Array operator

The Array operator allows you to spawn particles in linear/circular patterns.


Array Rollout

Array Type

  • Linear: when enabled, child particles will be offset from each other in linear patterns.

“Linear”, in this context, just means positionally along an X/Y/Z axis. For example, if you have a single planar particle and want to create a stack of them, you can use the Array operator to generate a number of particles offset along the Z-axis of the world. This will stack the new particles on top of each other.

  • Circular: when enabled, child particles will be offset from each other in circular patterns.

New Particles

  • By step size: controls whether particles will be spawned at steps (in degrees) around the array arc.

  • By count: controls whether a static number of particles will be spawned.

  • Step size: the spawn step size, in degrees.

  • Count: the spawn count.

  • Variation %: the per-particle percentage of variation to apply.
  • Move outwards: when enabled, spawned particle velocities will be affected such that they move outward from the current particle.

  • Velocity: the scale of the outward velocity vector to apply to spawned particles.

  • Variation %: the per-particle percentage of variation to apply.
  • Divergence: controls the degrees of random divergence to apply to outward velocity vectors.

  • Align rotation: when enabled, spawned particles will be aligned to the vector from their position to their parent.

  • X/Y/Z: the axis of a spawned particle’s transform to align to the vector between its position and the position of its parent.

  • Flip: flips the axis of alignment.

  • Delete parent: when enabled, the parent particle of the new array particles will be deleted.

Uniqueness

  • Seed: the seed value for all varied parameters.

Circular Array Rollout

Circular Array Axis

  • X/Y/Z: controls the axis around which particles will be spawned.
Coordinates
  • World Space: the selected axis will be relative to world-space.

  • Particle Space: the selected axis will be relative to the current particle’s transform.

Circular Array Settings

  • Offset: the distance between the current particle and spawned particles.

  • Variation %: the per-particle percentage of variation to apply.
  • Rotate around axis: controls how much rotational offset to apply to all spawned particles, around the array axis.

  • Min/Max angle: controls the size of the circular arc around the array axis that particles will be spawned within.

  • Variation %: the per-particle percentage of variation to apply.

Linear Array Rollout

Linear Array Coordinates

  • World Space: the spread axes will be relative to world-space.

  • Particle Space: the spread axes will be relative to the current particle’s transform.

Linear Array Settings

  • X/Y/Z Spread: the distance between each spawned particle along the specified axis.

  • Variation %: the per-particle percentage of variation to apply.
  • Center spread around parent: when enabled, the spread of the group of spawned particles will be centered around the parent particle position. When disabled, the spread will be offset from the parent particle position.