Random Seed
Changes the reproducible spawn pattern.
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ParticlesAdvanced
pSpawn
Emit particles from particles
Creates secondary particles from existing parent particles, enabling sparks, trails, fragmentation and cascading particle systems.
pSpawn
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
pSpawn turns incoming particles into moving emitters. Each eligible parent particle can generate child particles with their own lifespan, velocity, style and color.
Overview
What pSpawn does
This is one of the most powerful classic particle nodes because it enables multi-stage simulations: one emitter creates parent particles, and pSpawn creates a second layer from those moving parents.
Velocity Transfer controls how much child motion inherits from the parent. Position Variance and temporal distribution determine where and when children appear around each parent.
Affect spawned particles can create recursive cascades. It is powerful but dangerous: particle counts can grow extremely quickly when Number and Lifespan are high.
Mental model
Imagine a tiny emitter attached to every incoming particle. As the parent moves, pSpawn decides when and how many child particles it releases.
Common uses
Sparks from moving particles
Secondary smoke or dust trails
Fragment particles into smaller particles
Create cascading magical effects
Build multi-stage particle systems
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Particles
Particle stream processed by this node.
pSpawn
Fusion node
Particles
The processed particle stream.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Reseed
Sets the random seed so a procedural variation can be reproduced.
Time Lock
Locks procedural randomness to time so the same frame evaluates consistently.
Number
Sets how many particles are generated or processed.
Number Variance
Sets how far randomized values can deviate from the base value.
Lifespan
Sets how long particles created by pSpawn remain alive.
Lifespan Variance
Sets how far randomized values can deviate from the base value.
Color
Chooses whether children use their own style color or inherit parent color.
Position Variance
Spreads child birth positions around the parent.
Temporal Distribution
Controls whether child births happen together, randomly or more evenly over time.
Affect spawned particles
Allows children to become parents for further spawning.
This can multiply particle count very rapidly.
Tip: Enable only after the base effect is stable at low density.
Velocity Transfer
Controls how much parent velocity is inherited by children.
Velocity
Sets particle speed or velocity.
Velocity Variance
Sets how far randomized values can deviate from the base value.
Angle / Angle Variance
Sets how far randomized values can deviate from the base value.
Angle Z / Angle Z Variance
Sets how far randomized values can deviate from the base value.
Rotation Mode
Selects the Rotation Mode used by pSpawn.
Always Face Camera
Keeps the particle sprite or instance facing the camera.
Rotation X/Y/Z and Variance
Sets rotation on the X, Y and Z axes.
Spin X/Y/Z and Variance
Sets the X, Y and Z components of spin.
Sets / Set 1–32
Chooses which particle sets are affected by this operation.
Style
Selects the style used by pSpawn.
Apply Mode
Selects the Apply Mode.
Chooses the mathematical or operational mode used for this part of the node.
Sub-Pixel Rendered
Allows spawned particles smaller than one pixel to contribute to the render.
Color / Red / Green / Blue / Alpha
Provides separate controls for the red, green, blue and alpha channels.
Color Variance
Sets how far randomized values can deviate from the base value.
Color Over Life Controls
Defines how spawned particle color changes over the particle lifetime.
Fade In / Out
Sets how spawned particles fade in after birth and fade out before they die.
Probability
Sets the probability that this particle operation is applied.
Age Start / End
Sets the particle-age range affected by this operation.
Particle age is measured over the particle lifetime; use the start and end values to limit where the behavior becomes active.
Set Mode
Selects the Set Mode used by pSpawn.
Region Mode
Selects the particle region type.
Chooses the geometric region used by the particle operation.
Region
Selects the particle region type.
Chooses the geometric region used by the particle operation. Available region types include All, Bezier, Bitmap, Cube, Line, Mesh, and Rectangle.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Start with a stable low-density parent stream.
- 2
Insert pSpawn after the parent motion is established.
- 3
Use a small Number and short Lifespan first.
- 4
Tune Velocity Transfer and Position Variance.
- 5
Choose the child style/color behavior.
- 6
Only then consider recursive spawning or higher density.
Typical node chain
Parent particles→
pSpawn→
particle forces→
pRender
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Spark trail
Moving parent particles continuously emit smaller sparks.
pEmitterpDirectionalForcepSpawnpRender
Particle fragmentation
Image particles split into secondary fragments.
ImagepImageEmitterpSpawnpTurbulencepRender
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Starting with high Number and Lifespan and creating an enormous particle count.
Enabling Affect spawned particles before understanding the base spawn behavior.
Using full velocity inheritance when child particles should visibly separate from parents.
Production notes
Practical tips
Build the effect in stages and watch particle count.
Use short-lived children for sparks and longer-lived children for smoke-like trails.
Animate spawn amount instead of making the whole system dense all the time.
Related nodes