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

 

Overview

The V-Ray Scatter creates instances of objects using the surface of another object to generate points.

 

UI Path

 

Creating Scatter:

||V-Ray Asset Editor|| > Geometries (right-click) > Scatter

||V-Ray Asset Editor|| > Create Asset (left-click) > Geometries > Scatter

 

Assigning Scatter:

||Appearance Manager|| > Families Tab > Scatter Tab > Add Scatter Host button

 

 

Workflow

The V-Ray Scatter consists of two types of objects – Host object and Guest objects that are scattered over the Host object's surface.

Scatter Host object can be created from the ||Appearance Manager|| > Families Tab > Scatter Tab > Add Scatter Host button.

Guest objects can be introduced to the Host object by selecting an object in the viewport and using the Add Guests button in the Asset Editor. The object appears under the Add Guests button.

If no object(s) has been selected prior to pressing the Add Guests button, V-Ray for Revit prompts you to make a selection and then press the Add Guests button again.

Select a host object from the list (Appearance Manager > Families tab > Scatter subtab) and press Delete key to delete the host object. 

When a Revit family instance or the family itself is deleted, its association with a Scatter as a host is also deleted from the project.

When Fur or Displacement geometry is added to the material of a Scatter guest, it is ignored for the scattered instances. The Fur/Displacement is also ignored for the original instance geometry added as a guest.

 

Click on the gif to enlarge it.

 

Parameters

Scatter – Turns on/off V-Ray 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 – When enabled, instances with overlapping bounding boxes are discarded. Eliminating collisions reduces the initial density count and may alter the predetermined ratio between multiple guests.

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

 

 

 

Notes

  • When a Revit family is replaced with a V-Ray Proxy or a Cosmos asset and its instance is associated with a Scatter, the V-Ray Proxy/Cosmos asset is the one that is scattered across the Host object associated with the respective replacement.
  • When a Revit family is replaced with a V-Ray Scene, the Scatter is ignored.

  • Currently, only the following family types can be selected as Scatter hosts: Floor, Wall, Roof Ceiling, Curtain System, Curtain Panels, Column, Ramp, Stair, Toposurface, Mass.