Local Vector Fields (Tutorial)

Overview

Local Vector Fields are inherent to a GPU sprites particle system, as opposed to being separate from it, as in the case of global vector fields. Once added, they can be rotated, repositioned, and edited to create a variety of motion styles.

Setup

Setting up a Local Vector Field simply requires the Local Vector Field module to be in place within your GPU Sprites particle system. Make sure the desired vector field asset is placed in the module's Vector Field property:

In this example there are 2 emitters. Each one is a GPU emitter with a local vector field in place. A VF Rotation Rate module slowly rotates the local vector field, creating much more interesting motion.

When setting up a local vector field within your particle system, it is extremely useful to turn on Vector Fields within the Cascade Preview Pane. This is done by clicking View > Vector Fields within the Preview Pane.

While the Local Vector Field module is selected in the Emitter List, the vector field can be moved around intuitively in the Preview Pane by using its Move widget!