This part of "Node Params" contains everything that has to do with a daemon's representation and orientation in the viewport. The settings under "Node" depend on the preferences for your 3D software package. There you have to determine which axis serves as a height axis. For some programs it is the Y axis, others use the Z axis.
Simulation
This setting offers three options to choose from – the default is “Active”. This means that the emitter (or any other object) can contribute to the currently opened scene, while “Inactive” disables the selected item. Inactive emitters cannot pour out particles. If the daemon is animated, you will see its movement, but without any influence on the scene. “Cache” is a very clever feature. It allows you to read already-simulated particle sequences and use them for further interactions, e.g. with rigid body dynamics. In this case you will not have to calculate the fluid again and again in case of changes.
Position
This setting consists of a trio of values. Each value represents one direction in space: X, Y, and Z. You can often find a certain notation for this trio: [ X,Y,Z ]. A position is always related to the scenes origin which is located at [ 0,0,0 ]. For this reason, it is also allowed to enter negative values. Zero is, of course, valid as well. This parameter is measured in metres [m],
Rotation
Rotation works exactly the same way as position. Again, there is a trio of values indicating the rotation settings in degrees for each axis. By default, an object has no initial rotation. "Rotation" uses degrees [deg].
Scale
This parameter determines the expansion of an object in 3D space. In the same way as with “Position” and “Rotation” you have to specify scale with three values. Some daemons cannot be scaled by default, because they either act globally or scale changes have to performed directly within the daemon's own parameter set. "Scale" values are given in metres [m].
Shear
This is an interesting feature which makes it possible to deform the daemon's basic geometry, but in most cases it has no effect on the daemon's functionality. All "Shear" values are given in metres [m].
Parent to
You can parent a daemon to any other node in the current scene – no matter if it is animated with keys or dynamically driven. To establish this connection simply select the desired parent node from a list that will be shown when you click on the hyphen “ - “. The daemon will then execute any motion of the higher-ranking object.
Color
Each daemon is represented by a certain symbol and the node is selected it is shown in green, otherwise in the currently specified colour.