I’ve created a Niagara particle system based on the Structural Support Particle System
example, where particles form the shape of a character while maintaining collisions among themselves.
I’d like to introduce a slight wind or turbulence effect that temporarily moves some particles away from the character’s volume before pulling them back. However, I want to ensure that:
The particles still collide with each other
The overall character form stays recognizable
There’s some control over the level of adherence to the skeletal mesh, so I can adjust how strongly the particles stay attached
Is there a way to apply a light force while maintaining these conditions? Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi @M1z3me1
Let’s see…
Add Wind/Turbulence Force: Use the Wind or Turbulence Force modules to apply a light force to your particles.
Ensure Particle Collisions: Enable the Particle Collision module to prevent particles from passing through each other.
Maintain Skeletal Mesh Adherence: Use the Skeletal Mesh Location module to attach particles to the mesh surface. Control how strongly particles stick to the mesh with a scalar parameter like AdherenceStrength.
Blend Wind & Adherence: Use a Lerp to control the balance between adherence to the mesh and the wind influence. Adjust AdherenceStrength dynamically to change the level of adherence.
Fine-tune Movement: Add drag or damping for gradual return to the mesh and use noise for more natural, unpredictable wind behavior.
This setup will allow particles to move with wind while still colliding with each other and maintaining the shape and adherence to the skeletal mesh.
Are you suggesting that I remove the PBD collisions/volume-based particles and instead spawn particles directly on the skeletal mesh, to then follow your suggestions? Or should I build on top of my existing setup?
My main issue is that when I add “Solve Force and Velocity,” the particles start strobing between positions instead of moving smoothly.
