Density Shading
Updated: 27 Mar 2024
Shades particles by their density.
Density Shading
Method #
This node shades particles by the density of particles in a given area of space. More particles close together results in a brighter shading result. The node uses an internal bounding box to define the area of space that it considers, so you may need to add your own Bounding Box node to increase the area to sample. The area of space sampled per particle to determine density depends on a bounding area: it is segmented discretely, so a larger bounding box will cause a larger area per particle to be tested.
Parameters
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
Parameter Details Density Scale
Scales the density result before using it to calculate a shading value.
Colour
The colour to tint the particles with as density increases.
Blend Mode
The colour to tint the particles with.
- Multiply : Multiplies the current new colour against the particle colour.
- Add : Adds the new colour to the particle colour.
- Subtract : Subtracts the new colour from the particle colour.
- Blend : Blend between the new colour and the particle colour.
- Scale Alpha : Scale the particle alpha based on its density.
Blend Amount
Control how much the new shading affects the particles.
The properties control the time at which the node is active. See Timeline for editing time segments.
Parameter Details Duration
Control the duration of the node’s time segment.
- Composition Duration : Use the length of the composition for the node’s time segment duration.
- Custom : Set a custom duration for the node’s time segment.
Node Time
The custom start and end time for the node.
Duration (Timecode)
The length of the node’s time segment (in time).
Duration (Frames)
The length of the node’s time segment (in frames).
Time Segment Enabled
Set whether the node’s time segment is enabled or not in the Timeline.
Inputs
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Density Scale | Scales the density result before using it to calculate a shading value. |
| Colour | The colour to tint the particles with as density increases. |
| Blend Mode |
The colour to tint the particles with.
|
| Blend Amount | Control how much the new shading affects the particles. |
The properties control the time at which the node is active. See Timeline for editing time segments.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Duration |
Control the duration of the node’s time segment.
|
| Node Time | The custom start and end time for the node. |
| Duration (Timecode) | The length of the node’s time segment (in time). |
| Duration (Frames) | The length of the node’s time segment (in frames). |
| Time Segment Enabled | Set whether the node’s time segment is enabled or not in the Timeline. |
| Name | Description | Typical Input |
|---|---|---|
| Bounds Node | The bounding box of the space considered by the node. | Bounding Box |
| Affected Emitters | Choose which particle emitters can be affected by the affector. | Primitive Emitter |
| Transform Modifiers | Apply the transforms of another node to this node. | Null |
| Target Node | Modifiy the rotations of the node to always direct the z axis towards the input. | Null |
| Local Transform Override | Apply the transforms of another node to this node, relative to its parent. | Null |