Explore the Shape module properties to define the volume or surface of particleA small, simple image or mesh that is emitted by a particle system. A particle system can display and move particles in great numbers to represent a fluid or amorphous entity. The effect of all the particles together creates the impression of the complete entity, such as smoke. More info
See in Glossary emission, and the direction of the start velocity.
The direction of particle emission varies depending on the shape you choose.
| Shape | Description |
|---|---|
| Sphere | Emits particles uniformly in all directions. |
| Hemisphere | Emits particles uniformly in all directions on one side of a plane. |
| Cone | Emits particles from the base or body of a cone. The particles diverge in proportion to their distance from the cone’s center line. |
| Donut | Emits particles from a torus. The particles move outwards from the ring of the torus. |
| Box | Emits particles from the edge, surface, or body of a box shape. The particles move in the emitter object’s forward (Z) direction. |
| MeshThe main graphics primitive of Unity. Meshes make up a large part of your 3D worlds. Unity supports triangulated or Quadrangulated polygon meshes. Nurbs, Nurms, Subdiv surfaces must be converted to polygons. More info See in Glossary |
Emits particles from any arbitrary mesh shape supplied via the InspectorA Unity window that displays information about the currently selected GameObject, asset or project settings, allowing you to inspect and edit the values. More info See in Glossary. |
| Mesh RendererA mesh component that takes the geometry from the Mesh Filter and renders it at the position defined by the object’s Transform component. More info See in Glossary |
Emits particles from a reference to a GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info See in Glossary’s Mesh Renderer. |
| Skinned Mesh Renderer | Emits particles from a reference to a GameObject’s Skinned Mesh Renderer. |
| SpriteA 2D graphic objects. If you are used to working in 3D, Sprites are essentially just standard textures but there are special techniques for combining and managing sprite textures for efficiency and convenience during development. More info See in Glossary |
Emits particles from a sprite shape supplied via the Inspector. |
| Sprite RendererA component that lets you display images as Sprites for use in both 2D and 3D scenes. More info See in Glossary |
Emits particles from a reference to a GameObject’s Sprite Renderer. |
| Circle | Emits particles uniformly from the center or edge of a circle. The particles move only in the plane of the circle. |
| Edge | Emits particles from a line segment. The particles move in the emitter object’s upward (Y) direction. |
| Rectangle | Emits particles from a rectangle. The particles move up from the rectangle. |
This section details the properties for each Shape.
For some properties in this section, you can use different modes to set their value. For information on the modes you can use, refer to Vary Particle System properties over time.
Sphere, Hemisphere, and Circle have the same properties.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Radius | Sets the radius of the circular aspect of the shape. |
| Radius Thickness | Sets the proportion of the volume that emits particles. A value of 0 emits particles from the outer surface of the shape. A value of 1 emits particles from the entire volume. Values between 0 and 1 will use a proportion of the volume. |
| Arc | Sets the angular portion of a full circle that forms the emitter’s shape. |
| Mode | Defines how Unity generates particles around the arc of the shape. For information on the Mode dropdown options, refer to Mode dropdown. |
| Spread | Controls the discrete intervals around the arc where particles can be generated. For example, a value of 0 means that particles can spawn anywhere around the arc, and a value of 0.1 means that particles can only spawn at 10% intervals around the shape. |
| Speed | Controls the speed the emission position moves around the arc. Set this value to Constant for the value to always remain the same, or Curve for the value to change over time. This property is available only when Mode is Loop or Ping-Pong. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collisionA collision occurs when the physics engine detects that the colliders of two GameObjects make contact or overlap, when at least one has a Rigidbody component and is in motion. More info See in Glossary. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center. When Shape is Hemisphere or Circle, a value of 1 behaves identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Angle | Sets the angle of the cone at its point. A value of 0 produces a cylinder while a value of 90 produces a flat disc. |
| Radius | Sets the radius of the circular aspect of the shape. |
| Radius Thickness | Sets the proportion of the volume that emits particles. A value of 0 emits particles from the outer surface of the shape. A value of 1 emits particles from the entire volume. Values between 0 and 1 will use a proportion of the volume. |
| Arc | Sets the angular portion of a full circle that forms the emitter’s shape. |
| Mode | Defines how Unity generates particles around the arc of the shape. For information on the Mode dropdown options, refer to Mode dropdown. |
| Spread | Controls the discrete intervals around the arc where particles can be generated. For example, a value of 0 means that particles can spawn anywhere around the arc, and a value of 0.1 means that particles can only spawn at 10% intervals around the shape. |
| Speed | Controls the speed the emission position moves around the arc. Set this value to Constant for the value to always remain the same, or Curve for the value to change over time. This property is available only when Mode is Loop or Ping-Pong. |
| Length | Sets the length of the cone. This property is available only when Emit from: is Volume. |
| Emit from: | Chooses the part of the cone to emit particles from: Base or Volume. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Radius | Sets the radius of the main donut ring. |
| Donus Radius | Sets the radius of the outer donut ring. |
| Radius Thickness | Sets the proportion of the volume that emits particles. A value of 0 emits particles from the outer surface of the shape. A value of 1 emits particles from the entire volume. Values between 0 and 1 will use a proportion of the volume. |
| Arc | Sets the angular portion of a full circle that forms the emitter’s shape. |
| Mode | Defines how Unity generates particles around the arc of the shape. For information on the Mode dropdown options, refer to Mode dropdown. |
| Spread | Controls the discrete intervals around the arc where particles can be generated. For example, a value of 0 means that particles can spawn anywhere around the arc, and a value of 0.1 means that particles can only spawn at 10% intervals around the shape. |
| Speed | Controls the speed the emission position moves around the arc. Set this value to Constant for the value to always remain the same, or Curve for the value to change over time. This property is available only when Mode is Loop or Ping-Pong. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Emit from: | Chooses the part of the box to emit particles from: Volume, Edge, or Shell. The default value is Volume. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
Mesh, Mesh Renderer, and Skinned Mesh Renderer have the same properties.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Choose where to emit particles from: Vertex, Edge, or Triangle. The default value is Vertex. |
| Mode | Defines how Unity generates particles around the arc of the shape. For information on the Mode dropdown options, refer to Mode dropdown. |
| Spread | Controls the discrete intervals around the arc where particles can be generated. For example, a value of 0 means that particles can spawn anywhere around the arc, and a value of 0.1 means that particles can only spawn at 10% intervals around the shape. |
| Speed | Controls the speed the emission position moves around the arc. Set this value to Constant for the value to always remain the same, or Curve for the value to change over time. This property is available only when Mode is Loop or Ping-Pong. |
| Mesh | Selects the mesh that provides the emitter’s shape. |
| Single Material | Selects whether to emit particles from a particular submesh, identified by the material index number. If enabled, a numeric field appears for you to specify the material index number. |
| Use Mesh Colors | Modulates particle color with mesh vertex colors. If mesh vertex colors don’t exist, this uses the shaderA program that runs on the GPU. More info See in Glossary color property _Color or _TintColor from the material. |
| Normal Offset | Sets the distance away from the surface of the mesh to emit particles in the direction of the surface normal. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
Sprite and Sprite Renderer have the same properties.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Choose where to emit particles from: Vertex, Edge, or Triangle. The default value is Vertex. |
| Sprite | Selects the sprite that defines the particle emitter’s shape. |
| Normal Offset | Sets the distance away from the surface of the sprite to emit particles in the direction of the surface normal. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Radius | Defines the length of the edge. |
| Mode | Defines how Unity generates particles around the arc of the shape. For information on the Mode dropdown options, refer to Mode dropdown. |
| Spread | Controls the discrete intervals around the arc where particles can be generated. For example, a value of 0 means that particles can spawn anywhere around the arc, and a value of 0.1 means that particles can only spawn at 10% intervals around the shape. |
| Speed | Controls the speed the emission position moves around the arc. Set this value to Constant for the value to always remain the same, or Curve for the value to change over time. This property is available only when Mode is Loop or Ping-Pong. |
| Texture | Selects a texture to use for tinting and discarding particles. |
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Position | Applies an offset to the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Rotation | Rotates the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Scale | Changes the size of the emitter shape used for spawning particles. |
| Align to Direction | Orients particles based on their initial direction of travel. This can be useful if you want to simulate, for example, chunks of car paint flying off a car’s bodywork during a collision. If the orientation isn’t satisfactory, you can override this property by applying a Start Rotation value in the Main module. |
| Randomize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a random direction. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 completely randomizes the particle direction. |
| Spherize Direction | Blends particle directions towards a spherical direction, where they travel outwards from the center of their Transform. A value of 0 has no effect. A value of 1 points the particle direction outwards from the center, behaving identically to when the Shape is Sphere. |
| Randomize Position | Moves particles by a random amount, up to the specified value. A value of 0 has no effect. Any other value will apply some randomness to the spawning positions of the particles. |
If Shape is Sphere, Hemisphere, Cone, Donut, Mesh, Mesh Renderer, Skinned Mesh Renderer, Circle, or Edge, the Mode property has the following options:
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Random (default) | Generates particles randomly along the radius. |
| Loop | Generates particles sequentially along the radius of the shape, and loops back to the start at the end of each cycle. |
| Ping-Pong | Generates particles sequentially along the radius of the shape, and loops back to the start at the end of each cycle. Each consecutive loop happens in the opposite direction to the previous loop. |
| Burst Spread | Generates particles evenly along the radius. Use this mode for a more evenly distributed spread of particles compared to the default randomized behavior, where particles might clump together unevenly. Burst Spread is best used with burst emissions. This property is available only when Shape is Sphere, Hemisphere, Cone, Donut, Circle, or Edge. |