Particle Emitters¶

Particle emitters continuously spawn new particles of assigned particle types (child nodes in the object browser) in a defined area. They also define in which direction particles go initially.

Emitter shapes¶

Particle emitters generate particles inside a defined area. This area can have different shapes.

Point: The emitter generates particles at a single point.
Line: Particles are emitted on a straight line.
Circle: Particles are emitted inside a circular or elliptical shape.
Rectangle: Particles are emitted inside a rectangle.
Path: Particles are emitted on a custom path consisting of connected line segments. Define the path by adding line segments in the scene window with Shift+LMB.
Sphere: Particles are emitted inside a sphere or ellipsoid. Only for 3D effects.
Cube: Particles are emitted inside a cube. Only for 3D effects.
Cylinder: Particles are emitted inside a cylinder. Only for 3D effects.

Distribution modes¶

When spawning particles inside the emitter shape, particle emitters can use different techniques to determine the exact points where particles are spawned. For example, you may want to spawn particles near the edge of the shape or on in a grid-like pattern.

Uniform: Particles are spawned at randomly generated locations (uniform distribution) inside the emitter area.
Center: Particles are created mostly around the center and less at the boundary.
Hole: More particles spawn near the emitter boundary and less in the center.
Boundary: Particles are created only on the emitter boundary.
Grid (random): Particles spawn at random points of a grid.
Grid (ordered): Particles are created on points in a grid, one grid point after the other.

Emission modes¶

The emission mode of particle emitters controls when particles are created during the lifetime of the emitter.

Continuous: The emitter continuously spawns particles throughout its lifetime.
Burst (start): The emitter instantiates all particles immediately after being created.
Burst (end): Particles are spawned at the end of the emitter lifetime, or - if the emitter is a sub-emitter - when particles of the parent emitter reach the end of their lifetime.

Direction modes¶

When a particle is created by the particle emitter, it decides in which direction to emit the particle based on the specified direction and the given direction mode.

Fixed: Particles shoot off in a common direction.
Outwards: Particles move away from the emitter.
Inwards: Particles move towards the emitter’s center.
Inherit: Particles move along the direction of the parent particle or emitter.
Inherit (inverse): Particles move against the direction of the parent particle or emitter.

Properties¶

The following properties can be adjusted in the property window to define how emitters create particles.

General¶

Property	Description
Lifetime	Time period during which the emitter is active and spawns particles. After the time expires, the emitter stops producing particles. If Repeat is activated, the emitter starts again after the specified duration. This is useful for emitters that should repeat their behavior after a certain amount of time.
Type	Shape of the emitter area.
Particle distribution	Where particles are spawned inside the emitter area.
Particle emission	When particles are emitted during the lifetime of the emitter.
Size	Extent of the emitter area.
Orientation	Orientation of the emitter area in degrees. For 3D effects, the orientation is composed of roll, yaw and pitch.
Direction	Direction in which particles move when spawned, in degrees. For 3D effects, the direction is composed of roll, yaw and pitch.
Spread	How much the direction varies. A spread of 0° means that particles only move in the specified direction, while 360° leads to particles shooting off in all directions.

Motion¶

Property	Description
Position	Position of the emitter. This option allows you to specify a motion path the emitter traverses during its lifetime. It is shown in the scene view if the property is selected.