SPH - Fibers

Owned by thomas (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 28 Jul, 2015

With this emitter you can create filaments like hair, roots, or tentacles from an object’s vertices. These filaments are oriented along the surface’s normals.




Object

Please select an object from where the fibres are created. Click on “Create” to see the initial fibres. The fibres' number of intermediate points is controlled with Node Params > Particle > Resolution.

Length

Here you can determine the length of the filaments in metres.

Length variation

If you need some randomness add a variation to the filaments’ length. This value accepts any positive entry.

Threshold

This setting defines the distance between the fibres and the object’s vertices.

Stiffness

Higher settings create more rigid fibres. 

Fiber damping

To make the fibres lose more energy, increase this value. Settings smaller than 0.1 may cause unwanted movements and instabilities.

Interpolate

If you want a denser cover please increase this value. It is often necessary to use high values of 30 or more to finally see the interpolated filaments. The extra fibres appear as white lines.

Select Vertex

A click on this button activates RealFlow's edit mode, indicated by a yellow frame around the viewport:

  • Click on the desired vertex.
  • Multiple selections are supported by pressing the Shift key.
  • You can deselect points by clicking on them with the pressed Ctrl/Cmd key.
  • Another way is to click and drag the mouse over the desired area.
  • Please note that “Select Vertex” does not recognize hidden points by default. To restrict the selection to visible points, please activate Edit > Back culled selection.

Once you are satisfied with your selection, deactivate “Select Vertex” to confirm your choice.

Clear selection

Deselect the vertices with this button.

Create

A click on this button creates the fibres from the selected points. By default, the standard particle type is set to → "Dumb".

Mesh tube

Only when this option is enabled the fibres will be meshed. The filaments will be meshed as tubes and the appropriate adjustments are made with the associated “@ Mesh ...” parameters.

@ Mesh width

This is diameter of the meshed fibres in metres. If “@ Mesh” width and “@ Mesh width end” are identical the diameter remains constant.

@ Mesh width end

If you do not want conical fibres enter an end value. This value is measured in metres.

@ Mesh section

Here you can control the mesh's roundness. The parameter determines the number of points that will be used to create the hull around the particles.