NeatScatter Quick Guide

This is a quick guide for basic interactions. It contains brief tutorials to create various effects with the scatter plugin.

Getting Started

  1. Add NeatScatter plugin into the scene. The plugin is located in the Geometry category, under NeatScatter. The plugin is created by click+drag and displays a logo.
  2. Add target node into the scene, at any node convertible to triangle representation.
  3. Go to NeatScatter Modify tab, click on the Select Target Node button and then click on your target in the viewport.
  4. Choose a preset from the list.
  5. Click the Generate button.
  6. You can see generated models of drops on your target. You can also see that the plugin created a new layer, where it loaded the models used by the preset (they are part of NeatScatter data).
  7. You can also display and modify these loaded models to view the changes being applied in the scattering.

Scatter your own models

  1. Add NeatScatter into the scene, select Target.
  2. Add a new layer, named selection or container, fill it with the models you want to scatter.
  3. Do not load any preset, leave the default settings, in Select Models tab, click on the Select… button.
  4. In the dialog, find your new Layer / Named Selection / Container, check the appropriate checkbox. Check all the models of that set that you want to scatter, using Select All button.
  5. Confirm changes by clicking OK.
  6. Modify the scale, distance, other parameters.
  7. Click Generate button.

SPECIFY THE SCATTERING AREA

  1. Add NeatScatter plugin into the scene.
  2. Prepare Target node: create a bitmap texture with greyscale areas – white where you want the scattering to be 100%, black for areas without scattering, and gray for areas where the scattering places models with some probability. Assign this texture to your Target node, on any texture stage.
  3. Go to NeatScatter object, Modify tab, and Select Target node.
  4. Select the scattering parameters – either load a preset, or select your own models to scatter, set up other parameters.
  5. In the parameters, check the Distribution Mask checkbox. Choose texture stage where you assigned your mask texture.
  6. Click on Generate button.

USE DIFFERENT COLLISION MESH

  1. Add NeatScatter plugin into the scene, select Target Node.
  2. Prepare your own models into a separate layer. Make at least three models. Name one model “ScatterTest”.
  3. Add new object – a larger Box, rename it to “ScatterTest_nscollision”.
  4. Choose the models: go to NeatScatter plugin, Modify tab, press Select… button.
  5. In the dialog, check your Set. In the list of models, you can see your “ScatterTest” model in the list, check it. Check the other models to view the effect.
  6. Change parameters so that the Distance ranges from 0.01 to 0.02 – models should be almost touching.
  7. Set the Convex hull radio, press Generate.
  8. Notice that other models are close to each other according to their geometry. Also notice that your ScatterTest model is scattered as if it were Box shaped.

ADD MORE GROUPS

  1. Add NeatScatter into the scene, select target node.
  2. Prepare your own models into a separate layer – generate models with a geometry of approximately 1 unit in size (for example add some Teapots with radius of 0.7. 0.8 and 0.9)
  3. Go to Select Models tab, select your group, and all models inside it.
  4. Leave the settings unchanged.
  5. Go to Groups list, rename the default Group 0 to “Large Models”
  6. Select group, click the Copy button.
  7. Click on the new group (named “Large Models (Copy)”), rename it to “Small Models”.
  8. Keep this group selected, change its parameters.
  9. In the Models Scale section, change the range to 0.1 – 0.2.
  10. In the Distance between Models section, change the range to 0.1 – 0.2.
  11. Keep the Limit.
  12. Press Generate button.
  13. Notice that you have now scattered larger models with more space between them and the interstice contains smaller models.
  14. If you need to further adjust the “Large Models” group’s minimum distance according to your actual model size – make sure that the smaller models fit.

ORDER OF THE GROUPS

  1. – 14. repeat as above.
  1. Select “Small Models” group in the Groups list.
  2. Press the Move Up button. The list should have “Small Models” first now.
  3. Press Generate again.
  4. Notice that the “Small Models” models had been generated first, so they did not leave any space between them for the “Large Models” group. The groups are generated in the listed order and new models can be added only if there is sufficient space left by the previous groups.