Versions Compared

Old Version 1

changes.mady.by.user Kristin Ivanova

Saved on

compared with

New Version 24

changes.mady.by.user Kristina Gaytandzhieva

Saved on

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.

This page provides information about V-Ray Scatter in V-Ray for SketchUp.

 


Overview

...

Section
Column
width45%

...

The V-Ray Scatter tool creates instances of objects using the

...

surfaces and edges of

...

other objects or splines to generate points.

...

Column
width5%

Column
width50%
HTML
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/olUw6GEYQRE" title="Effortlessly populate your scenes using the enhanced scatter tool in V-Ray 6 for SketchUp" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen></iframe>



UI Paths

...

Section
Column
width5%10%
 

Column
width45%35%

||Asset Editor|| > Create Asset > Geometries Geometries (right-click) > Scatter

||Asset Editor|| > Geometries Create Asset (rightleft-click) > Geometries > Scatter

Image RemovedImage Added

Column
width5%10%

 


Column
width45%35%

||Extensions|| > V-Ray > Objects Toolbar|| > Scatter over Selection

||V-Ray Objects Toolbar|| > Scatter over SelectionViewer 

SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_Toolbar_ScatterImage Added


SketchUp Menus RibbonImage Removed

||Extensions|| > V-Ray > Objects Toolbar|| > Scatter over Selection

||Extensions|| > V-Ray > Objects Toolbar|| >  > Scatter Viewer

Image Removed

 

Creating V-Ray Scatter

section


Accessing Scatter Viewport Preview from the V-Ray Toolbar or the V-Ray Menu in Sketchup 2023 or later versions opens the following notification. 

SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_Toolbar_Scatter_ViewerNotificationImage Added



||Window|| > Default Tray > Overlays > Scatter Viewport Preview

SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_Overlays_ScatterViewer.pngImage Added

The V-Ray Scatter button is inactive until an object is selected in the viewport window. When you select an object in the scene the V-Ray Scatter button will become active.

 
Column
width60%10%



Scatter Workflow

...

V-Ray Scatter consists of two types of objects

...

– Host

...

objects, and Guest objects that are scattered over the Host object's surface. There are several ways to create Scatter Host and Guest objects.


Creating Scatter Host Objects

Section
Column
width70%
object can be created from the
Fancy Bullets
typecircle
  • Select an object in the viewport. Click the Scatter over Selection button from the V-Ray Geometry Toolbar. The button is inactive until an object is selected in the viewport window.
  • Select an object in the viewport. Go to the
  • Extensions menu > V-Ray >
V-Ray objects
  • Objects > Scatter over Selection
or from
  • .
  • Select an object in the viewport. Open the Asset Editor > Geometry > Scatter and use the Apply to Selection option.

After creating a V-Ray Scatter Host object, a bounding box with a V-Ray Scatter icon will appear in the viewport around the selected object.

Guest objects can be introduced to the Host object in two ways. 

UI Text Box
typetip

To remove the Scatter from an object, use the Remove from Selection context option.

Column
width5%


Column
width25%



...

Creating Scatter Guest Objects

Section
Column
width60%

Add Guests – Select an object in the viewport and use the Add Guests button in the Asset

 

Editor. The object appears under the Add Guests button.

  • Quick way to introduce a Guest object is to drag and drop a preselected object from the viewport on to the Host object. In this case the Guest object can be removed by using the drag + shift function.

    •  


    UI Text Box
    typenote

     Make sure that the Scatter Viewer is active in order to see the scattered Guest objects in the viewport windowA SketchUp component used as a Scatter guest needs to have the component instance present in the scene in order to scatter it. Deleting the instance removes the guest despite the component still being present in the SketchUp project. The extra object can be manually hidden (right-click > hide), placed in a separate hidden layer, or moved on the Scatter host surface after scattering.

    Column
    width5%

     


    Column
    width35%

    Image Removed

     

    Image Removed

    Parameters

    Image Added


    ...


    Section
    Column
    width60%45%

    Drag and drop – Drag and drop a preselected scene object from the viewport onto the Scatter Host object.

    1. First, make sure the Scatter over Selection is still active after Scatter is applied over the Host object.
    2. Then select the object that will become a Guest.
    3. Drag and drop it onto the Scatter Host object.
    Column
    width5%


    Column
    width50%

    SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_Scatter_CreateImage Added



    Scatter Viewport Preview Workflow

    ...

    Section
    Column
    width45%

    Enable the Scatter Viewport Preview from the Overlays tray in Sketchup 2023 or later versions. This provides a visual representation of the scattered objects in the viewport. 

    Column
    width5%


    Column
    width50%

    SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_ScatterViewportPreviewImage Added

    Column
    width20%




    Scatter

    ...

    Section
    Scatter Viewer must be activated prior to selecting special objects in the scene viewport in order to add them as Guests

    Probability–Determines the relative probability of the guest to appear.See theProbability examplesbelow.

    Guest Origin – Determines how the objects are positioned relative to the random Scatter points.

    Bounding box bottom center – The bounding box bottom center of the object

    is matched to the instance point

    .
    Bounding box volume center – The bounding box volume center snaps to the instance

    point

    .
    Object origin – The original object origin point snaps to the instance point.

    Preview Mode – Changes between a Bounding Box or Point Preview bounding box or point preview for the instances. Note that the point positions are determined by the origin of the guest determines the point positions. See the Preview Mode examples below.

    Preview Percentage – Limits the number of previews displayed in the viewport. Use this to optimize the viewport performance See the Preview Percentage example below.

    Column
    width60%

    Scatter – Enables Scatter

    Density – Determines the approximate count of instances in a square meter. When a texture is used, the density value can still be used. Black color in the texture discards all instances in the area. Areas colored with white receive maximum density.

    Seed – Controls the random seed of the Scatter. Change the integer value and refresh to get a different random distribution.

    Axis Filter – Filters the faces that will be used for instance positioning.

    All Faces – The points/instances are generated uniformly on all object faces.
    Facing Up – The points/instances are only placed on object faces oriented upwards in the scene. Note that host component transformations are ignored.

    Orientation – Specifies the initial orientation of the instances.

    World Up – All instances are positioned upright independent of the base/host surface face normals.
    Along Normals – The instances are oriented based on the base surface face normals.

    Collision Detection – If turned on, bounding boxes of instances that overlap any other instance bounding box will be skipped.

    Add Guests – Adds the currently selected scene objects to the Guests list. The objects in this list are scattered on the base geometry.

    UI Text Box
    typenote
     
    Column
    width5%

    Column
    width35%

    Image Removed

    ...

    SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_Scatter_Guest_ParametersImage Added


    ...

    Example: Probability
    Anchor
    ProbabilityExample
    ProbabilityExample

    This is an example of introducing multiple Guest objects with different probability settings to one Host object.

    Section
    Column
    width20%


    Column
    width60%

    Rotation Min – Minimum angle for the random instance rotation around its up axis.

    Rotation Max – Maximum angle for the random instance rotation around its up axis.

    Column
    width5%

     

    Column
    width35%

    Image Removed

     

    Panel
    Image slider
    startIndex1
    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Column
    width20%



    ...

    Example: Preview Mode
    Anchor
    PreviewModeExamples
    PreviewModeExamples

    This example shows the different preview modes.

    Section
    Column
    width5%


    Column
    width45%

    Scatter_Guest_ObjectsImage Added

    Scatter Guest Objects

    Column
    width45%

    Scatter_Host_ObjectImage Added

    Scatter Host Object

    Column
    width5%




    Section
    Column
    width5%


    Column
    width45%

    Point_Preview_ModeImage Added

    Point Preview

    Column
    width45%

    Bounding_Box_PreviewImage Added

    Bounding Box Preview

    Column
    width5%



    ...

    Example: Preview Percentage
    Anchor
    PreviewPercentageExample
    PreviewPercentageExample

    This example shows how the Preview Percentage changes the number of previews displayed in the viewport

    Section
    Column
    width20%


    Column
    width60%
    Image slider
    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Preview Percentage = 0

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Preview Percentage = 25

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Preview Percentage = 50

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Preview Percentage = 100

    Column
    width20%




    Parameters

    ...

    ...

    Section
    Column
    width60%

    Random Min – Minimum factor for the random instance scaling.

    Random Max – Maximum factor for the random instance scaling.

    Scale Multiplier – Uniform scale multiplier for the instances. This value is combined with the random scaling.

    Column
    width5%

     

    Scattering Mode – Specifies the guest objects scattering mode.

    1D - On Splines – Objects are scattered along splines. When a mesh is added to the guests' list, the items are scattered along all mesh edges.
    2D - On Surfaces – Objects are scattered on surfaces. It doesn't matter if the surface is horizontal, vertical, or if it is a complex 3D object
    3D - In a Bounding Box – Objects are scattered inside the object's bounding box. Keep in mind that bounding boxes are cube-shaped. Using this mode on a round object, scatters instances in a cube around it.

    Max Count (Limit) – Limits the maximum number of instances. See the Max Count (Limit) example below.

    Seed – Controls the random Scatter seed.

    Expand
    titleClick here for Seed example.
    Panel
    Image slider
    startIndex1
    Panel
    borderStylenone

    01_Scatter_Seed_1Image Added

    Seed = 1

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    02_Scatter_Seed_2Image Added

    Seed = 2

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    03_Scatter_Seed_3Image Added

    Seed = 3

    Avoid Collisions – When enabled, instances colliding with each other get discarded. See the Avoid Collisions example below.

    Column
    width5%

    Column
    width35%

    SketchUp2023_VRay6.2_Scatter_ParametersImage Added


    ...

    Example: Max Count (Limit)
    Anchor
    MaxCount
    MaxCount

    Max Count (Limit) is a limit to help avoid creating too many instances and overloading the system. This option has no effect if the Instance Count value is lower than the Max Count value. Depending on the hardware, this limit can be adjusted to ensure smooth performance and avoid excessive memory consumption. At Instances Count - 100, the scattered objects do not exceed the Max Count (Limit) - 50 and the render is the same as when the Instances Count is 50. Scattering Mode = 2D On Surfaces; Max Count (Limit) = 50.

    Section
    Column
    width25%


    Column
    width50%
    Panel
    Image slider
    startIndex1
    Panel
    borderStylenone

    02_MaxCount_50_InstancesCount_5Image Added

    Instances Count = 5

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    03_MaxCount_50_InstancesCount_25Image Added

    Instances Count = 25

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    04_MaxCount_50_InstancesCount_50Image Added

    Instances Count = 50

    Column
    width25%



    ...

    Example: Multiple Objects as One - Combined Surface Area
    Anchor
    MaxCount
    MaxCount

    Scatter treats multiple host objects as one with combined surface area (or volume). If you set Scatter to produce 100 instances of a guest object over two host objects, it does not produce 100 for each host. Instead, it produces 100 randomly distributed instances over both host objects' combined surface area (or volume).


    Before after
    afterLabelSingle Object
    darktrue
    beforeLabelMultiple Objects
    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    Image Added


    ...


    Section
    Column
    width25%


    Column
    width50%

    Example: Avoid Collisions
    Anchor
    AvoidCollisions
    AvoidCollisions

    This example shows how the Avoid Collisions function works. Higher values result in larger distance between instances.

    Panel
    Image slider
    startIndex2
    Panel
    borderStylenone

    01_Scatter_AvoidCollisions_OffImage AddedAvoid Collisions = Off

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    02_Scatter_AvoidCollisions_0x25Image AddedAvoid Collisions = 0.25

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    03_Scatter_AvoidCollisions_0x5Image AddedAvoid Collisions = 0.5

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    04_Scatter_AvoidCollisions_1Image AddedAvoid Collisions = 1

    Panel
    borderStylenone

    05_Scatter_AvoidCollisions_2Image AddedAvoid Collisions = 2

    Column
    width25%




    Notes

    ...

    Fancy Bullets
    typecircle
    • V-Ray 6 provides the option for multiple special objects to be added in combination with a single group/component. This allows for Fur, Scatter, and Displacement special objects to be used simultaneously. Multiple Fur and Scatter assets can be added to a single object.
    • Special objects can be removed from geometry by double-clicking on the group/component, selecting the special object's widget, and then selecting the Erase option from the context menu (right-click to open the context menu).
    • When Mesh Light or Clipper are applied, no other special objects are allowed.
    • The Scatter Density map currently does not support raytraced textures.
    • Curve objects need to be grouped via G shortcut on windows or command + G on macOS to be added as Scatter Area Modifiers.
    • If Scatter is applied to a spline closing a face, its segments (edges of the face) are treated as individual splines.
    • Apply a material with 0 opacity for host objects that you don’t want visible in the rendered image.
    • Scene units in SketchUp are always calculated in inches.


    Responsivegridmacro
    VAlignmentstart
    Columns2repeat(2, 1fr)
    Columns3width1100px
    Columns1repeat(3, 1fr)
    Columns1width1740px
    Columnsrepeat(4, 1fr)
    Columns2width1290px

    Rollouts

    ...

    Each Scatter rollout has its own dedicated page listed below:


    Div
    stylepadding-left: 5px;padding-right: 5px;padding-bottom: 10px;
    alignleft
    classdashboard
    Textboxcard
    PageToIncludeSystem Requirements
    CardPageLinkSpline Scattering Rollout

    Spline Scattering Rollout

    Textboxcard
    PageToIncludeSystem Requirements
    CardPageLinkSurface Scattering Rollout

    Surface Scattering Rollout

    Textboxcard
    PageToIncludeSystem Requirements
    CardPageLinkBounding Box Scattering Rollout

    Bounding Box Scattering Rollout

    Textboxcard
    PageToIncludeSystem Requirements
    CardPageLinkTransforms Rollout

    Transforms Rollout

    Textboxcard
    PageToIncludeSystem Requirements
    CardPageLinkArea Modifiers Rollout

    Area Modifiers Rollout

    Textboxcard
    PageToIncludeSystem Requirements
    CardPageLinkArea Modifiers Rollout

    Camera Clipping Rollout

    Column
    width35%
    Image Removed