Further tailoring their scattering characteristics requires tuning an internal high refractive-index contrast nanoscale architecture, which remains an outstanding fabrication challenge despite recent progress ( 10– 14). For example, most paints are emulsions containing dielectric “photonic particles” designed to optimize optical scattering through judicious selection of size-typically on the order of an optical wavelength-and refractive index ( 9). The prospect of exercising complete control over the internal 3D structure of multimaterial microparticles and nanoparticles produced in a scalable fashion has profound implications for scientific disciplines ranging from photonics ( 1, 2) to biomedicine ( 3– 5), and for a multitude of industrial applications, such as cosmetics, sunscreen lotions, optical coatings, and paints ( 6– 8). The scalability of this fabrication strategy promises a generation of optical coatings in which sophisticated functionality is realized at the level of the individual particles. Exploiting this unique capability in all-dielectric systems, we tune the scattering cross-section of equisized particles via radial structuring and induce polarization-sensitive scattering from spherical particles with broken internal rotational symmetry. Here, we show that a thermally induced in-fiber fluid instability permits the “digital design” of multimaterial photonic particles: the precise allocation of high refractive-index contrast materials at independently addressable radial and azimuthal coordinates within its 3D architecture. Tailoring the internal nanoscale geometry of such “photonic particles” allows tuning their optical scattering characteristics beyond those afforded by their constitutive materials-however, flexible yet scalable processing approaches to produce such particles are lacking. The right input port allows you to connect it to a peg that will determine the position of the rendered image on the z-axis, without affecting its apparent size.Scattering of light from dielectric particles whose size is on the order of an optical wavelength underlies a plethora of visual phenomena in nature and is a foundation for optical coatings and paints. The left input port allows you to connect it to a peg that will offset, scale and rotate the rendered image. It also allows you to offset and animate the generated image. Visualizer: This node assembles a particle system through its middle port and renders it as a flat image that can be composited onto your scene.Baker: These nodes allow you to make decisions about the way the particles are created and processed.System Composite: Unlike a regular composite that reads all the position information from its in-port nodes and combines them accordingly, a System Composite is specifically designed to handle Action node information.Hence, it is typical of a particle system to have an Emitter node in its r ight-most port, as this node creates the particles before they are affected by other actions. If there are multiple Action nodes hooked to a composite, they are executed from right to left. They determine how particles are created and moved around in space. Action: These nodes define the particle dynamics.In case you have more than one region in your effect, this composite will help define the position and the render order of the different regions. Region Composite: This node combines Region nodes.Region: These nodes are used to define the region from where the particles are emitted.The types of nodes that are part of a particle system are as follows:

This can help you easily structure your particle system as you add components to it. Otherwise, some particle nodes have standard green and blue ports, which must be connected to standard peg and image ports respectively.

For example, the output (bottom) port of an Action node is dark blue, which is the colour of the Particle-System-Composite node, to which Action nodes must be connected. These indicate the kind of node these ports should be connected to. You’ll also notice that the ports above and below each node are colour-coded. For example, Action nodes, such as Velocity, Move-Particles and the Sprite Emitter are purple. Each colour represents a different function. Particle effects are colour coded to make them easy to identify by colour and function. NOTE To learn more about each particle node, see Particle Nodes.

Photonium particle structure