Particle System

Guide info#

Short: 5-7 minutes

• Summary#

• While the particle system has a plethora of options, most of them are fairly self-explanatory.
• The first window controls particle movement, the second controls their size, and visuals, the third contains extra features, and the fourth lets you set their texture.
• There are many smaller features which help make the particle editor much easier to use as well.

1: Page 1

Particle Spawning#

These options let you control how particles spawn; how many will spawn, how often they’ll spawn, and long they’ll last.

• **Max particles:**The maximum particles outputted by a singular instance.
• Duration: The interval in which the particles will spawn. For example, a duration of 0.5 means that for every lifetime, particles will spawn for 0.5 seconds (-1 for constant).
• **Lifetime:**How long the particles last.
• Emission: Amount of particles spawned per duration.

Particle Movement#

These options let you control where particles spawn and how they move.

• Angle: Angle value for the particles.
• 0° is straight to the right, while -90° is straight up.
• Speed: Starting speed value for the particles. This is measured in small arrow units, so inputting 15 will render 1 block per second.
• PostVar X and Y: Parameters for where the particles spawn. This is also measured in small arrow units, so 15 = 1 block. Use this to define the particle concentration.
• Gravity X and Y: Determine how the particles accelerate linearly.
• AccelRad: Determines if the particles spread outwards from a center point (positive value), or spread inwards (negative value).
• AccelTan: Determines if the particles turn in a counterclockwise (positive value) or clockwise direction (negative value).

2: Page 2

Particle Size, Rotation, and Color#

These options determine the size, rotation, and color of particles over their lifetime.

• Start & End Size: Starting and ending size of the particles. 30 Units = 1 block.
• Start & End Spin: Starting and ending degree measure of the particles. Positive values are clockwise; negative values are counterclockwise.
• Start RGBA & End RGBA: Starting and Ending RGBA values for the particles.
• You can fine-tune the color options in the top left corner.
• Use the <> button to make them the same. Using this button will always copy the color of the first color box to the second box.

3: Page 3

Movement Options#

These options determine how the particle object will respond to being moved in-game.

Free, Relative, and Grouped determine how the particles generate when the particle object is moved:

• Free: Group particles relative to camera position.

• Relative: Allow particles to move on their own, regardless of camera position.

• **Grouped:**Make particles move together. You can see this by clicking and dragging the particle object in the bottom left window.

• **Fade In and Fade Out:**Impacts opacity; works like the pulse trigger

Particle Friction#

These options allow you to simulate friction on particles.

• FrictionP: Increases the friction on particles after they start moving, making them stop faster
• FrictionS: Increases the friction on particles as they grow, making them change size slower over time.
• FrictionR: Increases the rotational friction on particles, making them rotate slower over time.
• Respawn: Lets you control how fast the particles respawn when using a fast emission rate, like -1.

Particle Visuals#

These options control some of each particle’s visuals; their color, size, spin, and if they have blending.

• Additive: Makes the colors use blending.
• Start size/spin/rad: Changes the size, spin, and radians of the particle.
• If you input a value for start and end and enable these checkboxes, the particle will start with the start size but end with start size + end size.
• This means a start size of 30 and an end size of 60 will make the particle start with size 30 and end with size 90.
• Start rot is dir: Makes particles move in the direction their rotation started with.
• Use obj color: Makes the particles use the color channels assigned in Edit Object.
• Uniform obj color: Makes the particles all have the same color no matter what (no variation).
• This setting ignores blending, so use the “Enable Additive” function to make the particles have blending.
• **Dynamic rotation:**Makes the particles dynamically change their rotation depending on how they’re rotated.

Technical Settings#

These options let you control how particles interact with other aspects of your level, like their layering and if they respond to triggers.

• Animate on Trigger: Allows you to control when the particles activate using an Animate trigger. This is explained further in the Animate Trigger guide.
• Quick Start: Removes a “start animation” when first loading into the level.
• Order Sensitive: Allows particles to respond to Z order.
• Otherwise they will ignore Z order and display below the Z layer they’re on, similar to portals.
• This only works if blending is disabled in the particle menu, as well as the color you chose in the color picker when using “use obj color”.
• StartRGB/EndRGB var sync: If you use the random sliders in the visual tab to select a color enabling this will make the particles either start or end with a grayscale effect.

4: Page 4

• Texture: Sets the texture the particle will use.

Extra Settings#

These buttons let you change multiple properties found in the motion tab simultaneously, depending on what button you press. You can’t multi-select these buttons.

• StartRad: Determines the length of the diameter measured in small arrow units. This means a StartRad of 15 is 1 block long. This is the place where the particles will start at/spawn in.
• EndRad: Functions exactly the same as StartRad but this time it determines where the particles will end/move to.
• RotSec: Determines how much the particles will rotate before reaching the EndRad. It is measured in degrees and the particles will move clockwise for positive value.

These buttons let you copy every setting from one particle to a different one entirely. The c button copies the properties and the p button pastes them.

Finally, you can use the numbered buttongs to quickly change particle parameters:

1. Lets you edit the PosVarX and PosVarY.
2. Lets you edit the GravityX and Y.
3. Lets you edit the angle and speed.

The C button doesn’t have a purpose at the time of writing. Alternatively, the black square to its right lets you set a background color for the particle viewer.

Return To The Table of Contents Here#

**Video: **https://youtu.be/-744rW8WKmA?si=vBVz6hIJr860AnKz

Credits#

Created by @Half and @koma5