To create the effect of wind on your trees and particle systems, you can add one or more GameObjectsThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary with Wind Zone components. Trees within a wind zone bend in a realistic animated fashion, and the wind itself moves in pulses to create natural patterns of movement among the trees.
To create a Wind Zone GameObject, from the main menu, select GameObject > 3D Object > Wind Zone.
There are two modes for wind:
The Main property determines the overall strength of the wind. Use Turbulence for randomised variation.
The wind blows over the trees in pulses to create a more natural effect, where the wind speed isn’t a constant but rather falls and rises with gusts. You can control the strength of the pulses with Pulse Magnitude, and the time interval between them with Pulse Frequency.
Wind Zones work on an area of the terrain or an entire tile. However, different trees have different behaviors in the same wind conditions. Use the Tree Editor to control how the branches and leaves of each tree model react to wind.
You can’t control SpeedTree animation behavior in Unity; use SpeedTree to change wind animation and import your trees again.
You can use more than one Wind Zone GameObject in your terrain. This creates different wind conditions in different areas of the terrain. For example, you can create a strong wind in one area and a gentle breeze in another.
You can use a Directional mode on the whole terrain and a Spherical mode to create local conditions (these are added to the Directional wind), or use only Spherical mode winds that together cover the whole terrain. Don’t use multiple Directional mode winds; a Directional wind covers the entire terrain, so using two Directional winds doesn’t create local conditions.
The main use of wind is to animate trees, but it can also affect particles in a particle system that uses the External Forces module. Refer to Particle SystemA component that simulates fluid entities such as liquids, clouds and flames by generating and animating large numbers of small 2D images in the scene. More info
See in Glossary for more information.
To add a Wind Zone to an existing particle system:
Trees from SpeedTree rely on their own wind behavior, which is imported with them. Refer to Games wind for more information.
Wind Zones don’t apply to grass on the terrain. To animate grass, refer to Terrain Settings reference.
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