Particles

Inherits: GeometryInstance < VisualInstance < CullInstance < Spatial < Node < Object GPU-based 3D particle emitter.

Description

Particles features an emitter that generates some number of particles at a given rate. process_material property to add a ParticlesMaterial to configure particle appearance and behavior. Alternatively, you can add a ShaderMaterial which will be applied to all particles. Note: Particles only work when using the GLES3 renderer. If using the GLES2 renderer, use CPUParticles instead. You can convert Particles to CPUParticles by selecting the node, clicking the Particles menu at the top of the 3D editor viewport then choosing Convert to CPUParticles. Note: On macOS, Particles rendering is much slower than CPUParticles due to transform feedback being implemented on the CPU instead of the GPU. Consider using CPUParticles instead when targeting macOS. Note: After working on a Particles node, remember to update its visibility_aabb by selecting it, clicking the Particles menu at the top of the 3D editor viewport then choose Generate Visibility AABB. Otherwise, particles may suddenly disappear depending on the camera position and angle.

Tutorials

  • Controlling thousands of fish with Particles
  • Third Person Shooter Demo

    Properties

    Methods

    Enumerations

    DrawOrder:
  • DRAW_ORDER_INDEX = 0 —- Particles are drawn in the order emitted.
  • DRAW_ORDER_LIFETIME = 1 —- Particles are drawn in order of remaining lifetime.
  • DRAW_ORDER_VIEW_DEPTH = 2 —- Particles are drawn in order of depth.

    Constants

  • MAX_DRAW_PASSES = 4 —- Maximum number of draw passes supported.

    Property Descriptions

  • int amount lifetime). Note: Changing amount will reset the particle emission, therefore removing all particles that were already emitted before changing amount.
  • DrawOrder draw_order DrawOrder values.
  • Mesh draw_pass_1 Mesh that is drawn for the first draw pass.
  • Mesh draw_pass_2 Mesh that is drawn for the second draw pass.
  • Mesh draw_pass_3 Mesh that is drawn for the third draw pass.
  • Mesh draw_pass_4 Mesh that is drawn for the fourth draw pass.
  • int draw_passes The number of draw passes when rendering particles.
  • bool emitting true, particles are being emitted.
  • float explosiveness 0, particles are emitted continuously. If 1, all particles are emitted simultaneously.
  • int fixed_fps The particle system’s frame rate is fixed to a value. For instance, changing the value to 2 will make the particles render at 2 frames per second. Note this does not slow down the simulation of the particle system itself.
  • bool fract_delta true, results in fractional delta calculation which has a smoother particles display effect.
  • float lifetime The amount of time each particle will exist (in seconds).
  • bool local_coords true, particles use the parent node’s coordinate space. If false, they use global coordinates.
  • bool one_shot true, only amount particles will be emitted.
  • float preprocess Amount of time to preprocess the particles before animation starts. Lets you start the animation some time after particles have started emitting.
  • Material process_material Material for processing particles. Can be a ParticlesMaterial or a ShaderMaterial.
  • float randomness Emission randomness ratio.
  • float speed_scale 0 can be used to pause the particles.
  • AABB visibility_aabb AABB that determines the node’s region which needs to be visible on screen for the particle system to be active. AABB can be grown via code or with the Particles → Generate AABB editor tool. Note: If the ParticlesMaterial in use is configured to cast shadows, you may want to enlarge this AABB to ensure the shadow is updated when particles are off-screen.

    Method Descriptions

  • AABB capture_aabb ( ) const Returns the axis-aligned bounding box that contains all the particles that are active in the current frame.
  • Mesh get_draw_pass_mesh ( int pass ) const Mesh that is drawn at index pass.
  • restart ( ) Restarts the particle emission, clearing existing particles.
  • set_draw_pass_mesh ( int pass, Mesh mesh ) Mesh that is drawn at index pass.