This is the general procedure for creating a Particle Sampler Info node. These are general steps—we’ve included examples of specific tasks in Examples of using the Particle Sampler Info node.

To create a Particle Sampler Info node

1. Create your particles and set the Render Type to Cloud, Blobby, or Tube.
2. Determine which particle attribute you want to use to drive a shader attribute.
3. Add that attribute to the particle shape, if necessary.
4. Select the particles and display the Attribute Editor. Click the Attribute Editor tab for the shader, and find the shader attribute you want to drive with the particle attribute.
5. Click the (map) button next to that attribute to display the Create Render Node window.
6. In the Create Render Node window, under Maya, select Utilities.
   
7. In the right panel of the Create Render Node window, click Particle Sampler.

   Depending on the particle attribute you use to drive the shader attribute, Maya either displays the new Particle Sampler Info node in the Attribute Editor or the Connection Editor.

   In the case of color, transparency, and incandescence, Maya displays the node in the Attribute Editor and automatically makes the following default connections:

   • outColor -> color
   • outTransparency -> transparency
   • outIncandescence -> incandescence
   

   Other attributes display the Connection Editor with the Particle Sampler Info node on the From side and the shader on the To side.

   
8. For attributes that use the Connection editor, connect Particle Sampler Info node attributes to shader node attributes however you wish.

   The connection between the particle shape and the Particle Sampler Info node is implicit— you don’t actually make it. The only connection you make is between the Particle Sampler Info node and the shader.