Auragen docs
Auragen docs

Getting Started

OverviewInterfaceNode GraphParameters and Controls

Operators

Surfaces
Particles

System

Particle System

Emitters

EmitterMesh EmitterImage Emitter

Effectors

Curl Noise EffectorTurbulence EffectorQuantized Motion EffectorGravity / Wind EffectorWind EffectorDrag EffectorAttractor EffectorPoints EffectorVortex EffectorTwist EffectorSpring EffectorMesh Attract EffectorImage Form EffectorField Flow EffectorFluid EffectorExplode EffectorShockwave EffectorSoft Collision EffectorPrimitive Collision EffectorKill Box EffectorColorize Effector

Renderers

Point RendererSprite RendererMesh RendererPoint Geometry RendererConnection RendererTrail Renderer

Other

Hologram
3D PreviewperformMODE
3D & SimulationParticles

Image Emitter

Spawns particles from a picture: brightness or alpha sets the density and the pixel sets the colour, with optional optical flow.

The Image Emitter node turns a texture into a spawn plane. Bright or opaque pixels emit, each particle takes the pixel colour, and optical flow can make the cloud follow motion in a video.

Image Emitter

  • Emit From luminance, alpha, or both
  • Use Image Color and Use Image Alpha carry the source into the particles
  • Optical Flow (Motion) pushes particles along the video's motion
  • Found in the node graph under Particles → Emitters
Example patch — drag onto the app to load

The image on the right is the example patch itself. Drag and drop it onto the app, or load it with File → Load, to open the full graph. A Plasma generator feeds the emitter.

Inputs and outputs

Image Emitter node

PortTypePurpose
ImageTextureThe picture or video.
Origin ObjectSurfaceA Null to parent to.
EmitterEmitterWire it into the Particle System's Emitter port.

Parameters

Image Emitter parameters
  • Plane Size (0.5–60, default 16).
  • Emit From — Luminance (default), Alpha, or Luminance × Alpha. Threshold (default 0.1) and Threshold Softness (default 0.25) set the cut.
  • Threshold Cull — Live (Track Source) kills particles when their pixel goes dark; Emission Only (Persist) keeps them.
  • Color Boost (0–4, default 1), Weight by Source (default on), Use Image Color (default on), Use Image Alpha (default on).
  • Luminance Depth (0–20, default 0) — pushes bright pixels forward in Z.
  • Flip Y, Edge Behavior (Cull at Edge or Keep (Splatter)).
  • Optical Flow (Motion) (default off) with Flow Downsample (1/4 recommended), Motion Strength (default 1), Apply Mode (Velocity (Stick) or Force (Inertia)), Stickiness (default 18), Motion Smoothing (default 0.4).
  • Position X / Y / Z.

Every slider has a per-parameter animation bar, so it can be animated, audio driven, or MIDI mapped.

Examples

Live video dust — a Webcam into Image, Optical Flow (Motion) on, Threshold Cull Emission Only.

Troubleshooting

Particles vanish where the picture is dark — that is Threshold Cull Live. Switch it to Emission Only.

Related

Image Form Effector

Pull an existing cloud into a picture.

Field Flow Effector

Drive particles from a flow texture.

Mesh Emitter

Spawns particles on a wired surface or a loaded model, on its faces, inside its volume, or on its edges and vertices.

Curl Noise Effector

Divergence-free curl noise flow, the default organic drift, in Force or Advect mode.

On this page

Inputs and outputsParametersExamplesTroubleshootingRelated