Magnet 3D Mode
A magnet on a steel rod swings over a bed of iron, with more power every phase, then falls onto the pile. Every control in Magnetic 3D settings, explained.
What Magnet 3D Does
A magnet hangs on a rigid steel rod over a bed of iron pieces. The run is a row of power phases, Magnet power ×1 up to ×8. In every phase the magnet waits in the middle while the new power eases in, then swings left, across to the right and back to the middle.
The pass is the same every time, only the power goes up. At ×1 and ×2 the magnet only tugs at the bed. Around ×3 the first pieces jump up, and by ×8 most of the bed is packed onto the magnet. Then the screen says Magnet off: the magnet is let go, drops onto the pile with a small bounce, and the iron cascades off. The default run is 8 phases of 3.25 seconds plus 4 seconds for the drop, so 30 seconds.
Tip
- The camera stays fixed for the whole run, so every phase can be compared with the last.
- Randomize picks a magnet, a piece and an iron palette, always keeps the power ramp, and fills 30 seconds.
Basics
Magnetic 3D settings is one panel in Engine. Camera, lighting, background and grade are in the shared 3D sections. The default look is a dark slate studio with real shadows.
Technical parameters
- Basics shows: What happens, Object shape, Magnet shape, Starting layout, How many objects (100 to 20000) and Magnet strength (200 to 9000).
Programme and Shapes
What the run does, and what the magnet and the iron look like.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme | Power ramp is the run described above. Lift & rain (classic cycle) is the older mode, where the field lifts the swarm and drops it again on a loop. | Default Power ramp | Randomize always uses the power ramp. |
| Magnet shape | Hanging Ball (the iron encases it), Horseshoe (the swarm hangs off its two tips), Bar Magnet (both ends), Ring (the swarm wraps the rim), Disc, Cube Magnet, Pot Magnet (grips with its bottom face), Capsule or Electromagnet (a copper coil). | Default Hanging Ball | Horseshoe and Bar Magnet grow a clump at each end. |
| Magnet size | How big the magnet is. | 0.3 to 3, default 1 | |
| Object shape | Steel Cubes, Ball Bearings or Rounded Blocks, all in one stainless finish. | Default Ball Bearings | |
| Show magnet | Shows the magnet and its rod. | Default on | Keep it on. Iron flying up to nothing looks like a glitch. |
Power Ramp
How many phases the run has and how long each one lasts. The line under these settings shows the ramp, ×1 to the last power and then OFF, with the total length.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power steps | How many phases. The last phase is the highest power. | 1 to 12, default 8 | 4 steps make a quicker clip. |
| Swing seconds | How long one phase lasts: the wait in the middle and the full swing. | 2 to 15, default 3.25 | |
| OFF payoff (sec) | Time after the last phase for the magnet to fall and the iron to cascade off. | 0 to 12, default 4 | At 0 the video ends before the magnet lands. |
| Power label | Shows Magnet power ×3 over Phase 3 of 8, and Magnet off at the end. | Default on | Keep it on. The number is what makes each phase feel stronger. |
The Field and the Objects
How hard the magnet pulls, and how the iron behaves.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | How hard the magnet pulls at full power. | 200 to 9000, default 1500 | Too high and the bed jumps up at ×1. |
| Lift height | How high the magnet hangs above the bed. | 80 to 1200, default 175 | |
| Reach | How far the pull reaches into the bed. | 120 to 2000, default 900 | |
| Clump tightness | How close the pieces pack onto the magnet. | 0 to 1, default 0.55 | |
| Object count | How many iron pieces are in the bed. | 100 to 20000, default 1600 | Raise it slowly and check that playback stays smooth. |
| Object size | How big each piece is. | 3 to 24, default 10 | |
| Gravity | How fast the iron falls. | 200 to 3000, default 1200 | |
| Bounciness | How much the pieces bounce when they land. | 0 to 0.9, default 0.22 |
Color and Audio
The iron colours, the magnet colour and the sounds.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color mode | How the tints are spread over the pieces, such as Solid Metal, Height Fade or Two Tone. | Default Solid Metal | |
| Object tint, Second tint | The iron colours. Second tint shows only for the modes that use two colours. | Defaults iron grey and rust | Natural iron colours look real. Bright colours look like plastic. |
| Magnet body | The paint on the Horseshoe, Bar Magnet and Pot Magnet. The steel magnets ignore it. | Default red | |
| Override audio | Real metal clinks as pieces hit the magnet, and a fall at the end. | Default on | Turn it off to play your song instead. |
Recommended Setups
A good Magnet 3D clip makes every phase pull visibly more than the last.
| Goal | Settings to use |
|---|---|
| The full ramp | Defaults. 6 power steps, Steel Cylinder, Ball Bearings. |
| A short clip | Power steps 4. |
| Steel hanging off two tips | Magnet shape Horseshoe, Object shape Steel Cubes. |
| A magnet buried in iron | Magnet shape Hanging Ball, Object shape Ball Bearings. |
| An industrial look | Magnet shape Electromagnet, Object shape Rounded Blocks. |
Common Problems
What to check when Magnet 3D misbehaves.
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The first phases do nothing | At ×1 and ×2 the magnet only tugs at the bed. That is the build-up. | Lower Power steps to start closer to the big phases. |
| The bed jumps up at ×1 | Strength or Reach is high. | Lower Strength or Reach. |
| The video ends before the magnet lands | OFF payoff is too short. | Raise OFF payoff (sec) to 3 or more. |
| Magnet body does nothing | Only the Horseshoe, Bar Magnet and Pot Magnet are painted. | Pick one of those magnets. |
| Playback stutters | Too many objects. | Lower Object count. |
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