Notch Notch Manual 0.9.23
 Light | Dark
Primitive Emitter

Primitive Emitter

Emit particles from a primitive shape.

image

Method #

This node emits particles in the form of a 3D primitive shape. The Emitter Type parameter defines which shape is used. Particles can be emitted on the surface of the shape or inside the volume of the shape, depending on the Emit On Surface parameter.

If the emitter has an animated transform, emitted particles may track the motion of the primitive so they appear to stick to or follow the moving primitive. The Parent Transform Weight parameter scales this effect.

The transformation values of this node will be inherited by its children. Furthermore, Affectors, Shading, and Rendering nodes will only be effective to the particles emit by this emitter.

Parameters

These properties control the 3D transforms of the node. Transforms will generally be inherited by child nodes, although they can be ignored through the Inherit Transform Channels attributes.

ParameterDetails
Position XMove along the local x-axis.
Position YMove along the local y-axis.
Position ZMove along the local z-axis.
Rotation HeadingRotate around the local y-axis.
Rotation PitchRotate around the local x-axis.
Rotation BankRotate around the local z-axis.
Scale XScale along the local x-axis.
Scale YScale along the local y-axis.
Scale ZScale along the local z-axis.

Toggle which transform channels should be inherited from the parent node. By default, all transforms will be inherited.

ParameterDetails
Position XToggle inheritance of the X Position from the parent.
Position YToggle inheritance of the Y Position from the parent.
Position ZToggle inheritance of the Z Position from the parent.
Rotation HeadingToggle inheritance of the Rotation Heading from the parent.
Rotation PitchToggle inheritance of the Rotation Pitch from the parent.
Rotation BankToggle inheritance of the Rotation Bank from the parent.
Scale XToggle inheritance of the X Scale from the parent.
Scale YToggle inheritance of the Y Scale from the parent.
Scale ZToggle inheritance of the Z Scale from the parent.
World Position OnlyInherit the world position from the parent only, rotation and scale will be ignored. Overrides above properties.
Inherit TimeToggle inheritance of time from the parent.

These properties control the core behaviours of the node.

ParameterDetails
Emitter TypeThe shape in which the particles are emitted.
  • Sphere : Particles spawn within a 3D sphere.
  • Box : Particles spawn within a 3D Cube.
  • Cylinder : Particles spawn within a Cylinder.
  • Plane : Particles spawn on a flat, 2D Plane.
  • 2D Grid : Particles spawn along the edges of a 2D grid.
  • 3D Grid : Particles spawn along the edges of a 3D grid.
  • Point : all particles spawn at the same point in 3D space.
Repeating RandomToggle whether the random number generation repeats, and particles are emitted with repeated transform properties.
SeedChoose a seed for the random number generation.
Uniform DistributionMake sure the particle generation is evenly distributed throughout the object.
Emit On SurfaceToggle whether particles emit on the surface of the emitter object.
Normal DirectionControls the way particle normals are generated.
  • Emitter Shape : use the underlying primitive shape.
  • Emitter Motion : normals point in the direction of motion of the emitter.
  • Emitter Facing : normals point in the facing direction of the emitter.
Emission VelocityHow much of the motion from the emitter is transferred to the generated particles. Because this is an initial velocity, further transforms by the emitter will not be inherited.
Parent Transform WeightHow much the transform of the parent affects the transform of the particles.
Parent Transform Weight RandomnessAdds some randomness to the transform weight per particle, meaning some particles will follow the parent transforms less.
Parent Transform Weight Life CoeffsHow much the particles are affected by the parent nodes transforms at different stages of the particles life cycle. Values 2 and 3 are control points, and are used to control the curve between values

These properties control how the particles are emit from the node, and thier core life properties.

ParameterDetails
Emitter ActiveChange whether the emitter is on or off.
LifeControl how low long each particle exists for.
RandomnessHow much randomness is added in the particles movement.
Max Particle CountSet a maximum particle count for the emitter.
Respawn EnabledToggle whether a particle can respawn.
Life RandomnessControl the randomness for the life of each particle.
Emission RateWhat percentage of the particles are emitted from the emitter per second.

Tints the particles colours from the emitter. To enable, add an colour ramp input to this node.

ParameterDetails
Colour Selection ModeChoose how the input colour affects the particles.
  • Input Colour : the first colour input is the only colour output.
  • Selected Single Colour : Uses the Colour selection parameter to decide which colour to use from the input ramp.
  • Emission Time : colour is selected based on time at which the particle is emitted.
  • Random Colour : the colour is selected randomly at the particles creation.
Colour Selection ParametersA number used to select the colour output.

These properties control the material the particles use for emission.

ParameterDetails
ColourRGB colour of particles.
DiffuseControl how much the light is scattered from the surface of the object.
EmissivenessControl how much light is emitted by the particle.
Life Colour Affecter WeightControls how much the result of any Life Colour Shading nodes are blended with the particle’s colour.
Particle ScaleScale the size of the particle.
Dof AmountHow much depth of field effects the particles material.
DensityThe density, for use in some simulations.
TemperatureThe density, for use in some simulations.
Cooling RateThe cooling rate, for thermal dynamics simulations.
Density DecayControl the rate of decay in the density.
Fade In TimeWhat percentage through the particles life span the particle fades in.
Fade Out TimeWhat percentage through the particles life span the particle fades out.
Fade Falloff CoefficientChange the weighting of the fade falloff to either speed up or slow down over time.

Inputs

NameDescriptionTypical Input
Colour Control NodesControl the colours of the particles on emission.Colour Ramp
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

Related Videos