When you choose Create > Particles > New Particle Type from the Simulation toolbar, you can select which basic shader to attach to it immediately: Billboard, Blob, or Sphere.
The Basic Particle Render Type Shaders
The Billboard, Sphere, and Blob shaders define the overall shape of the particles because they create the particle surface. As a result, you need to have one of these shaders attached to the particle type (or cloud) before you can attach other shaders.
Shown below is the same particle simulation with each of the three shaders applied to show the basic particle surface that is created:
By default, the Billboard shader is attached to particle types created with the Particle simulator and the Blob shader is attached to particle types created with the Fluid simulator. See Connecting Shaders in a Particle Render Tree for more information.
Because these shaders create the basic shading surface for the particle, you must attach one of them to the cloud or particle type to have particles rendered or to use other particle shaders, such as Sprite, Shape, or Color Gradient.
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When you choose Create > Particles > New Particle Type from the Simulation toolbar, you can select which basic shader to attach to it immediately: Billboard, Blob, or Sphere. |
Making Quick Connections to Other Shaders
In any of the Blob, Billboard, and Sphere shader property editors, you can quickly and easily connect some typical shaders to them.
Click the buttons on the Make Connections page to connect that shader to the Color input of the Blob, Billboard, or Sphere shader.
For example, the Shape shader is attached to the Billboard shader by default, but you can connect it quickly by clicking the Shape button on the Billboard shader’s Make Connections page.
If something is already plugged in to the basic shader’s Color input, it will be disconnected and the shader you choose takes its place.
The three basic shaders share many of the same parameters for shading and lighting properties, such as self-shadowing, color burn, global illumination, and shading properties (ambient and specular color settings).
For information on:
• Shading properties, see Setting the Ambient and Specular Colors.
• Transparency, see Setting the Particle Transparency.
• Static blur, see Static Blur (Interparticle Transparency).
• Self-shadows, see Creating Self-Shadows for Particles.
• Color burn, see Color Burn (Additivity).
• Global illumination, see Global Illumination.
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