Particle Effect Basic Parameters

Every particle effect needs at least eleven parameters. These govern the overall properties, such as the number of particles on the screen, the birth and death rates, and the renderer, emitter, and factory that are used.

Variable

Definition

Values

poolSize

Maximum number of simultaneous particles

[0, infinity)

birthRate

Seconds between particle births

(0, infinity)

litterSize

Number of particles created at each birth

[1, infinity)

litterSpread

Variation of litter size

[0, infinity)

localVelocityFlag

Whether or not velocities are absolute

Boolean

systemGrowsOlder

Whether or not the system has a lifespan

Boolean

systemLifespan

Age of the system in seconds

[0, infinity)

BaseParticleRenderer* renderer

Pointer to particle renderer

Renderer type

BaseParticleRenderer* emitter

Pointer to particle emitter

Emitter type

BaseParticleRenderer* factory

Pointer to particle factory

Factory type

The renderer, emitter, and factory types will be discussed in the next three sections.