Explore core concepts of real-time visual effects with this quiz focused on particles, post-processing techniques, and shader graph workflows. Assess your understanding of essential VFX logic, node setup, and rendering principles key to impactful digital visuals.
Which property should you adjust in a particle system to increase the number of particles emitted per second in a fireworks effect?
Explanation: Emission Rate controls how many particles are emitted over a given time and raising it produces more particles per second, ideal for creating dense fireworks. Adjusting Lifetime changes how long particles exist, not how many appear. Gravity affects the downward pull but not the count. Start Speed sets how fast particles move when created, which does not increase their number.
In a shader graph, which node is commonly used to blend two textures together based on an alpha value?
Explanation: The Lerp (Linear Interpolation) node blends between two values or textures according to a specified factor, often an alpha. The Add node simply combines values by addition, while Multiply multiplies the inputs and Subtract finds their difference—neither of these correctly performs smooth blending using an alpha channel.
Which post-processing effect is primarily responsible for making bright areas of a scene appear to glow, simulating intense light?
Explanation: Bloom adds a soft glow around bright regions, enhancing perceived brightness and simulating light intensity. Ambient Occlusion darkens corners and creases to add depth, Chromatic Aberration slightly separates colors at image edges, and Motion Blur simulates the blur effect of fast movement. Only Bloom creates the desired glowing effect around lights.
To make particles fade out as they age, which property should you animate over the particle lifetime?
Explanation: Animating the Alpha property causes transparency to increase over time, making particles disappear smoothly as they age. Mass affects how forces like gravity act on particles, Size changes their dimensions, and Rotation alters their orientation but does not affect visibility. Therefore, only Alpha provides a fade-out effect.
If you want to create a wavy movement across the surface of a plane using shader graph, which mesh property should you modify?
Explanation: Modifying Vertex Position allows you to displace individual mesh points, producing dynamic surface effects like waves. UV Coordinates control texture mapping, not geometry. Normal Direction mainly affects lighting and shading. Fragment Color defines the visible color at each pixel, unrelated to geometry deformation.