VanZant

Time Scale

Inherent speed (at zero wind). Controls the overall speed of the simulation, affecting how quickly particles move and update.

Wind Speed

Controls the velocity of particle movement, simulating how wind speed affects ember and heat plume transport.

Wind Direction

The prevailing direction of the wind as provided by the closest NWS weather station, expressed in degrees.

Directional Randomness

Simulates turbulence and local wind variations by adding random fluctuations to particle trajectories, similar to fire-induced wind eddies.

Particle Lifespan

Determines how long each heat visualization element persists, analogous to the duration of visible thermal signatures in infrared imagery.

Particle Density

Controls the concentration of visualization elements within each burst, similar to the density of detected thermal signatures in a given area.

Particle Scale Decay

Determines how quickly particles diminish in size over their lifespan, representing the cooling and dissipation of thermal signatures.

Particle Scale Variation

Controls the range of initial particle sizes, simulating the variation in intensity of thermal signatures across a detection area.

Burst Frequency

Sets how often new groups of particles are emitted, simulating the pulsing nature of thermal plumes and intermittent fire behavior.

Particles Per Burst

Determines the number of thermal signatures released in each emission event, representing the intensity of individual heat releases.

Burst Duration

Controls how long each emission event lasts, analogous to the duration of individual thermal pulses in fire behavior.

Gap Between Bursts

Sets the cooling or rest period between emission events, representing the cyclical nature of fire intensity fluctuations.

Burst Length Variation

Adds randomness to the duration of each burst, simulating the natural variability in fire behavior and thermal signature patterns.