# Populators

Populators are procedural containers that distribute assets across an area. The conceptual page is [Populators](/overview/concepts/populators.md); this page is the build-side how-to. Create one, adjust its asset mix, change density, regenerate, convert specific instances into editable objects.

![Asset library "Add an Object" panel open with the Populators category active, showing the Empty Populator template plus Generate 3D and Import Asset action buttons on the right](/files/XsCEonA2srjHOUioscIU)

## Watch

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxbxqcGCuR4>" %}

![Active populator in Build mode with its cyan-blue trapezoidal footprint outline visible. The populator is filled with golden flowers and the contextual menu is hovering above it for adjustments](/files/damyaBQQSu0zxJUd8Gci)

## What it does

The asset library has individual assets and the AI Composer outputs populators. The Build-mode populators page is for everything you do *to* a populator after one exists in your scene: tune its mix, scale its footprint, swap layout style, override how it interacts with other geometry.

## How to create one

Two pathways, in increasing manual control:

1. **AI Composer prompt.** Type "create a tropical forest" or "build a city block" in the AI Composer panel. The agent creates a populator with the asset mix and layout that match the prompt. Fastest path; results need refinement.
2. **Library populator templates.** The asset library has a category for ready-made populators – crowds, traffic, vegetation density variants. Drag one in and adjust.

## How to adjust one

Click the populator's footprint to select. The contextual menu opens a populator panel with the controls below.

### Shape

The populator's footprint shape. Change the shape and the footprint's edit handles change with it. Resizing or reshaping regenerates instances; the populator picks new positions, and existing instances within the new bounds are preserved where possible.

### Size

Scales the populator's footprint as a whole.

### Density

Controls how many instances are placed within the footprint. Increase for thicker forests and busier crowds; decrease for sparser layouts.

### Falloff

Controls how density tapers toward the footprint's edges. A hard falloff produces a crisp boundary; a soft falloff blends the populator into its surroundings.

### Rotation

Sets the rotation behavior for placed instances. Use to align placements with the footprint's orientation or to randomize per instance.

### Scale

Sets the size behavior for placed instances. Use to introduce variation across the placed assets.

### Asset types

Every asset type the populator distributes shows in the asset-types section. Drag a new asset from the asset library directly onto the populator panel to add it. Each entry can be removed or weighted within the populator's mix.

## Common mistakes

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Don't try to lock instances inside a populator.** The lock will be silently overridden the next time the populator regenerates (which happens on density changes, layout switches, footprint resizes). For anything you need to lock, place a regular asset instead.
{% endhint %}

* **Tweaking density before tweaking the asset mix.** Density is a multiplier; the mix is the substance. Get the asset list right first, then adjust density.
* **Stacking populators without culling.** Two overlapping populators (a forest and a flower bed) will cross-spawn. Use the culling controls on each so they don't fight each other.

## Related

* [Populators (concept)](/overview/concepts/populators.md)
* [AI Composer](/build/ai-composer.md)
* [Asset library](/build/asset-library.md)
* [Scene Outliner](/build/scene-outliner.md)


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