Created 3D particle documentation

Author: and-rad

tutorials/3d/index.rst

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ Rendering
    lights_and_shadows
    using_decals
    physical_light_and_camera_units
+   particles/index
    high_dynamic_range
    global_illumination/index
    environment_and_post_processing

tutorials/3d/particles/attractors.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+.. _doc_3d_particles_attractors:
+
+3D Particle attractors
+----------------------
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor.webp
+   :alt: Particle attractors
+
+Particle attractors are nodes that apply a force to all particles within their reach. They pull
+particles closer or push them away based on the direction of that force. There are three types
+of attractors: :ref:`class_GPUParticlesAttractorBox3D`, :ref:`class_GPUParticlesAttractorSphere3D`,
+and :ref:`class_GPUParticlesAttractorVectorField3D`. You can instantiate them at runtime and
+change their properties from gameplay code; you can even animate and combine them for complex
+attraction effects.
+
+.. note::
+   Particle attractors are not yet implemented for 2D particle systems.
+
+The first thing you have to do if you want to use attractors is enable the ``Attractor Interaction``
+property on the ParticleProcessMaterial. Do this for every particle system that needs to react to attractors.
+Like most properties in Godot, you can also change this at runtime.
+
+Common properties
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_common.png
+   :alt: Common particle attractor properties
+   :align: right
+
+   Common attractor properties
+
+There are some properties that you can find on all attractors. They're located in the
+``GPUParticlesAttractor3D`` section in the inspector.
+
+``Strength`` controls how strong the attractor force is. A positive value pulls particles
+closer to the attractor's center, while a negative value pushes them away.
+
+``Attenuation`` controls the strength falloff within the attractor's influence region. Every
+particle attractor has a boundary. Its strength is weakest at the border of this boundary
+and strongest at its center. Particles outside of the boundary are not affected by the attractor
+at all. The attenuation curve controls how the strength weakens over that distance. A straight
+line means that the strength is proportional to the distance: if a particle is halfway
+between the boundary and the center, the attractor strength will be half of what it is
+at the center. Different curve shapes change how fast particles accelerate towards the
+attractor.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_curve.png
+   :alt: Different attractor attenuation curves
+
+   Strength increase variations: constantly over the distance to the attractor (left), fast
+   at the boundary border and slowly at the center (middle), slowly at the boundary and
+   fast at the center (right).
+
+The ``Directionality`` property changes the direction towards which particles are pulled.
+At a value of ``0.0``, there is no directionality, which means that particles are pulled towards
+the attractor's center. At ``1.0``, the attractor is fully directional, which means particles
+will be pulled along the attractor's local ``-Z``-axis. You can change the global direction
+by rotating the attractor. If ``Strength`` is negative, particles are instead pulled along
+the ``+Z``-axis.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_direction.webp
+   :alt: Different attractor directionality values
+
+   No directionality (left) vs. full directionality (right). Notice how the particles move along
+   the attractor's local Z-axis.
+
+The ``Cull Mask`` property controls which particle systems are affected by an attractor based
+on each system's :ref:`visibility layers <class_VisualInstance3D>`. A particle system is only
+affected by an attractor if at least one of the system's visibility layers is enabled in the
+attractor's cull mask.
+
+.. warning::
+   There is a `known issue <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues/61014>`_ with
+   GPU particle attractors that prevent the cull mask from working properly in Godot 4.0. We will
+   update the documentation as soon as it is fixed.
+
+Box attractors
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_box.png
+   :alt: Particle attractor box
+   :align: right
+
+   Box attractor in the node list
+
+Box attractors have a box-shaped influence region. You control their size with the ``Extents``
+property. Box extents always measure half of the sides of its bounds, so a value of
+``(X=1.0,Y=1.0,Z=1.0)`` creates a box with an influence region that is 2 meters wide on each side.
+
+To create a box attractor, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesAttractorBox3D``
+from the list of available nodes. You can animate the box position or attach it to a
+moving node for more dynamic effects.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_box.webp
+   :alt: Box attractor parts particle field
+
+   A box attractor with a negative strength value parts a particle field as it moves through it.
+
+Sphere attractors
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_sphere.png
+   :alt: Particle attractor sphere
+   :align: right
+
+   Sphere attractor in the node list
+
+Sphere attractors have a spherical influence region. You control their size with the ``Radius``
+property. While box attractors don't have to be perfect cubes, sphere attractors will always be
+spheres: You can't set width independently from height. If you want to use a sphere attractor for
+elongated shapes, you have to change its ``Scale`` in the attractor's ``Node3D`` section.
+
+To create a sphere attractor, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesAttractorSphere3D``
+from the list of available nodes. You can animate the sphere position or attach it to a
+moving node for more dynamic effects.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_sphere.webp
+   :alt: Sphere attractor parts particle field
+
+   A sphere attractor with a negative strength value parts a particle field as it moves through it.
+
+Vector field attractors
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_vector.png
+   :alt: Particle attractor vector field
+   :align: right
+
+   Vector field attractor in the node list
+
+A vector field is a 3D area that contains vectors positioned on a grid. The grid density controls
+how many vectors there are and how far they're spread apart. Each vector in a vector field points
+in a specific direction. This can be completely random or aligned in a way that forms distinct
+patterns and paths.
+
+When particles interact with a vector field, their movement direction changes to match the nearest vector
+in the field. As a particle moves closer to the next vector in the field, it changes
+direction to match that vector's direction. The particle's speed depends on the vector's length.
+
+Like box attractors, vector field attractors have a box-shaped influence region. You control their size with the ``Extents``
+property, where a value of ``(X=1.0,Y=1.0,Z=1.0)`` creates a box with an influence region that is
+2 meters wide on each side. The ``Texture`` property takes a :ref:`3D texture <class_Texture3D>`
+where every pixel represents a vector with the pixel's color interpreted as the vector's direction and size.
+
+.. note::
+   When a texture is used as a vector field, there are two types of conversion you need to be aware of:
+
+   1. The texture coordinates map to the attractor bounds. The image below shows which part of the texture
+      corresponds to which part of the vector field volume. For example, the bottom half of the texture
+      affects the top half of the vector field attractor because ``+Y`` points down in the texture UV space,
+      but up in Godot's world space.
+   2. The pixel color values map to direction vectors in space. The image below provides an overview. Since
+      particles can move in two directions along each axis, the lower half of the color range represents
+      negative direction values while the upper half represents positive direction values. So a yellow pixel
+      ``(R=1,G=1,B=0)`` maps to the vector ``(X=1,Y=1,Z=-1)`` while a neutral gray ``(R=0.5,G=0.5,B=0.5)``
+      results in no movement at all.
+
+   .. figure:: img/particle_attractor_vector_mapping.png
+      :alt: Mapping from texture to vector field
+
+To create a vector field attractor, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesAttractorVectorField3D``
+from the list of available nodes. You can animate the attractor's position or attach it to a
+moving node for more dynamic effects.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_attractor_vector.webp
+   :alt: Vector field attractor in a field of particles
+
+   Two particle systems are affected by the same vector field attractor. :download:`Click here to download the 3D texture <img/particle_vector_field_16x16x16.bmp>`.

tutorials/3d/particles/collision.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+.. _doc_3d_particles_collision:
+
+3D Particle collisions
+----------------------
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision.webp
+   :alt: Particle collisions
+
+Since GPU particles are processed entirely on the GPU, they don't have access to the game's physical
+world. If you need particles to collide with the environment, you have to set up particle collision nodes.
+There are four of them: :ref:`class_GPUParticlesCollisionBox3D`, :ref:`class_GPUParticlesCollisionSphere3D`,
+:ref:`class_GPUParticlesCollisionSDF3D`, and :ref:`class_GPUParticlesCollisionHeightField3D`.
+
+.. note::
+   GPU Particle collision is not yet implemented for 2D particle systems.
+
+Common properties
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_common.png
+   :alt: Common particle collision properties
+   :align: right
+
+   Common collision properties
+
+There are some properties that you can find on all collision nodes. They're located in the
+``GPUParticlesCollision3D`` section in the inspector.
+
+The ``Cull Mask`` property controls which particle systems are affected by a collision node based
+on each system's :ref:`visibility layers <class_VisualInstance3D>`. A particle system collides with a
+collision node only if at least one of the system's visibility layers is enabled in the
+collider's cull mask.
+
+.. warning::
+   There is a `known issue <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues/61014>`_ with
+   GPU particle collision that prevent the cull mask from working properly in Godot 4.0. We will
+   update the documentation as soon as it is fixed.
+
+Box collision
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_box.png
+   :alt: Particle collision box
+   :align: right
+
+   Box collision in the node list
+
+Box collision nodes are shaped like a solid, rectangular box. You control their size with the ``Extents``
+property. Box extents always measure half of the sides of its bounds, so a value of ``(X=1.0,Y=1.0,Z=1.0)``
+creates a box that is 2 meters wide on each side. Box collision nodes are useful for simulating floor
+and wall geometry that particles should collide against.
+
+To create a box collision node, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesCollisionBox3D``
+from the list of available nodes. You can animate the box position or attach it to a
+moving node for more dynamic effects.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_box.webp
+   :alt: Box collision with particle systems
+
+   Two particle systems collide with a box collision node
+
+Sphere collision
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_sphere.png
+   :alt: Particle collision sphere
+   :align: right
+
+   Sphere collision in the node list
+
+Sphere collision nodes are shaped like a solid sphere. The ``Radius`` property controls the size of the sphere.
+While box collision nodes don't have to be perfect cubes, sphere collision nodes will always be
+spheres. If you want to set width independently from height, you have to change the ``Scale``
+property in the ``Node3D`` section.
+
+To create a sphere collision node, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesCollisionSphere3D``
+from the list of available nodes. You can animate the sphere's position or attach it to a
+moving node for more dynamic effects.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_sphere.webp
+   :alt: Sphere collision with particle systems
+
+   Two particle systems collide with a sphere collision node
+
+Height field collision
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_height.png
+   :alt: Particle collision height field
+   :align: right
+
+   Height field collision in the node list
+
+Height field particle collision is very useful for large outdoor areas that need to collide with particles.
+At runtime, the node creates a height field from all the meshes within its bounds that match its cull mask.
+Particles collide against the mesh that this height field represents. Since the height field generation is
+done dynamically, it can follow the player camera around and react to changes in the level. Different
+settings for the height field density offer a wide range of performance adjustments.
+
+To create a height field collision node, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesCollisionHeightField3D``
+from the list of available nodes.
+
+A height field collision node is shaped like a box. The ``Extents`` property controls its size. Extents
+always measure half of the sides of its bounds, so a value of ``(X=1.0,Y=1.0,Z=1.0)`` creates a box that
+is 2 meters wide on each side. Anything outside of the node's extents is ignored for height field creation.
+
+The ``Resolution`` property controls how detailed the height field is. A lower resolution performs faster
+at the cost of accuracy. If the height field resolution is too low, it may look like particles penetrate level geometry
+or get stuck in the air during collision events. They might also ignore some smaller meshes completely.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_heightfield_res.webp
+   :alt: Height field resolutions
+
+   At low resolutions, height field collision misses some finer details (left)
+
+The ``Update Mode`` property controls when the height field is recreated from the meshes within its
+bounds. Set it to ``When Moved`` to make it refresh only when it moves. This performs well and is
+suited for static scenes that don't change very often. If you need particles to collide with dynamic objects
+that change position frequently, you can select ``Always`` to refresh every frame. This comes with a
+cost to performance and should only be used when necessary.
+
+.. note::
+   It's important to remember that when ``Update Mode`` is set to ``When Moved``, it is the *height field node*
+   whose movement triggers an update. The height field is not updated when one of the meshes inside it moves.
+
+The ``Follow Camera Enabled`` property makes the height field follow the current camera when enabled. It will
+update whenever the camera moves. This property can be used to make sure that there is always particle collision
+around the player while not wasting performance on regions that are out of sight or too far away.
+
+SDF collision
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_sdf.png
+   :alt: Particle collision SDF
+   :align: right
+
+   SDF collision in the node list
+
+SDF collision nodes create a `signed distance field <https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/k2zbos/eli5_what_are_distance_fields_in_graphics>`_
+that particles can collide with. SDF collision is similar to height field collision in that it turns multiple
+meshes within its bounds into a single collision volume for particles. A major difference is that signed distance
+fields can represent holes, tunnels and overhangs, which is impossible to do with height fields alone. The
+performance overhead is larger compared to height fields, so they're best suited for small-to-medium-sized environments.
+
+To create an SDF collision node, add a new child node to your scene and select ``GPUParticlesCollisionSDF3D``
+from the list of available nodes. SDF collision nodes have to be baked in order to have any effect on particles
+in the level. To do that, click the ``Bake SDF`` button in the viewport toolbar
+while the SDF collision node is selected and choose a directory to store the baked data. Since SDF collision needs
+to be baked in the editor, it's static and cannot change at runtime.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_sdf.webp
+   :alt: SDF particle collision
+
+   SDF particle collision allows for very detailed 3-dimensional collision shapes
+
+An SDF collision node is shaped like a box. The ``Extents`` property controls its size. Extents
+always measure half of the sides of its bounds, so a value of ``(X=1.0,Y=1.0,Z=1.0)`` creates a box that
+is 2 meters wide on each side. Anything outside of the node's extents is ignored for collision.
+
+The ``Resolution`` property controls how detailed the distance field is. A lower resolution performs faster
+at the cost of accuracy. If the resolution is too low, it may look like particles penetrate level geometry
+or get stuck in the air during collision events. They might also ignore some smaller meshes completely.
+
+.. figure:: img/particle_collision_sdf_res.webp
+   :alt: Resolution comparison
+
+   The same area covered by a signed distance field at different resolutions: 16 (left) and 256 (right)
+
+The ``Thickness`` property gives the distance field, which is usually hollow on the inside, a thickness to
+prevent particles from penetrating at high speeds. If you find that some particles don't collide with the
+level geometry and instead shoot right through it, try setting this property to a higher value.
+
+The ``Bake Mask`` property controls which meshes will be considered when the SDF is baked. Only meshes that
+render on the active layers in the bake mask contribute to particle collision.