Effect Tendril
Organic, physics-based tendril whose head wanders along a chosen path while a spring-connected chain of nodes trails behind it.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movement | dropdown | Random, Square, Circle, Horizontal Zig Zag, Horiz. Zig Zag Return, Vertical Zig Zag, Vert. Zig Zag Return, Music Line, Music Circle, Manual | The path the tendril head follows. Options include geometric patterns like circle and square, zig-zag paths, music-reactive modes, or fully manual control via value curves. (default Circle) |
| Tune Movement | slider | 0-20 | Controls the magnitude of the tendril head movement. Higher values produce larger, more dramatic movements across the buffer. (default 10; disabled when Movement is Manual) |
| Thickness | slider | 1-20 | The line width of the tendril in pixels. Higher values draw a thicker, more visible tendril strand. (default 3) |
| Friction | slider | 0-20 | Controls how quickly node velocity decays. Lower values allow nodes to move more freely, while higher values make the tendril more sluggish. (default 10) |
| Dampening | slider | 0-20 | How much each node is influenced by the velocity of its predecessor. Higher values make the tendril body follow the head more closely. (default 10) |
| Tension | slider | 0-39 | Controls how quickly the spring force decays along the tendril chain. Higher values keep the tail tighter to the head; lower values let it wave more freely. (default 20) |
| Trails | slider | 1-20 | Number of parallel tendril strands drawn. Each trail has a slightly different spring constant, creating a ribbon-like appearance. (default 1) |
| Length | slider | 5-100 | Number of nodes in the tendril chain. More nodes create a longer, more flowing tendril. (default 60) |
| Speed | slider | 1-10 | How fast the tendril head moves along its chosen path. Higher values make the tendril traverse its pattern more quickly. (default 10) |
| Horizontal Offset | slider | -100 to 100 | Shifts the entire tendril pattern left or right as a percentage of the buffer width. (default 0) |
| Vertical Offset | slider | -100 to 100 | Shifts the entire tendril pattern up or down as a percentage of the buffer height. (default 0) |
| Manual X | slider | 0-100 | Manually sets the horizontal target position for the tendril head when Movement is set to Manual. Use with a value curve to animate the path. (default 0) |
| Manual Y | slider | 0-100 | Manually sets the vertical target position for the tendril head when Movement is set to Manual. Use with a value curve to animate the path. (default 0) |
Tune Movement, Thickness, Horizontal Offset, Vertical Offset, Manual X, and Manual Y all support value curves.
When Movement is set to Manual, Manual X and Manual Y become enabled and Tune Movement is disabled, since the head position is driven directly rather than by the automatic movement pattern.
Combine a low Friction/high Dampening with a high Trails count for a ribbon-like flowing effect. Use Manual movement with value curves on Manual X/Manual Y to hand-animate a precise tendril path. Music Line and Music Circle drive the head position from the music, for a reactive tendril.
Last updated: 2026-07-01