Scatter Plugin Documentation

The Scatter Plugin serves the purpose of distributing instances of objects on a ground surface. Various configuration options allow for intricate control over how objects are scattered.

Configuration Parameters

The following table describes each configuration parameter for the Scatter Plugin:

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
name	string	Unique identifier for the plugin instance.	Required
models	array or single item	3D assets intended for scattering on the floor object.	Required
floor_object	string	Specifies the name of the ground surface on which the models are scattered.	Required
max_texture_size	integer	Specifies the texture's maximum allowable pixel size for GPU RAM conservation.	Optional
density_map	image/texture evaluation	A texture guiding scattering density. The texture is normalized between 0-1 and density is determined by multiplying this with density_max at each spatial location.	Optional
decimate_mesh_factor	number (0-1)	Decimation factor for mesh vertices. Lower values result in fewer vertices.	Optional
density_max	number evaluation	Defines the maximum number of scattered instances per square meter.	Required
distance_min	number evaluation	Minimum allowable distance between the origins of each scattered instance.	Required
scale_standard_deviation	number evaluation	Standard deviation for the size of scattered instances.	Required
seed	number evaluation	Sets a random seed value for scattering.	Required
class_id	integer	Specifies the Class ID in the ground truth output.	Required
align_to_normal	boolean	Dictates whether the scattered objects should align with the surface's normal.	Optional
clumps	object	Provides options for creating optional clusters of objects. Further detailed in the sub-table below.	Optional

Clumps Configuration

When using the clumps parameter, consider the following additional configurations:

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
ratio	number	Ratio of clumped vs. individual scattered objects.	Required
size	number	Average number of plants or items per clump.	Required
size_std	number	Variance in the number of plants or items within a clump.	Required
position_std	number	Variability in meters of a plant or item's location relative to the clump's center.	Required
scale_std	number	Variability in the size of the plants or items in a clump.	Required

Dynamic Evaluators

Most parameters, like density_max and seed, can be dynamically evaluated. This means that their values can be altered for each new frame. For more insights on dynamic evaluators and how to use them, kindly refer to Dynamic Evaluators.

Example Configuration

scene:
  syclops_plugin_scatter:
    - name: "Forest"
      models: Example Assets/Trees
      floor_object: "Ground"
      max_texture_size: 2048
      density_max: 5
      distance_min: 0.5
      scale_standard_deviation: 0.1
      seed: 42
      class_id: 3
      align_to_normal: true
      clumps:
        ratio: 0.7
        size: 5
        size_std: 2
        position_std: 0.25
        scale_std: 0.05

The above configuration will scatter tree models across the ground surface. These trees will have a mix of clumped and individual placements, with specifics detailed by the clumps parameters.