Emitter

Emitter · Particle · Forces · Render

Find the section name shown in Entropy, then select it below. Control descriptions follow the product tooltips. Some sections appear only for the selected mode.

Sections

How to use these controls

Emitter

Controls where, when, and in what direction this system creates particles.

Emitter Shape

Chooses the form that supplies particle birth positions. Some choices reveal source-specific controls.

Options: Point · Line · Cylinder · Sphere · Box · Mesh · Light · Text · Formula · Mask · Layer.

Emitter Behavior

Chooses when and where this system creates particles. Parent-based modes only affect child emitters.

Options: Continuous · Static · From Parent's Particles · On Parent Death · From Parent Position · Burst.

Particles/sec

Sets how many particles are created each second. Emission from parent particles applies this rate to each living parent particle.

Particle Count

Sets the total particles created for a static field or one-shot burst. Grid layouts can use their axis counts instead.

Position

Moves the source in three-dimensional composition space. X moves right, Y moves down, and Z moves deeper into the scene.

Emitter Size

Chooses whether one value scales every source dimension or each axis can be adjusted separately.

Options: XYZ Linked · Independent.

Emitter Size (Uniform)

Scales the source equally on all three axes.

Emitter Size X

Sets the source's size along X. Box and Line read it as the full width; Cylinder reads it as the full width of its base; Sphere uses it as the diameter for all three axes and ignores Y and Z, so a sphere fits the box of the same size.

Emitter Size Y

Sets the source's size along Y. Box and Line read it as the full height; Cylinder reads it as the full height. Sphere ignores it and takes its diameter from Emitter Size X.

Emitter Size Z

Sets the source's size along Z. Box and Line read it as the full depth; Cylinder reads it as the full depth of its base. Sphere ignores it and takes its diameter from Emitter Size X.

Direction Spread

Widens or narrows the cone of initial particle directions. Zero sends particles one way; 360 degrees sends them in all directions.

Direction Random

Blends area-source emission between firing outward from the shape and firing along the aimed Direction Spread cone. It does not affect point, light, or static emission.

X Rotation

Rotates the source around the X axis. Values can pass 360 degrees for continuous turns.

Y Rotation

Rotates the source around the Y axis. Values can pass 360 degrees for continuous turns.

Z Rotation

Rotates the source around the Z axis. Values can pass 360 degrees for continuous turns.

Velocity

Sets how fast particles move when they are born.

Velocity Random

Randomizes each particle's starting speed around the base velocity. Higher values create a wider speed range.

Inherit Velocity

Adds the source's movement to newly born particles. Higher values make moving or animated sources fling particles more strongly.

Spacing

Chooses random placement or a regular lattice inside the selected distribution. Mesh surfaces stay random — a lattice is not available there yet.

Options: Random · Grid.

Distribution

Chooses whether particles start throughout the shape, along its boundary, or on its surface. On 3D shapes Edge and Surface are the same thing. Point and Line ignore this, and Mask sources use Emit From instead.

Options: Fill · Edge · Surface.

Up Axis

Chooses the world axis used as the source's reference direction before rotation is applied.

Options: X · Y · Z.

Random Seed

Changes the repeatable random arrangement without changing the other settings. The same value recreates the same variation.

Mesh

Controls the OBJ surface that acts as a particle source.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Mesh.

Show Source Body

Shows the mesh source body in the rendered scene with the particles. Turn it off to keep only the emitted particles visible.

Grid

Controls how particles occupy an even grid across a supported emitter shape.

Used with: Spacing = Grid.

Grid Count X

Sets the number of lattice positions along the X axis.

Grid Count Y

Sets the number of lattice positions along the Y axis.

Grid Count Z

Sets the number of lattice positions along the Z axis.

Grid Sampling

Chooses whether a curved grid keeps every division or uses fewer positions where its physical width becomes smaller. Grid Count X remains the maximum around the widest ring.

Options: Fixed Divisions · Uniform Spacing.

Grid Stagger

Offsets alternating grid rows or rings by part of a cell. A half-cell value creates a brick or honeycomb arrangement.

Parent Particle Pattern

Controls where and when a child system emits from its parent system's live particles.

Used with: Emitter Behavior = From Parent's Particles.

Emission Pattern

Chooses how births move across a parent emitter's living particles. Use Random for an even sample, Cycle for a scan, or Pulse for timed bursts.

Options: Random · Cycle · Pulse.

Pattern Rate (Hz)

Sets how often the pattern scans or pulses each second.

Pattern Width

Sets the size of the scanning window or the active part of each pulse. Smaller values create tighter sweeps or shorter bursts.

Burst

Shapes a one-shot burst: how many frames it lasts and how quickly it tails off.

Used with: Emitter Behavior = Burst.

Burst Frames

Spreads a one-shot burst across this many frames. More frames create a slower, heavier release.

Burst Decay

Shapes how particles are distributed across a multi-frame burst. Higher values place more particles near the start without changing the total.

Emitter Material

Controls the visible color, glow, and surface response of a mesh or text emitter body.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Mesh or Emitter Shape = Text.

Color

Changes the visible source body's surface tint.

After Effects label: Emitter Color.

Metallic

Controls how strongly the visible source body reflects light like metal.

After Effects label: Emitter Metallic.

Roughness

Changes how sharp or broad the light highlight is on the visible source body. Specular controls how bright that highlight is.

After Effects label: Emitter Roughness.

Specular

Sets how bright the light highlight is on the visible source body. Roughness still controls how sharp or broad it is. At 0 the highlight is gone; at 1 it is at full strength.

After Effects label: Emitter Specular.

Environment

Lights the visible source body with the surrounding environment. It costs far less than Reflections because it adds light without tracing the particles. The environment type is shared with the particles' Environment setting.

After Effects label: Emitter Environment.

Reflections

Reflects the scene's particles and the body's own surfaces in the visible source body. Set it to 0 to leave the body flat, which is how it read before this control existed.

After Effects label: Emitter Reflections.

Reflection Blur

Softens the source body's reflections beyond its own Roughness. At 0 they match the body's Roughness; at 100 they are fully blurred. The body has its own control so blurring the particles' reflections no longer blurs it too.

After Effects label: Emitter Reflection Blur.

Glow

Makes the visible source body appear self-lit. Higher values create a brighter core.

After Effects label: Emitter Glow.

Fresnel

Adds a colored halo around the visible source body's silhouette. Higher values strengthen the rim.

After Effects label: Emitter Fresnel.

Light Options

Controls which After Effects lights emit particles and how their intensity affects emission.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Light.

Light Names

Sets the name prefix that marks which composition Light layers emit particles. Every light whose name starts with the prefix becomes a particle source.

Particles/sec from Intensity

Makes brighter selected lights emit more particles than dimmer lights. When off, every selected light uses the same base rate.

Text Options

Controls how a text layer's glyphs become a particle source.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Text.

Extrusion

Extends the text body into a three-dimensional solid. A value of zero keeps it flat.

Depth

Rounds or chamfers the front and back edges of extruded text. Higher values deepen the edge treatment.

After Effects label: Bevel Depth.

Steps

Controls how many segments form the text bevel. More steps make the edge rounder.

After Effects label: Bevel Steps.

Show Text

Shows the filled text body in the rendered scene with the particles. Turn it off to keep only the emitted particles visible.

Layer Options

Controls how a layer's image and alpha channel become a particle source.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Layer.

Freeze Source

Samples the layer source at its starting frame and keeps that emission pattern fixed. Leave it off to follow the source's frame-by-frame changes.

Path

Turns a path source from a shape particles are scattered on into a path they travel along. Available on Line, Formula and Mask sources.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Line or Emitter Shape = Formula or Emitter Shape = Mask.

Emit Start

Sets where along the curve particles start being born, as a percentage of its length. Match it to Emit End to birth everything at a single point, so particles travel the path instead of already covering it.

Emit End

Sets where along the curve particles stop being born. An end below the start wraps the span across the curve's seam, the way a hue range does, which is what closed figures need.

Follow Path

Steers particles along the emitter's curve. The curve pulls as a force rather than pinning position, so gravity, turbulence and every other force still apply at any setting. At 0 the curve only places particles; it does not move them.

Path Speed

Sets how fast particles travel along the curve, in pixels per second. Negative values run them backwards. It does nothing until Follow Path is above 0.

Path Radius

Gives the curve thickness so it reads as a stream rather than a wire. Distribution picks solid or hollow: Fill makes a solid tube, Surface and Edge make only its skin.

Radius Aspect

Flattens the tube into a ribbon. 0 keeps it round; positive values flatten it into the curve's own plane, negative values stand it up into depth. Whichever axis survives keeps the full Path Radius.

Twist Start

Rolls the ribbon around the curve at the start of the path. It only shows once Radius Aspect is off 0 — a round tube looks the same at every roll.

Twist End

Rolls the ribbon at the end of the path, blending from Twist Start along the way. Equal values hold the ribbon at a constant angle; a difference of 180 gives it a half turn over the path.

At End

Chooses what a particle does when it reaches the end of the curve: carry on with the velocity it had, loop back to the start, park there, or die. A curve that closes on itself carries on around either way.

Options: Release · Loop · Stop · Die.

Formula

Builds a particle source from a parametric curve. Curve Type picks a wave, a spiral or a Lissajous figure, and each one has its own controls below.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Formula.

Curve Type

Chooses the curve the Formula emitter lays particles along: a line displaced by a waveform, a helix, or three independent sine axes. Each type has its own controls below, and the inactive ones grey out.

Options: Wave · Spiral · Lissajous.

Wave

Shapes the Formula curve as a line displaced by one or two waveforms.

Used with: Curve Type = Wave.

Wave 1 Type

Chooses the waveform used to shape the first curve.

Options: Sine · Triangle · Square · Sawtooth · Noise.

Wave 1 Frequency

Sets how many first-wave cycles fit across the source line.

Wave 1 Amplitude

Sets how far the first wave displaces the source line. Negative values flip the wave.

Wave 1 Phase

Moves the first wave along the source line without changing its shape. Animate it to make the wave travel.

Wave 1 Axis

Chooses whether the first wave bends vertically or into depth.

Options: Vertical · Depth.

Wave 2 Type

Chooses the waveform used to shape the second curve.

Options: Sine · Triangle · Square · Sawtooth · Noise.

Wave 2 Frequency

Sets how many second-wave cycles fit across the source line.

Wave 2 Amplitude

Sets how far the second wave displaces the source line. Negative values flip the wave.

Wave 2 Phase

Moves the second wave along the source line without changing its shape. Animate it to make the wave travel.

Wave 2 Axis

Chooses whether the second wave bends vertically or into depth.

Options: Vertical · Depth.

Mix Mode

Chooses whether the two waves crossfade or add together. The blend amount only affects Fade mode.

Options: Fade · Sum.

Phase Offset

Moves both waves along the source line together. Animate it to make the full curve travel.

Mix

Balances the first and second waves in Fade mode. The endpoints use only one wave.

Spiral

Shapes the Formula curve as a helix advancing along its length.

Used with: Curve Type = Spiral.

Turns

Sets how many full revolutions the spiral makes over its length. Negative values wind it the other way.

Start Angle

Rotates the whole spiral around its long axis. Animate it to spin the coil.

Start Radius

Sets the spiral's radius where the curve begins. Match it to End Radius for an even helix, or set it to 0 for a cone that opens out.

End Radius

Sets the spiral's radius where the curve ends.

Radial Bias

Skews how the radius travels from start to end. 50 spreads it evenly. Lower values keep a tight core with loose outer coils; higher values flare early then creep.

Length Bias

Skews how the coils space out along the curve. 50 spaces them evenly; lower values bunch them at the start, higher values at the end.

Lissajous

Shapes the Formula curve from three independent sine axes, so the figure is three-dimensional by nature. The emitter size sets each axis's reach.

Used with: Curve Type = Lissajous.

Frequency X

Sets how many cycles the curve makes along X. The ratio between the three frequencies is what picks the figure. Whole numbers close the figure; fractional ones leave it open.

Frequency Y

Sets how many cycles the curve makes along Y.

Frequency Z

Sets how many cycles the curve makes along Z. At 0 the figure stays flat and faces the camera; raise it to lift the curve into depth.

Phase Y

Shifts Y against X. This is what opens a flat diagonal line out into a figure — at 90 degrees a matched pair of frequencies becomes a circle.

Phase Z

Shifts Z against X. X carries no phase of its own — it is the reference the other two are measured against.

Phase Offset

Advances every axis together along the curve. Animate it on a continuous emitter to make particles stream around the figure.

After Effects label: Lissajous Phase Offset.

Mask Options

Controls which After Effects mask path becomes a particle source.

Used with: Emitter Shape = Mask.

Path

Chooses the mask outline that supplies particle birth positions.

All Masks

Uses every mask on the source instead of only the selected path.

Emit From

Chooses whether particles are born along the mask outline or fill a closed mask's interior. An open mask cannot be filled, so it falls back to the outline. Masks use this instead of Distribution.

Options: Path · Face (Closed Path).

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Emitter · Particle · Forces · Render

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