Depending on the type of object in the list and which Volume Type is defined, the following settings will be displayed when the respective object is selected, i.e., not all settings described below will always be displayed.
The following types of objects can be added to the list:
Use these settings to create a Volume Filter (depending on the volume type, different filters will be made available; this is the same Filter object only with different settings. These can be found in the main menu under Volume/ Signed Distance Field Filters, Fog Filters and Vector Filters). These filters will not be created as objects in the Object Manager but will only exist here in the list. Contrary to the Filter objects, these have a reduced parameter set (e.g., the Coord tab will be hidden because its properties are irrelevant or will be assumed by the Volume Builder object).
These Filters can, however, be generated and dragged into the list just like objects. The functionality is the same.
The Filters affect elements arranged above them in the list.
Creates a folder that has a Mode assigned to it. A folder can have the following uses:
Elements will also be evaluated from bottom to top within a folder.
Clicking on this button will create a Cache Layer in accordance with the elements selected in the list.
Modes when using Signed Distance Field (SDF)
In this mode, Boolean operations can be executed.
The following modes are available:
Each Fog Voxel saves a float comma number as a value. The modes that can be defined here do nothing more than calculate these values mathematically. For example, if the Min mode is selected and Volume A puts out a value of 7 and Volume B a value of 5 for the same Voxel, the result will be 5. If Max is selected, the result would be 7 and with Add 12, etc.
Normal will simply overwrite the Voxel values of the object arranged above it in the list with the values from the object to which the Voxels are assigned. In the example above, the result would be 5. How this works in conjunction with the Falloff object can be read here.
The calculations are not particularly descriptive - testing together with a Volume Mesher can produce faster results.
Modes for use with the Vector volume type
If you want to blend vectors, you can select from the following options:
When generating Voxels, a grid made up of cube-shaped grid cels is used. By default, this grid lies at the object origin with no rotation. Drag another object onto the grid to define its origin and orientation for the Voxel Grid. So, what’s this good for?
When the Volume Mesher creates a mesh from the Voxels, artefacting can occur during interpolation. Assuming you have 3 cubes at different positions, for example. Depending on the position, one cube’s edge can be very sharp because it lies on the edge surface of two Voxels and the other cube’s edge looks rounded because it runs through the middle of a Voxel. In such cases it can be useful to overwrite the default Grid Matrix to round both edges.
Another possible use would be the animation of an object group using the static Grid Matrix. This will cause cracks in the geometry (especially obvious when using larger Voxel Scale values). If you drag the grouping Null object, for example, into the Override Grid Matrix field, the Grid Matrix will move as well and no cracks will occur.
This button will be displayed if a Volume object or Volume Builder is placed into the Override Grid Matrix field. What does this button do? It sets the Voxel Scale of the Volume Builder to that of the placed (Volume)object. This synchronizes the Voxel scales (the direction is already correct because of the Override Grid Matrix function) and the calculation is optimized to be as fast as possible. In other words: no re-sampling is necessary because the Voxels lie exactly on top of one another.
Depending on the scene’s complexity, working in the Objects list can be quite arduous, for example, if all Boolean operations have to be calculated when a Boole mode is changed. This automatic recalculation will always take place if the Auto Update Settings option is enabled. If you want to quickly make several changes you should disable this option before doing so. After the changes have been made you can click on the Update button (see below) to recalculate the Objects list.
Click on this button to recalculate the Objects list. Enable the Auto Update Settings option if you want this done automatically.
At the very bottom of the menu, the total number of active Voxels and the approximate memory requirement for the object currently active in the Objects list are displayed.