Pack operator

The Pack operator can be used to pack particle meshes into non-overlapping configuations.

The Pack operator uses an efficient UV-packing algorithm to pack 3D, concave meshes into a non-overlapping state on a 2D plane. It cannot be used to pack meshes into a volume or across a non-planar surface.

The Pack operator will not detach disconnected particle mesh elements. You can use an Element Fracture operator to detach elements prior to a pack operation.


Pack center

  • Node: if a node is assigned, the result of the pack operation will be centered at the node’s position in world-space. If a node is not assigned, the result of the pack operation will be centered at the world origin.

  • Affect scale: when enabled, the scale of the node will affect the scale of the packed result.

Mesh orientation

  • Local/world X/Y/Z: controls which local or world axis particles will be implicitly projected (flattened) along during the pack operation. This axis is essentially the “up” axis of the pack operation, which will be perpendicular to the packed result.

  • Allow pack rotation: when enabled, particles may be rotated during the pack operation (around the “up” axis, specified above).

Packing

  • Padding: controls the amount of padding to add between particle meshes during the pack operation.

The padding value is not a world-space value. The pack operation is performed in a rasterized UV-space of 1024 square pixels - the padding value is relative to that rasterized UV-space. Larger padding values may increase the time it takes to perform the pack operation.

Uniqueness

  • Seed: the seed value for all varied parameters.