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.