Particle Components

GPU-accelerated particle systems with ParticleEmitter for fire, smoke, explosions, and visual effects.

Particle components enable high-performance visual effects like fire, smoke, explosions, sparks, and weather. Web Engine uses GPU-accelerated particle systems for rendering thousands of particles with minimal CPU overhead.

ParticleEmitter#

The ParticleEmitter component configures particle emission, lifetime, appearance, and behavior. Supports various emitter shapes, particle animations, and physics-based motion.

Properties#

Property	Type	Default	Description
maxParticles	ui16	1000	Maximum particle count
emissionRate	f32	10.0	Particles emitted per second
lifetime	f32	2.0	Particle lifetime in seconds
speed	f32	5.0	Initial particle speed (m/s)
size	f32	1.0	Initial particle size
sizeEnd	f32	0.5	Final particle size (interpolated)
color	[f32, 3]	[1, 1, 1]	Initial particle color [r, g, b]
colorEnd	[f32, 3]	[1, 1, 1]	Final particle color [r, g, b]
gravity	[f32, 3]	[0, -9.81, 0]	Gravity acceleration [x, y, z]
textureAssetId	ui32	0	Particle texture asset ID
playing	ui8	1	Emission active (0=paused, 1=playing)
rotationSpeed	f32	0.0	Particle rotation angular velocity (rad/s)
shape	ui8	0	Emitter shape: 0=Sphere, 1=Cone, 2=Box
angle	f32	0.5	Cone angle in radians (for shape=1)

Advanced Properties#

Property	Type	Default	Description
noiseStrength	f32	0.0	Turbulence/noise strength
noiseFrequency	f32	1.0	Turbulence/noise frequency
tilesX	ui8	1	Texture sheet columns (sprite animation)
tilesY	ui8	1	Texture sheet rows (sprite animation)
animationSpeed	f32	0.0	Texture animation frames per second
opacity	f32	1.0	Initial particle opacity (0-1)
opacityEnd	f32	0.0	Final particle opacity (0-1)
velocityVariation	f32	0.0	Speed randomness (0-1)
sizeVariation	f32	0.0	Size randomness (0-1)
rotationVariation	f32	0.0	Rotation randomness (0-1)
colorVariation	f32	0.0	Color randomness (0-1)
emissionBursts	ui16	0	Number of emission bursts
emissionBurstSize	ui16	0	Particles per burst
emissionBurstInterval	f32	0.0	Time between bursts (seconds)

Audio Properties#

Property	Type	Default	Description
audioAssetId	ui32	0	Audio clip to play with particles
audioVolume	f32	1.0	Audio volume (0-1)
audioPitch	f32	1.0	Audio pitch multiplier
audioSpatial	ui8	1	Spatial audio (0=2D, 1=3D)
audioRefDistance	f32	1.0	Audio reference distance (meters)
audioMaxDistance	f32	100.0	Audio max distance (meters)
audioRolloff	f32	1.0	Audio distance rolloff factor

Basic Usage#

import { addComponent, ParticleEmitter } from '@web-engine/core';

// Create smoke emitter
const smoke = world.addEntity();
addComponent(world, Transform, smoke);
addComponent(world, ParticleEmitter, smoke);

// Position above fire
Transform.position[smoke] = [0, 2, 0];

// Configure smoke particles
ParticleEmitter.maxParticles[smoke] = 500;
ParticleEmitter.emissionRate[smoke] = 20.0; // 20 particles/sec
ParticleEmitter.lifetime[smoke] = 3.0; // 3 second lifetime
ParticleEmitter.speed[smoke] = 2.0; // Slow upward drift
ParticleEmitter.size[smoke] = 2.0; // Large particles
ParticleEmitter.sizeEnd[smoke] = 4.0; // Grow over time

// Gray smoke color
ParticleEmitter.color[smoke][0] = 0.3; // Dark gray
ParticleEmitter.color[smoke][1] = 0.3;
ParticleEmitter.color[smoke][2] = 0.3;

// Fade out
ParticleEmitter.opacity[smoke] = 0.8;
ParticleEmitter.opacityEnd[smoke] = 0.0;

// Slow upward drift with slight gravity
ParticleEmitter.gravity[smoke][1] = -1.0; // Weak gravity

ParticleEmitter.playing[smoke] = 1; // Start emitting

Emitter Shapes#

Particle emitters support three shapes for controlling emission direction:

Sphere Emitter (0)#

Emits particles in all directions from a spherical volume.

ParticleEmitter.shape[entity] = 0; // Sphere
// Particles emit in all directions (explosion, magic orb)

Cone Emitter (1)#

Emits particles in a cone shape, useful for fountains, jets, and directional effects.

ParticleEmitter.shape[entity] = 1; // Cone
ParticleEmitter.angle[entity] = Math.PI / 6; // 30 degree cone
// Particles emit in a cone (fire hose, rocket exhaust, fountain)

Box Emitter (2)#

Emits particles from a box volume, useful for rain, snow, and area effects.

ParticleEmitter.shape[entity] = 2; // Box
// Particles emit from a box volume (rain, dust cloud)

Common Particle Effects#

Fire Effect#

const fire = world.addEntity();
addComponent(world, Transform, fire);
addComponent(world, ParticleEmitter, fire);

ParticleEmitter.maxParticles[fire] = 300;
ParticleEmitter.emissionRate[fire] = 50.0;
ParticleEmitter.lifetime[fire] = 1.5;
ParticleEmitter.speed[fire] = 3.0;
ParticleEmitter.size[fire] = 1.5;
ParticleEmitter.sizeEnd[fire] = 0.5; // Shrink

// Orange to red to black
ParticleEmitter.color[fire][0] = 1.0; // Orange
ParticleEmitter.color[fire][1] = 0.5;
ParticleEmitter.color[fire][2] = 0.0;

ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[fire][0] = 0.2; // Dark red
ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[fire][1] = 0.0;
ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[fire][2] = 0.0;

// Fade out
ParticleEmitter.opacity[fire] = 1.0;
ParticleEmitter.opacityEnd[fire] = 0.0;

// Cone shape pointing up
ParticleEmitter.shape[fire] = 1;
ParticleEmitter.angle[fire] = Math.PI / 8; // 22.5 degree cone

// Slight gravity upward (buoyancy)
ParticleEmitter.gravity[fire][1] = 2.0;

// Add turbulence
ParticleEmitter.noiseStrength[fire] = 2.0;
ParticleEmitter.noiseFrequency[fire] = 1.5;

ParticleEmitter.playing[fire] = 1;

Explosion Effect#

const explosion = world.addEntity();
addComponent(world, Transform, explosion);
addComponent(world, ParticleEmitter, explosion);

ParticleEmitter.maxParticles[explosion] = 200;
ParticleEmitter.emissionRate[explosion] = 0.0; // Use burst instead
ParticleEmitter.lifetime[explosion] = 2.0;
ParticleEmitter.speed[explosion] = 15.0; // Fast initial speed
ParticleEmitter.size[explosion] = 2.0;
ParticleEmitter.sizeEnd[explosion] = 0.0; // Shrink to nothing

// Yellow-orange flash
ParticleEmitter.color[explosion][0] = 1.0;
ParticleEmitter.color[explosion][1] = 0.8;
ParticleEmitter.color[explosion][2] = 0.2;

ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[explosion][0] = 0.3; // Dark smoke
ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[explosion][1] = 0.3;
ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[explosion][2] = 0.3;

// Sphere emission (all directions)
ParticleEmitter.shape[explosion] = 0;

// Downward gravity
ParticleEmitter.gravity[explosion][1] = -9.81;

// Single burst of 200 particles
ParticleEmitter.emissionBursts[explosion] = 1;
ParticleEmitter.emissionBurstSize[explosion] = 200;

// Add audio
ParticleEmitter.audioAssetId[explosion] = explosionSoundId;
ParticleEmitter.audioVolume[explosion] = 1.0;
ParticleEmitter.audioSpatial[explosion] = 1;
ParticleEmitter.audioRefDistance[explosion] = 10.0;
ParticleEmitter.audioMaxDistance[explosion] = 200.0;

ParticleEmitter.playing[explosion] = 1;

// Auto-cleanup after effect finishes
setTimeout(() => {
  removeEntity(world, explosion);
}, 2500);

Rain Effect#

const rain = world.addEntity();
addComponent(world, Transform, rain);
addComponent(world, ParticleEmitter, rain);

// High above player
Transform.position[rain][1] = 20.0;

ParticleEmitter.maxParticles[rain] = 2000;
ParticleEmitter.emissionRate[rain] = 200.0; // Heavy rain
ParticleEmitter.lifetime[rain] = 2.0;
ParticleEmitter.speed[rain] = 0.0; // Gravity only
ParticleEmitter.size[rain] = 0.2; // Small droplets
ParticleEmitter.sizeEnd[rain] = 0.1;

// Blue-white color
ParticleEmitter.color[rain][0] = 0.7;
ParticleEmitter.color[rain][1] = 0.8;
ParticleEmitter.color[rain][2] = 1.0;

// Box emitter (area coverage)
ParticleEmitter.shape[rain] = 2;

// Strong downward gravity
ParticleEmitter.gravity[rain][1] = -20.0;

// Slight randomness
ParticleEmitter.velocityVariation[rain] = 0.2;

ParticleEmitter.playing[rain] = 1;

Sparks Effect#

const sparks = world.addEntity();
addComponent(world, Transform, sparks);
addComponent(world, ParticleEmitter, sparks);

ParticleEmitter.maxParticles[sparks] = 100;
ParticleEmitter.emissionRate[sparks] = 30.0;
ParticleEmitter.lifetime[sparks] = 0.8;
ParticleEmitter.speed[sparks] = 8.0;
ParticleEmitter.size[sparks] = 0.3;
ParticleEmitter.sizeEnd[sparks] = 0.1;

// Bright yellow-orange
ParticleEmitter.color[sparks][0] = 1.0;
ParticleEmitter.color[sparks][1] = 0.9;
ParticleEmitter.color[sparks][2] = 0.3;

ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[sparks][0] = 0.8;
ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[sparks][1] = 0.2;
ParticleEmitter.colorEnd[sparks][2] = 0.0;

// Fade out quickly
ParticleEmitter.opacity[sparks] = 1.0;
ParticleEmitter.opacityEnd[sparks] = 0.0;

// Sphere emission
ParticleEmitter.shape[sparks] = 0;

// Gravity
ParticleEmitter.gravity[sparks][1] = -15.0;

// High variation
ParticleEmitter.velocityVariation[sparks] = 0.5;
ParticleEmitter.sizeVariation[sparks] = 0.3;

ParticleEmitter.playing[sparks] = 1;

Texture Sheet Animation#

For animated particle effects (like fire, smoke, or magic), use texture sheet animation with tilesX, tilesY, and animationSpeed:

// Texture is 4x4 grid of animation frames (16 frames total)
ParticleEmitter.tilesX[entity] = 4;
ParticleEmitter.tilesY[entity] = 4;
ParticleEmitter.animationSpeed[entity] = 12.0; // 12 FPS
ParticleEmitter.textureAssetId[entity] = animatedTextureId;

// Particles will animate through all 16 frames during their lifetime

Performance Optimization#

Keep maxParticles reasonable (100-1000 for most effects, 2000+ for large-scale effects like rain)
Use lower emission rates when possible (10-50 particles/sec is often enough)
Set lifetime appropriately (1-3 seconds for most effects, longer for ambient effects)
Disable particles when off-screen or too far from camera
Use texture atlas/sprite sheets instead of individual textures
Limit concurrent particle systems to 5-10 visible at once
Use burst emission for one-shot effects instead of continuous emission
Avoid excessive turbulence/noise (computationally expensive)

Best Practices#

Use size variation and color variation for more organic effects
Combine multiple emitters for complex effects (fire + smoke + sparks)
Use opacity fade (opacityEnd=0) to prevent hard edges at particle death
Add audio to particle effects for immersion (explosions, fire crackling)
Use cone emitters for directional effects (jets, fountains, thrust)
Use box emitters for area effects (rain, snow, dust clouds)
Set gravity appropriately: negative for rain/snow, positive for fire/smoke buoyancy
Use bursts for one-shot effects that shouldn't loop (explosions, impacts)

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Last updated: 1/15/2026

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