To create one, find Vector Field Volume in the Class Viewer and drag and drop it into the level.

In order for a vector field to be set up within a level, a Vector Field Volume Actor will need to be added, and the appropriate vector field asset will need to be associated with it.Ī Vector Field Volume Actor is not a volume in the traditional sense. However, they cannot merely be dragged out of the Content Browser**. Global Vector Fields*, as mentioned above, can be placed in a level as an Actor.

Doing so allows you to perform a fluid simulation offline and reconstruct the motion in real-time at very little cost. Further, the 2D images may be animated by storing individual frames in an atlas texture. A static vector field may be added on top of this reconstruction to introduce some noise and randomness. In this case, an image much like a normal map can be imported and used to reconstruct a volume texture by extruding or revolving it around a volume. Static fields are very cheap and can be used to add interesting motion to particles, especially by animating the motion of the field itself.Īdditionally, vector fields may be reconstructed from a 2D image. These fields can be exported from Maya and imported as a volume texture. Static vector fields are those in which the grid of vectors never changes. When tightness is set to 1, particles read their velocity directly from the field and thus follow the field exactly. This parameter controls how directly particles follow the vectors in the field. Vector fields also have a 'tightness' parameter.

When a particle enters the bounds of the vector field, its motion will be influenced by it and when a particle leaves the bounds, the influence of the field will fade out.īy default, vector fields impart a force on particles within them. A field may also be placed within Cascade (Local Vector Field), limiting its influence to the emitter with which it is associated. They are dynamic and may be moved at any time. Vector fields are placed in the world as Actors (Global Vector Field) and can be translated, rotated, and scaled like any other Actor. A vector field is a uniform grid of vectors that influences the motion of particles. The most interesting feature of GPU particles, aside from their efficiency, is vector fields.

Terragen vector fields