Variation
These options all work on the same principle and allow you to modify the original positions, orientations, and sizes of the instances either randomly or by assigning maps.
Here, you can choose whether the object should have variations at all, and whether these variations are determined by the Scatter object or by the Scatter tag:
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Off: Neither the variations configured by the Scatter object nor those configured by the Scatter tag are applied.
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Inherit: This is the default setting, which causes the tag-carrying object to receive only the variations from the Scatter object.
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Override: Enable this mode to apply the variations set in the tag to the object, thereby overriding the Scatter object's default settings.
Normally, all objects assigned to the Scatter object are used equally within the distribution. However, imbalances can also be created using different Probability values. As a general rule, the lower the value here, the less frequently that object appears in the Scatter distribution. Values greater than 100% can also be used to increase the frequency of an object’s appearance accordingly.
A value of 0% can also be used to remove an object entirely from the distribution.
Here, you select the global axis direction that the placed instances should use as a reference for their orientation.
Optionally, the alignment of the instances can also be based on the position of an object assigned here.
This setting group can affect the rotation of instances around their Y-axis in order to align the instances' Z-axis as desired. This is particularly useful when working with billboards—that is, simple polygons or planes that use a material that must remain as directly facing the camera as possible. This allows you to use photos of people or even trees as instances while conserving memory.
Here, you can choose whether the object should have variations at all, and whether these variations are determined by the Scatter object or by the Scatter tag:
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Off: Neither the variations configured by the Scatter object nor those configured by the Scatter tag are applied.
-
Inherit: This is the default setting, which causes the tag-carrying object to receive only the variations from the Scatter object.
-
Override: Enable this mode to apply the variations set in the tag to the object, thereby overriding the Scatter object's default settings.
This percentage value simply describes how strongly the instances should be influenced when aligning the Z-axis. To see an effect, you must either assign an Look At object or enable the Active Camera option so that the instances react to the viewer's position. This should be particularly helpful when using billboard objects as instances.
Here, you can link to an object whose position is used to determine the rotation of the instances around their Y-axis. The instances are then rotated so that their Z-directions point as closely as possible toward the position of this Look At object. The intensity of this alignment is controlled by the Influence setting.
Enabling this option automatically rotates the instances around their Y-axis so that their Z-axis points toward the active camera. Keep in mind that the Influence value determines the strength of this alignment.
This allows you to vary the vertical distance of the instances from the surface—either by a fixed amount or randomly.
Here, you can choose whether the object should have variations at all, and whether these variations are determined by the Scatter object or by the Scatter tag:
-
Off: Neither the variations configured by the Scatter object nor those configured by the Scatter tag are applied.
-
Inherit: This is the default setting, which causes the tag-carrying object to receive only the variations from the Scatter object.
-
Override: Enable this mode to apply the variations set in the tag to the object, thereby overriding the Scatter object's default settings.
The offset specified here is used identically for all instances. This can help, for example, to sink all instances evenly into the ground.
These settings control the random variation in instance offsets. Random Min specifies the smallest offset that will be generated, and Random Max specifies the largest possible offset.
The Bias value controls which of these settings the random calculation should favor. The default setting of 50% ensures balanced results, with the entire range between Random Min and Random Max occurring evenly.
Using a vertex map linked here — which is based on a surface object — you can control the intensity of the random offsets along the surface. Only in areas vertex map weighted with 1.0 is the full random value used for the displacement. Areas with a weight of 0 within the vertex map receive no random offset at all. Please note that the vertex map only affects the random displacements. The general displacement of the instances, set via the Offset value, remains fully intact.
These settings allow you to adjust the original rotation of the instances.
Here, you can choose whether the object should have variations at all, and whether these variations are determined by the Scatter object or by the Scatter tag:
-
Off: Neither the variations configured by the Scatter object nor those configured by the Scatter tag are applied.
-
Inherit: This is the default setting, which causes the tag-carrying object to receive only the variations from the Scatter object.
-
Override: Enable this mode to apply the variations set in the tag to the object, thereby overriding the Scatter object's default settings.
The offset specified here is used identically for all instances. For example, this can help correct misaligned axis systems in the objects used for instantiation.
These settings control the random variation in instance rotations. Random Min specifies the smallest rotation offset that will be generated, and Random Max specifies the largest possible rotation offset.
The Bias value controls which of these settings the random calculation should favor. The default setting of 50% ensures balanced results, with the entire range between Random Min and Random Max occurring evenly.
Using a vertex map linked here — which is based on a surface object — you can control the intensity of the random rotations along the surface. Only in areas vertex map weighted with 1.0 is the full random value used for the rotation. Areas with a weight of 0 within the vertex map receive no random rotation at all. Please note that the vertex map only affects the random rotations. The general rotation of the instances, set via the Offset value, remains fully intact.
These settings allow you to adjust the original scale of the instances.
Here, you can choose whether the object should have variations at all, and whether these variations are determined by the Scatter object or by the Scatter tag:
-
Off: Neither the variations configured by the Scatter object nor those configured by the Scatter tag are applied.
-
Inherit: This is the default setting, which causes the tag-carrying object to receive only the variations from the Scatter object.
-
Override: Enable this mode to apply the variations set in the tag to the object, thereby overriding the Scatter object's default settings.
Activate this for uniform random scaling. If this option is disabled, all three axes can be scaled independently of one another.
The scaling correction specified here is applied identically to all instances. The percentages refer to changes relative to the original sizes of the instantiated objects.
These settings control the random variation in instance scales. Random Min specifies the smallest scale offset that will be generated, and Random Max specifies the largest possible scale offset.
The Bias value controls which of these settings the random calculation should favor. The default setting of 50% ensures balanced results, with the entire range between Random Min and Random Max occurring evenly.
When the Global Offset option is enabled, the instances are automatically scaled uniformly along all axes. Otherwise, you can specify individual values for all three axes.
Using a vertex map linked here — which is based on a surface object — you can control the intensity of the random scaling along the surface. Only in areas vertex map weighted with 1.0 is the full random value used for the scaling. Areas with a weight of 0 within the vertex map receive no random scaling at all. Please note that the vertex map only affects the random scaling. The general scaling of the instances, set via the Relative Offset value, remains fully intact.
By default, the placed instances use the same materials as the objects grouped under the Scatter object. However, if you use objects there that have not been assigned materials, you can assign a uniform or randomly varied color to the instances in this section. These colors are also used for the Point and Bounding Box representations, which you can select in the Viewport Mode within the Scatter object’s Distribution settings.
Here, you can choose whether the object should have variations at all, and whether these variations are determined by the Scatter object or by the Scatter tag:
-
Off: Neither the variations configured by the Scatter object nor those configured by the Scatter tag are applied.
-
Inherit: This is the default setting, which causes the tag-carrying object to receive only the variations from the Scatter object.
-
Override: Enable this mode to apply the variations set in the tag to the object, thereby overriding the Scatter object's default settings.
This is the general color that is applied to all instances. The same color is also used for the Points and Bounding Box viewport displays that can be activated in the Distribution settings.
Here you can specify a random minimum and maximum deviation for the Base Color. The color saturation and brightness remain unchanged.
Here you can specify a random minimum and maximum deviation for the saturation of the Base Color.
Here you can specify a random minimum and maximum deviation for the brightness of the Base Color.
The random variation in the hue, saturation, and brightness of the Base Color is based on this seed value. Changing the Seed therefore also results in new random color distributions across the instances.