Particle Field

The Particle Field node applies forces to particles within a Particle System. Fields influence particle movement every frame, creating effects like wind, turbulence, vortices, and gravitational attraction. Place the node inside a Particle System group and it automatically affects all particles in that system.

The node uses dynamic port switching — input ports change based on the selected field type, showing only the parameters relevant to the current force model. Up to 16 fields can be active in a single Particle System.

Each field type can optionally be visualized in the output viewport by enabling the Show toggle, which renders a wireframe representation of the field's area of influence.

0 — Gravity

Applies a constant directional force to all particles, simulating gravity or any uniform acceleration.

Dynamic ports: Strength (default 1), Direction X (0), Direction Y (-1), Direction Z (0)

The default configuration pulls particles downward at strength 1. Reverse Direction Y to +1 for upward force, or use Direction X/Z for horizontal wind-like pushes.

1 — Turbulence

Fractal noise-based force that creates chaotic, organic particle movement. Uses multiple octaves of 3D noise for rich, detailed turbulence.

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.1), Position X/Y/Z, Radius (0), Falloff (0), Frequency (2), Speed (0.1), Octaves (3), Lacunarity (2), Gain (0.01), Seed (1)

Lower Frequency creates broad swirling motions; higher Frequency creates jittery agitation. Speed controls how the turbulence field evolves over time. Increase Octaves for more detailed turbulence at the cost of GPU performance.

2 — Curl Noise

Divergence-free noise field that creates smooth, swirling particle paths without compression artifacts. Particles follow elegant flowing curves rather than bunching up.

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.02), Position X/Y/Z, Radius (0), Falloff (0), Frequency (1), Speed (0.1), Seed (0)

Curl noise is ideal for fluid-like motion, smoke, and organic flowing effects. Because the field is divergence-free, particles maintain even spacing and never compress into dense clusters.

3 — Attractor

Pulls particles toward a point in space. Optionally kills particles that get too close (kill zone).

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.01), Position X (0), Position Y (0.75), Position Z (0), Radius (0), Falloff (1), Kill Zone (0)

Positive Strength attracts; negative Strength repels. The Kill Zone is useful for effects where particles spiral inward and vanish at the center (black hole effect). Radius 0 means the attractor affects all particles globally.

4 — Vortex

Rotates particles around an axis, creating swirling spiral patterns.

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.01), Position X (0), Position Y (0.75), Position Z (0), Radius (0), Falloff (0), Axis X (0), Axis Y (1), Axis Z (0)

The Axis vector defines the rotation axis. Default is Y-up, creating a horizontal whirlpool. Tilt the axis for angled vortices. Combine with an Attractor at the same position for a spiral-inward effect.

5 — Wind

Directional force localized to a region, simulating a gust of wind or a jet of air.

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.1), Direction X (1), Direction Y (0), Direction Z (0), Position X (0), Position Y (0.5), Position Z (0), Radius (0), Falloff (0)

Unlike Gravity, Wind can be localized with Position and Radius. Particles outside the radius are not affected. Falloff controls the wind edge softness.

6 — Drag

Slows particles proportionally to their velocity, simulating air resistance or fluid viscosity localized to a region.

Dynamic ports: Strength (1), Position X/Y/Z, Radius (0), Falloff (1)

Drag strength of 1 provides moderate damping. Higher values slow particles more aggressively. Localize with Position and Radius to create "sticky zones" where particles decelerate.

7 — Radial Force

Pushes particles away from (or pulls toward) a point in all directions uniformly.

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.5), Position X (0), Position Y (0.5), Position Z (0), Radius (0), Falloff (0)

Positive Strength pushes outward (explosion), negative Strength pulls inward (implosion). Unlike Attractor, Radial Force applies equal force in all radial directions without an axis preference.

8 — Perlin Noise

Smooth, gradient-based noise field that displaces particles along noise-derived vectors. Creates flowing, organic displacement patterns.

Dynamic ports: Strength (0.04), Position X/Y/Z, Radius (0), Falloff (0), Frequency (1), Speed (0.05), Octaves (3), Lacunarity (2), Gain (0.5), Seed (0), Scale (1)

Perlin noise differs from Turbulence in producing smoother, more predictable flow patterns. The Scale parameter controls the magnitude of the displacement vector.

• Gravity field for natural falling particles (rain, snow, debris)
• Turbulence for chaotic fire and smoke motion
• Curl Noise for elegant fluid simulations and flowing abstract art
• Attractor with Kill Zone for black hole or drain effects
• Vortex for tornado and whirlpool simulations
• Wind for directional gusts affecting localized regions
• Drag for creating "sticky" zones that slow particles
• Combine multiple fields for complex, layered force environments

• Set Radius to 0 for global fields that affect all particles. Use Radius > 0 for localized effects.
• Falloff of 0 means uniform force within the radius. Increase Falloff for softer edges.
• The field's accumulated time is managed by the parent Particle System, so fields respect Time Scale and External Time.
• Visualize fields with the Show toggle to see their area of influence while positioning them.
• Layer multiple fields of different types for rich, complex particle behavior. For example, Gravity + Turbulence + Drag creates realistic smoke.
• Noise Seed shifts the noise pattern without changing its character. Use different seeds on multiple fields for varied, non-repeating patterns.
• Keep Octaves at 3 or less for good GPU performance. Higher octave counts are expensive per particle per frame.