSpecify which emitters are rendered using this renderer. By default, all emitters connected to the same particle root as the renderer are rendered.Primitive Emitter
Transform ModifiersApply the transforms of another node to this node.Null
Target NodeModifiy the rotations of the node to always direct the z axis towards the input.Null
Local Transform OverrideApply the transforms of another node to this node, relative to its parent.Null