Chaos Scatter Details

Chaos Scatter is a powerful instancing and distribution tool that allows you to easily populate scenes with selected objects. This is especially useful for outdoor scenes that need to be filled with greenery, rocks, grass, etc.

Chaos Scatter parameters are grouped into Common settings, Surface scattering, Volume scattering, Translation, Rotation, Scale, and Areas tabs.

– Common settings tab.

– Spline scattering tab.

– Surface scattering tab.

– Slope and altitude limits tab. 

– Volume scattering tab.

– Translate settings tab.

– Rotation settings tab.

– Look at tab

– Scale settings tab.

– Areas settings tab.

||Top toolbar|| > Create new Chaos Scatter object

||Right side panel|| > Objects tab > Create new Chaos Scatter object

Scattering mode – Specifies the scattering mode:

1D – Scattering mode where objects are scattered along splines. Open or closed splines can be used for this. Note that this mode is supported only for imported vrscenes.
2D – Scattering mode where objects are scattered on surfaces. It doesn't matter if the surface is horizontal, vertical, or if it is part of a complex 3D object.
3D – Scattering mode where objects are scattered inside the object's bounding box. Keep in mind that bounding boxes are cube-shaped, therefore using this mode on a round object scatters instances in a cube around it. This mode is useful when scattering dust particles inside a room, fish in an aquarium, books on a bookshelf and similar.

Max. instances – Limits the maximum number of instances. Note that this option does not determine how many instances are created. Instead it serves as a measure to avoid scattering too many instances and causing a crash.

Random seed – Determines the random distribution used. Changing this value causes random permutations of the scattered object(s).

Avoid collisions – When enabled, instances that would collide with each other get discarded. This results in no overlaps between instances. Note that enabling this option might lower the number of instances.

Spacing [%] – Controls the size of the bounding boxes used to detect collisions. Smaller values result in denser instances with some collision, higher values result in larger distances between instances. Values above 100% mean that the distance between objects is larger than their bounding boxes.

Distribute-on target objects – Specifies the object(s), on which the instances will be scattered.

Instanced model objects – Specifies the objects which will be scattered on the distribute on-target object(s).

Include models' children – When enabled, Vantage scatters not only the parent instanced model but its children geometry as well.

The following parameters are available when Scattering mode is 1D.

Spacing – Determines the spacing between instances in world units.

Jitter – Randomly jitters instances along the spline. Spacing is applied to both sides of each instance, except the instances at the end of the spline. The Jitter value is divided between those two Spacings. In order to allow instances to jitter in all their Spacing distance, the Jitter needs to be set to 200%

Offset – Determines what percentage of the Spacing the instances are offset in one direction of the spline. When set to 100%, all instances replace the one after them, as the offset is equal to the whole value of the Spacing.

Follow amount – Determines how scattered instances are oriented along the spline. Assigning a value of 100%, makes instances follow the spline and are oriented along the local tangent direction.

The following parameters are available when Scattering mode is 2D.

Distribution mode – Specifies the scattering method:

Random – Scatters instances randomly on all mesh distribution objects. It is enabled by default.
UV – Uses UVW mapping to scatter instances in regular patterns.

Instance count – Determines the exact number of instances to scatter. If the Use area density option is enabled, the scattering is defined by the density.

Use area density – When enabled, the Instance count amount is multiplied by the specified Square area.

Square area – Specifies a multiplier for the Instance count when Use area density is enabled.

The following parameters are available when Scattering mode is 3D.

Instance count – Determines the exact number of instances to scatter. If the Use volume density option is enabled, the scattering is defined by the density (Cube volume).

Use volume density – When enable, the scattering is defined by the density (Cube vol.)

Cube vol. – Multiplies the Instance count value when Use volume density is enabled.

The Slope and altitude limits tab is available only for 2D Scattering mode.

Slope limitation –  Limits scattering only to 'slopes' at certain angles. It can be used to create realistic spread of trees on curved surfaces, for instance. The lower the Min and Max slope angles are, the smaller the angle at which scattering stops.

Distr. normal alignment – Specifies between the Local up or the World up vector and the surface normal at which the scattered objects are distributed.

Local – When enabled, the slope limitation is measured according to the up vector of each individual Distribute-on target object.
World – When enabled, the slope limitation is measured according to the world Z-axis up vector for all Distribute-on target objects in the scene.

Min / Max slope angle – Defines a range of angles to which the scattering is limited. Instances outside of this range get filtered out.

Altitude limitation – Еnables instances limitation in the given altitude range.

Limit mode – Defines the range of altitude units in World or Position Independent mode.

World – The altitude of the surface points on each individual distribute-on object is evaluated in world space (after all transforms).
Position Independent – The altitude of the surface points on each individual distribute-on object is evaluated relative to the object center while the object rotation and scale still affect the altitude.

From – Minimum value of the altitude limitation. 

To – Maximum value of the altitude limitation.

Min X /Max X – Moves the instances from the given minimum distance to the given maximum distance on the X axis.

Min Y /Max Y – Moves the instances from the given minimum distance to the given maximum distance on the Y axis.

Min Z /Max Z – Moves the instances from the given minimum distance to the given maximum distance on the Z axis.

Stepping distance – Determines a distinct distance between all instances in the enabled axes. If the values is left at zero, instances are translated continuously.

Apply stepping distance for X / Y / Z – Enables X / Y / Z axes when a value for the Stepping distance is specified.

Normal alignment – When a value different than 0 is entered, the instances are aligned according to the world Z axis. This is useful when the Distribute-on target object is curved and the scattered objects need to remain vertical, not follow the curve of the surface. Positive values mean that the instances are aligned to the +Z axis (vertical up) and negative values mean that the instances are aligned to the -Z axis (vertical down).

Min X / Max X – Rotates the instances from the given minimum degrees up to the given maximum degrees continuously on the X axis.

Min Y / Max Y – Rotates the instances from the given minimum degrees up to the given maximum degrees continuously on the Y axis.

Min Z / Max Z – Rotates the instances from the given minimum degrees up to the given maximum degrees continuously on the Z axis.

Stepping angle – Determines a fixed degree by which all instances rotate for the enabled axes.

Apply stepping angle for X / Y / Z – Enables X / Y / Z axes when a value for the Stepping angle is specified.

Preserved model rotation – When enabled, preserves the initial rotation of the selected instanced model.

Enabled – When on, instances in a range get turned towards a specified direction.

Target object – Picks an object according to which the direction is calculated. When a geometry object is picked, each instance gets oriented towards the center of the object’s bounding box. When a camera object is picked, each instance gets oriented towards the camera.

Orientation axis – Selects which of the model object's axes gets turned towards the direction.

Reverse – When enabled, the reverse of the selected axis gets turned towards the direction.

Horizontal – When enabled, the selected look-at axis gets turned only within the plane which is perpendicular to the normal.

Falloff distance – Specifies the range in which instances get affected by the look-at specifications. When non-zero, only the in-range instances get affected; otherwise, all the instances get affected. There is no effect when a sun object is picked.

Uniform – When enabled, all instances in all axes are scaled according to the values of the X axis.

Min X / Max X – Scales the instances from the given minimum value to the given maximum value continuously.

Min Y / Max Y – Scales the instances from the given minimum value to the given maximum value continuously. When Uniform is enabled, the X axis values are applied to the whole distribute-on target object.

Min Z / Max Z – Scales the instances from the given minimum value to the given maximum value continuously. When Uniform is enabled, the X axis values are applied to the whole distribute-on target object.

Stepping – Determines a percentage of scaling to be applied to all instances. Otherwise, scaling is continuous.

Apply stepping percentage for X / Y / Z – Enables X / Y / Z axes when a value for the Stepping is specified.

Preserved model scale – When enabled, preserves the initial scale of the selected instanced model.

Include – Scatters the models only inside the bounding boxes of the objects included in this list. The objects cannot be the same as the distribute-on target objects.

Exclude – Scatters the models everywhere on the distribute-on target objects, except in the areas where the objects from the list are located. The objects cannot be the same as the distribute-on target objects. This option is useful, for instance, for removing instances of grass/trees from areas where a house needs to be located.

Near / Far – Determines the falloff distance from the selected object to the selected axis plane (Projection). If the selected object is from the Include list, instances within the falloff distance are included. If the selected object is from the Exclude list, instances within the falloff distance are excluded.

Scale – Scale factor further affecting the instances between the near and far falloff.

Density – Density factor further affecting the instances between the near and far falloff.

Projection – Specifies the axis on which to project the include/Exclude objects to the specified Distribute-on target objects.