Scatter (object scattering)

Scatter is a technique that places one or more chosen objects across a surface in large numbers, with controlled randomness. Blades of grass, gravel, shrubs, trees, even parked cars or crowds can be added to a scene in minutes this way. Natural-looking results that would take hours to place by hand become quick and repeatable.

How scattering works

You pick the objects to distribute and the target surface, then set rules for density, scale range, rotation and slope. Trees can be limited to ground below a certain gradient, for instance, and grass kept away from paths. Texture maps or painted areas control where the distribution gets denser or sparser. Because scattered copies are usually held as instances, even millions of grass blades can be rendered.

Scatter in architectural visualization

The secret of believable landscape is irregularity: trees of identical height lined up at the same angle look artificial at once. Variation in scale and rotation breaks that repetition. Scatter is also used to fill in surrounding vegetation in aerial views, carpet fibres in interiors or small objects on a table. Choosing plants that suit the climate and season completes the effect. For landscape-focused images, see our landscape visualization service.