Texture

../../../_images/physics_force-field_types_empty.png

Texture force field.

You can use a Texture force field to create an arbitrarily complicated force field, which force in the three directions is color coded. Red is coding for the X-axis, green for the Y-axis and blue for the Z-axis (like the color of the coordinate axes in the 3D View). A value of 0.5 means no force, a value larger than 0.5 acceleration in negative axis direction (like -Z), a value smaller than 0.5 acceleration in positive axis direction (like +Z).

Options

../../../_images/physics_force-field_types_texture.jpg

UI for a Texture force field.

Texture mode

This sets the way a force vector is derived from the texture.

RGB
Uses the color components directly as the force vector components in the color encoded directions. You need an RGB texture for this, e.g. an image or a colorband. So a Blend texture without a colorband would not suffice.
Gradient
Calculates the force vector as the 3D-gradient of the intensity (grayscale) of the texture. The gradient vector always points to the direction of increasing brightness.
Curl
Calculates the force vector from the curl of the 3D-RGB texture (rotation of RGB vectors). This also works only with a color texture. It can be used for example to create a nice looking turbulence force with a color clouds texture with Perlin noise.
Nabla
It is the offset used to calculate the partial derivatives needed for Gradient and Curl texture modes.
Use Object Coordinates
Uses the emitter object coordinates (and rotation & scale) as the texture space the particles use. Allows for moving force fields, that have their coordinates bound to the location coordinates of an object.
Root Texture Coordinates
This is useful for hair as it uses the texture force calculated for the particle root position for all parts of the hair strand.
2D
The 2D button disregards the particles z-coordinate and only uses particles x&y as the texture coordinates.

Remember that only procedural texture are truly 3D.

Examples

  • A single colored texture (0.5, 0.0, 0.5) creates a force in the direction of the positive Y-axis, e.g. hair is orientated to the Y-axis.
  • A blend texture with colorband can be used to created a force “plane”. E.g. on the left side (0.5, 0.5, 0.5), on the right side (1.0, 0.5, 0.5) you have a force plane perpendicular to XY (i.e. parallel to Z). If you use an object for the coordinates, you can use the object to push particles around.
  • An animated wood texture can be used to create a wave like motion.