Particle effects
A 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 system simulates and renders many small images or Meshes, called particles, to produce a visual effect. Each particle in a system represents an individual graphical element in the effect. The system simulates every particle collectively to create the impression of the complete effect.
Particle systems are useful when you want to create dynamic objects like fire, smoke, or liquids because it is difficult to depict this kind of object with a 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 (3D) or 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 (2D). Meshes and Sprites are better at depicting solid objects such as a house or a car.
This section contains information on:
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Choosing your particle system solution | Compare Unity’s particle systems: the Built-in Particle SystemA component that simulates fluid entities such as liquids, clouds and flames by generating and animating large numbers of small 2D images in the scene. More info See in Glossary and the Visual Effect Graph. |
| Create and view a Particle System | Add a Particle System component 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 and preview it in the SceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info See in Glossary view. |
| Vary Particle System properties over time | Use constants and curves to animate numeric properties throughout a particle’s lifetime. |
| Configuring particles | Configure emissions, global properties, movement, appearance, and physics. |
| Optimize the Particle System with the C# Job System | Apply custom behaviors across multiple threads using Unity’s C# Job System. |
| Access the Particle System from the Animation system | Use the Animator componentA component on a model that animates that model using the Animation system. The component has a reference to an Animator Controller asset that controls the animation. More info See in Glossary to keyframeA frame that marks the start or end point of a transition in an animation. Frames in between the keyframes are called inbetweens. See in Glossary particle properties. |
| Particle System component reference | Reference for the base properties of the Particle System component. |
| Particle System component module reference | Reference for the property modules that define particle behavior and appearance. |
Additional resources
- Decals
- Lens flaresA component that simulates the effect of lights refracting inside a camera lens. Use a Lens Flare to represent very bright lights or add atmosphere to your scene. More info
See in Glossary