Skip to content

Crowd Brushes

Tools for controlling how crowd elements are placed and configured in your scene. Brushes define instance properties, animation settings, and placement rules for creating diverse and natural-looking crowds.

Brush Overview

1. Paint Settings

  • Mesh Index selection: If using Bone Animation types you can select which sub mesh to use here
  • Shadow casting options: Toggle shadow casting on the instances when they are placed in the level

2. Per Instance Animation Data

  • Animation List Logic: Select and edit your Animation Logic settings. For more information see Animation Logic

3. Painting Settings

  • Density (per 1Kuu): Controls the number of instances placed within a 10m² area
  • Min Distance Between Instances: Sets the minimum spacing required between newly placed instances within the paint brush area
  • Scaling Mode: Select from various scaling constraints Uniform, Free and Lock XY/XZ/YZ
  • Scale (X, Y, Z): Define minimum and maximum scale values for each axis - instances will be randomly scaled within these bounds

4. Placement Settings

  • Z Offset: Adjusts the vertical position of instances in the level. Use different Min/Max values to create random height variations
  • Align to Normal: Automatically orients instances to match the surface normal direction they are painted on (limited by Ground Slope Angle)
  • Average Normal: Smooths instance orientation by averaging nearby surface normals on uneven terrain
  • Average Normal Single Component: Limits normal averaging to a single component for more controlled orientation
  • Ground Slope Angle: Defines the minimum and maximum slope angles where instances can be painted and aligned with normals
  • Brush Yaw: Controls instance facing direction. Set different Min/Max values to create random rotations around the vertical axis
  • Brush Pitch: Controls forward/backward tilt angle. Set Min/Max bounds to randomize the pitch of placed instances

Creating Brushes

There are three ways to create a brush asset.

Direct Addition:

  • Click "+ Mesh/Brush Asset" in Crowd Editor
  • Select your VA Asset Collection
  • Choose where to save the new brush asset

Drag and Drop:

  • Drag VA Asset Collection to "Drop Your Assets Here" area
  • Choose where to save the new brush asset

Add Brush

Right Click Menu:

  • Right click your VA Asset Collection in the content browser and choose Make Vertex Crowd Brush
  • Choose where to save the new brush asset

Create Brush

See Also