Triggers module
Texture Sheet Animation module

Sub Emitters module

This module allows you to set up sub-emitters. These are additional particle emitters that are created at a particle’s position at certain stages of its lifetime.

Properties

Property Function
Sub Emitters Configure a list of sub-emitters and select their trigger condition as well as what properties they inherit from their parent particles.

Details

Many types of particles produce effects at different stages of their lifetimes that can also be implemented using Particle Systems. For example, a bullet might be accompanied by a puff of smoke powder as it leaves the gun barrel, and a fireball might explode on impact. You can use sub-emitters to create effects like these.

Sub-emitters are ordinary Particle System objects created in the Scene or from Prefabs. This means that sub-emitters can have sub-emitters of their own (this type of arrangement can be useful for complex effects like fireworks). However, it is very easy to generate an enormous number of particles using sub-emitters, which can be resource intensive.

To trigger a sub-emitter, you can use these are the conditions:

  • Birth: When the particles are created.
  • Collision: When the particles collide with an object.
  • Death: When the particles are destroyed.
  • Trigger: When the particles interact with a Trigger collider.
  • Manual: Only triggered when requested via script. See ParticleSystem.TriggerSubEmitter.

Note that the Collision, Trigger, Death and Manual events can only use burst emission in the Emission module.

Additionally, you can transfer properties from the parent particle to each newly created particle using the Inherit options. The transferrable properties are size, rotation, color and lifetime. To control how velocity is inherited, configure the Inherit Velocity module on the sub-emitter system.

It is also possible to configure a probability that a sub-emitter event will trigger, by setting the Emit Probability property. A value of 1 guarantees that the event will trigger, whereas lower values reduce the probability.

  • 2018–03–28 Page amended with limited editorial review

  • “Trigger” and “Manual” conditions added to conditions list in Sub Emitters Module in 2018.1 NewIn20181

  • Emit Probabilily property added to particle Sub Emitters Module in 2018.3 NewIn20183

Triggers module
Texture Sheet Animation module