Fields > Gravity

Fields > Gravity >

This sets the options when you create a Gravity field.

Magnitude

Sets the strength of the gravity field. The greater the magnitude, the faster the objects will accelerate in the direction of the gravitational force.

Attenuation

Sets how much the strength of the field diminishes as distance to the affected object increases. The rate of change is exponential with distance; the Attenuation is the exponent. If you set Attenuation to 0, the force remains constant over distance.

Direction X, Y, Z

Sets the direction of the gravitational force.

Distance

Use Max Distance

If you turn on Use Max Distance, connected objects within the area defined by the Max Distance setting are affected by the gravity field. Any connected objects outside the Max Distance are not affected by the gravity field.

If you turn off Use Max Distance, all connected objects are affected by the gravity field, no matter how far away they are from the gravity field.

Max Distance

Sets the maximum distance from the gravity field at which the field is exerted. You must also turn on Use Max Distance for Max Distance to take effect. Available in Attribute Editor only.

NoteBy default, the gravity field and most other fields have Max Distance set to a value of -1 and Use Max Distance turned off. The -1 value for Max Distance has no effect because the Use Max Distance setting is turned off. If you turn on Use Max Distance, the -1 value has the same effect as a value of 0—no objects are affected by the field at any distance.

The -1 value is included for compatibility with previous releases of Maya. If you turn on Use Max Distance and change the value of Max Distance, you can enter a positive number only.

Special Effects

Available in the Attribute Editor for object fields only.

Apply Per Vertex

Sets where the field emanates from the object. If you turn on Apply Per Vertex, each individual point (CV, particle, vertex) of the chosen object exerts the field equally at full strength. If you turn off Apply Per Vertex, the field is exerted only from the average position of the specified points.

If you are using the Attribute Editor, open the Special Effects section to display the Apply Per Vertex attribute.