Volume Shadow Shading
Updated: 22 Sep 2025
Light particles using shadow volumes.
Volume Shadow Shading
Method #
This node shades particles using a shadowing function from the point of view of a Light Node connected to the Light Node input. The shadow effect takes into account transparency of particles, so light will appear to be partially absorbed by particles rather than completely blocked by them.
The node works by splitting the volume into a 3D grid of cells, and particles within each cell are accumulated together. Setting a higher Sample Density will result in a higher density of cells in the grid, which in turn will mean less particles per cell, but will result in more realistic shadows.
This node is only effective if a Light is connected to the Light Node input. The light node must be a spot light.
Parameters
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
Parameter Details Particle Size
Edit the size of the particles once they are rendered.
Particle Alpha
Control the alpha value for each particle.
Particle Use Amount
Percentage of particles that can be used by the node.
Sample Density
The resolution of the grid that makes up the volume.
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 |
|---|---|
| Particle Size | Edit the size of the particles once they are rendered. |
| Particle Alpha | Control the alpha value for each particle. |
| Particle Use Amount | Percentage of particles that can be used by the node. |
| Sample Density | The resolution of the grid that makes up the volume. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Light Node | Control which light nodes affect the particle shading. | Light |
| 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 |