ANR Image Fibers

Overview

Image Fibers grows short strands from a grid of roots across the frame. Strands grow where the Source alpha is, or where the Emission matte is when you connect one, and each takes the colour of the image at its root. They vary in length, taper toward the tip and bend sideways in a gentle, animated wind.

Use it to turn logos and text into fur or grass, to fringe the edge of a shape, or to give graphics a fuzzy, organic texture. It draws strands; it is not a hair simulation, so strands do not collide or react to the motion of the image.

Inputs

1. Sourceoptional

   The image that colours the strands, usually a cutout such as a logo or a title. Without Emission, strands grow wherever its alpha is.

2. Maskoptional

   Limits the final effect: where its alpha is black, Source shows unchanged.

3. Emissionoptional

   A matte that decides where strands grow: white alpha grows full strands, grey fainter ones, black none. Its colour is ignored. Without it, the Source alpha decides.

Output. The strands over Source (as much of it as Source Background keeps), or strands alone on transparency, covering the project format.

Quick start

1. Add ANR Image Fibers and connect a logo, title or cutout with alpha to Source.
2. Set Direction (90 grows straight up), Length and Width.
3. Lower Root Spacing for denser strands, raise it for sparse ones.
4. Set Bend for how far the tips sway and Wind Speed for how fast.
5. Set Source Background to 1 to keep the image under the strands, or 0 for strands alone, to merge and grade separately.
6. To grow strands only in some places, connect a matte to Emission.

The panel

The node's panel as Nuke shows it, with the values of a new node. Click any control to see what it does; tabs and sections work as in Nuke.

All controls

Tips

• Connect an edge-only matte of the logo to Emission for a fringe along its outline.
• With Emission connected and Source empty, Fiber Color colours the strands: quick grass or fur from any matte.
• Direction -90 hangs the strands downward, for fringes and moss.
• Set Wind Speed to 0 to freeze the strands in their bent shape.
• Stack two nodes with different Seed, Length and Direction for a thicker, less regular coat.

Good to know

• Small Root Spacing, long strands and large formats raise render times.
• Source and Emission are used at their own size and position: Reformat them to the project format if they differ.
• Nothing is simulated or cached: each frame depends only on its own frame number and inputs, so scrubbing, render order and farm renders all give the same frames.

Works with

ANR Edge WeatheringWears away the edges of text, logos and cutouts with irregular, noisy erosion, for distressed, grunge and printed-on looks.ANR Matte ReliefTurns text, a logo or any matte into a soft, rounded shape lit from one side, like gel, plastic or liquid, filled with the colours of your image.ANR Noise WarpWarps the image with smooth, animated noise: heat haze, underwater wobble, dreamy distortions and liquid transitions.