Notch Notch Manual 0.9.23
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Trail Renderer

Trail Renderer

Renders trails which follow the path of particles.

image

Example .dfx

Method #

This node generates trails of lines or points along the path of individual particles to create trail-like effects. This is done by sampling the particle position at regular time intervals and storing the samples as control points in a path buffer. The size of the path buffer is finite so only a limited number of control points per particle may be stored, which in turn limits the visual length of the generated trail.

You can deform the generated geometry trails with Deformer Nodes.

Parameters

These properties control the core behaviours of the node.

ParameterDetails
Particle AlphaChange the alpha value for the particles.
Blend ModeEdit the blend mode used for the particles. See Blend Modes for details.
Primitive TypesChange the shape that trails behind the particle.
  • Lines : Single pixel lines trail the particles.
  • Thick Lines : Particles with variable thickness follow the particles.
  • Thick Lines (Simplified) : Uses simplified thick lines to generate to particle lines.
  • Extruded Geometry : Extrudes a geometric shape along the particle lines.
Line ThicknessEdit the thickness of the line rendered. Only functions if Use Thick Lines is turned on.
Line SoftnessChange the thickness of the gradient along the edge of the line.
LuminanceHow bright the drawn trail is.
Luminance RandomnessHow much rnadomness there is in the brightness of the drawn trail.
Sort Key ValueBiases the depth-based render order, to force the particle system to be drawn before or after other objects in the scene.
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.
Cast ShadowsControl whether shadows are cast.
Sort ParticlesToggle whether the particles are sorted by depth from camera from back to front before rendering, enabling transparent particles to be rendered correctly.

These properties control how the particle trails are generated.

ParameterDetails
Control Point Time SpacingThe minimum distance allowed between control point samples.
Trail Fade ModeSelect how the trail fading is calculated.
  • Time : Trail fades based on the timeline.
  • Length : Trail fades on the length of the trail.
  • Age : Trail fades based on the age of each particle.
Trail DecayThe rate of decay for control point samples. Only functions with Time set in Trail Fade Mode.
Trail Fade LengthSet the length at which the particles fade off at. Only functions with Length set in Trail Fade Mode.
Trail Fade AgeSet the age at which the particles fade at. Only functions with Age set in Trail Fade Mode.
Trail Fade RangeHow aggressively the particles fade away.
Num Trail VerticesChange the number of vertices generated to form the trail.
Particle Use AmountPercentage of particles that can be used by the node.
Num Radial SegmentsChange the number of sides to the extruded geometry. Extruded Geometry must be selected in the Primitive Types attribute.

Inputs

NameDescriptionTypical Input
MaterialInput a material to be used by the trail when in Extruded Geometry mode.Materials
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

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