Scatter
The Scatter node is used to randomly scatter particles over the input geometry, the various parameters and inputs can be used to limit the location/density of the scattered points as well as how evenly they are spaced. If a second input is connected this may have an attribute used to control the density of the particles, by default Scatter looks for an attribute named density but any can be used, as long as the Groom Attribute parameter is set correctly.
Inputs
| Input | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Data Flow | Mesh or Fibres |
| 1 | Strands | Groom/Guide Curves which may have an attribute painted to control the density. |
Parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Density Multiplier | A density value is usually defined between 0-1, if you have an input Groom to control the density this is usually the case. This value is a multiplier on top of the base density. |
| Density | The density, based on input area. This is overridden if Input 1 is connected. |
| Lock Density | In some cases ( such as with clumping ) you need to make sure a specific density is retained even if rendering, this will make sure the Scatter node produces the same points regardless of the Display and Render densities. |
| Seed | A random seed value used to generate the points and also passed through the flow to any other connected nodes that may require random number evaluation. |
| Groom Attribute | The attribute that defines the density of the points if Input 1 is connected. |
| Source Object(s) | If more than one mesh is imported up stream this provides a means of generating points either on the first mesh, or all of them. |
| Face Set | Limits the creation of source points to faces only contained within the named face set ( if it exists ). |
| Ignore Region of Interest | Point generation will ignore the bound limits set by the current region of interest, if any. |
Fibres
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Base/Tip Density | Will modulate the density of the scattered particles along the length of the input fibre. |
| Up Vector | Used with the tangent of the input fibre to compute a decent random normal for the resulting particles. |
Distribution
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Relax Steps | By default Scatter creates fairly random points, by increasing the relaxation steps the points relax their positions which result in a more even and regular distribution ( which is generally what you need for feathers ). |
| Obey Face Set | Toggles whether the relax process is contained within the defined face set or not. |