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pTurbulence Node

By Kriss Norde

pTurbulence adds a frequency-based chaotic force to particles - each particle is pushed in an unpredictable, non-uniform way, as if by turbulent wind or a fluid. The signature force for giving particle systems a natural, organic feel (smoke, fire, dust).

Overview

pTurbulence applies an animated 3D noise field to particles. Each particle receives a push based on its position in this field - the result: unpredictable, natural motion.

Without pTurbulence, most particle chains look mechanical and artificial. With just a little turbulence, everything instantly becomes more believable - it is the essential force of the particle toolkit.

Where to find this node

  • Effects Library: Tools > Particles > pTurbulence
  • Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > Particles > pTurbulence

Inputs

  • Particle Input (orange) - output of a particle node.
  • Region Input (green/magenta) - optional. A bitmap or 3D mesh that defines the area where the turbulence applies.

Setup

Organic smoke:
pEmitter (smoke sprite, Velocity Y +0.02) → pTurbulence (moderate X/Z Strength)
                                          → pRender

Living fire:
pEmitter (fire sprite) → pTurbulence (X/Z strength, low Y)
                      → pDirectionalForce (Y up to rise)
                      → pRender

Ambient dust:
pEmitter (low Number, very long Lifespan, minimal Velocity)
  → pTurbulence (light Strength on X/Y/Z)
  → pRender
(floating air atmosphere)

Controls tab

X / Y / Z Strength
Amplitude of the chaotic motion on each axis. Higher = stronger disturbances. Allows anisotropic turbulence (e.g. strong on horizontal X/Z, weak on Y for rising smoke).
Strength Over Life
A spline editor that controls turbulence based on the particle's age. E.g. calm new particles, turbulent old ones (a gradual dispersion effect).
Density
Scale of the noise field. See the dedicated section.
Scale X / Y / Z
Stretches the field on each axis. Allows an anisotropic field (e.g. wider variations horizontally than vertically).
Time Scale
How fast the field evolves over time. Higher = a field that changes quickly (jittery turbulence). Low = a nearly static field.
Random Seed
Seed of the noise field. Lock it for reproducibility.
Conditions (Sets)
Applies the turbulence only to certain particle sets.

Density: wave vs fine variations

Low Density
A very wide noise field. Nearby particles get the same disturbance → a wave effect, particles move as a group (like a swaying crowd).
High Density
A fragmented field with small cells. Each particle gets an individual disturbance, different from its neighbors → a fine variations effect, particles moving independently.

Rule: a cloud/crowd moving together → low Density. Individual twinkling particles → high Density.

Use cases

  • Organic smoke - moderate X/Z Strength, low Y, low Density = smoke swaying as a group while rising.
  • Living fire - high X/Z Strength (dancing heat) + reverse gravity = natural flames.
  • Dust / ambient particles - very low Strength on every axis, low Time Scale = gently floating dust, very natural.
  • Snow with turbulent wind - high X Strength + negative Y Velocity (falling) = snow that falls but gets tossed by the wind.
  • Crowd / school of fish - low Density + moderate Strength = a coherent swaying group, a "school of fish" effect.
  • Chaotic sparks - high Density + strong Strength = each spark goes in a different direction, an explosion look.
  • Water mist / turbulent haze - moderate Strength + high Time Scale = haze that evolves quickly in every direction.

Tips

  • Moderate Strength for most cases - 0.01-0.05 is often enough. Too high = particles tossed around with no clear direction.
  • Anisotropy for realism - rising smoke: low Y Strength to let the rise dominate, stronger X/Z for the horizontal dance.
  • Time Scale proportional to particle speed - slow particles (smoke) = low Time Scale. Fast particles (fire) = high Time Scale.
  • Strength Over Life for dispersion - a rising curve: particles get more and more turbulent as they age = a natural dispersion effect.
  • Always combine with a direction - pTurbulence alone = particles going in every direction. Always pair it with pDirectionalForce (gravity) or the pEmitter Velocity for a dominant direction.
  • Density by effect type - smoke/cloud = low Density (wave). Explosion/sparks = high Density (individual).
  • Multiple pTurbulence nodes - stacking 2 pTurbulence nodes with different Density and Time Scale = very realistic multi-scale turbulence (big waves + small ripples).