Change nParticle render type

The nParticle render type is automatically set according to the nParticle style you select when you create an nParticle object. You can change the render type using the Particle Render Type attribute. Changing the Particle Render Type will automatically add dynamic attributes that are used by that Particle Render Type. For information about changing an nParticle object render type, see Choose how particles render in the Dynamics guide.

Set Threshold

Threshold controls surface blending between Cloud or Blobby Surface spheres. Threshold is important in determining the appearance of rendered nParticles.

For example, when creating Liquid Simulation nParticles, Threshold determines the size and smoothness of the nParticle’s rendered surface by controlling the density of the overlapping particles. The following images show a rendered nParticle object at different Threshold values.

To set Threshold

1. In the scene view, select the nParticle object whose Threshold value you want to edit.
2. In the Attribute Editor, select the nParticle object’s nParticleShape tab.
3. In the Shading section, set the Threshold value.

   To view the results of the Threshold adjustment, render a simulated frame.

Set nParticle Opacity, Color, and Incandescence

nParticle Opacity, Color, and Incandescence can be set on a per nParticle object or per-particle basis. Using the nParticle objects’s shading ramps, you can map per-particle Opacity, Color, and Incandescence values to nParticle properties such as particle Age, Particle ID, and Radius.

For information about setting internal per-particle attribute ramps, see nParticle internal attribute ramps and per-particle attributes. For information about setting per-particle Opacity, Color, or Incandescence using an expression, see nParticle Per Particle (Array) Attributes.

To set nParticle Opacity

1. In the scene view, select the nParticle object whose opacity you want to edit.
2. In the Attribute Editor, select the nParticle object’s nParticleShape tab.
3. Under Shading, set the Opacity value.

To set the nParticle Opacity Scale ramp

1. In the scene view, select the nParticle object for which you want to set an Opacity Scale ramp.
2. In the Opacity Scale section of the nParticleShape node Attribute Editor, create the Opacity value curve by setting values for Selected Position and Selected Value. See Opacity Scale.
3. Set an Interpolation method to determine how particle opacity blends between each position on the ramp. See Interpolation.
4. Set Opacity Scale Input to determine which attribute is used as the input attribute for the opacity ramp. See Opacity Scale Input.
5. (Optional) Set Input Max to define the range of the Opacity Scale ramp. See Input Max.
6. (Optional) Set the Opacity Randomize to add a randomized multiplier to the per-particle Opacity values.

To set nParticle Color

1. In the scene view, select the nParticle object for which you want to set particle Color.
2. In the Shading section of the nParticleShape node Attribute Editor, under Color, create the color value curve by setting values for Selected Position and Selected Color.
3. Set an Interpolation method to determine how color blends between each position on the ramp. See Interpolation.
4. Set Color Input to determine which attribute is used as the input attribute for the color ramp. See Color Input.
5. (Optional) Set Input Max to define the range of the Color ramp. See Input Max.
6. (Optional) Set the Color Randomize to add a randomized multiplier to per-particle Color values. See Color Randomize.

To set nParticle Incandescence

1. In the scene view, select the nParticle object for which you want to set particle Incandescence.
2. In the Shading section of the nParticleShape node Attribute Editor, under Incandescence, create the incandescence value curve by setting values for Selected Position and Selected Color.
3. Set an Interpolation method to determine how color blends between each position on the ramp. See Interpolation.
4. Set Incandescence Input to determine which attribute is used as the input attribute for the incandescence ramp. See Incandescence Input.
5. (Optional) Set Input Max to define the range of the Incandescence ramp. See Input Max.
6. (Optional) Set the Incandescence Randomize to add a randomized multiplier to per-particle Incandescence values. See Incandescence Randomize.