particles-vfx

Particle Systems in Godot 4.3+

All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, then C#.

Related skills: shader-basics for custom particle shaders, 3d-essentials for lighting and environment that affect particles, 2d-essentials for 2D rendering context, tween-animation for code-driven VFX timing, godot-optimization for particle performance tuning.

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1. Core Concepts

GPU vs CPU Particles

Node	Processing	Features	Use For
GPUParticles2D	GPU	Full features, high counts, trails	Most 2D effects
GPUParticles3D	GPU	Full features, attractors, collision	Most 3D effects
CPUParticles2D	CPU	Simpler, no trails/attractors	Low-end devices, few particles
CPUParticles3D	CPU	Simpler, no trails/attractors	Low-end devices, few particles

Rule of thumb: Use GPU particles by default. Switch to CPU particles only for low-end/web targets or when you need CPU-side particle positions (e.g., spawning objects at particle locations).

You can convert between GPU and CPU particles in the editor: select the node → toolbar → Convert to CPUParticles2D/3D (or vice versa).

Particle System Architecture

GPUParticles2D/3D
├── Process Material (ParticleProcessMaterial)   ← physics, emission, color
├── Draw Pass 1 (Mesh)                            ← what each particle looks like
└── (Optional) Draw Pass 2-4                      ← additional meshes

Minimal Setup

1. Add a GPUParticles2D (or 3D) node
2. In Inspector → Process Material → New ParticleProcessMaterial
3. Set Amount (number of particles)
4. Configure emission, direction, velocity, gravity
5. (2D) Set Texture for particle appearance
6. (3D) Set Draw Pass 1 mesh (QuadMesh for billboards, or custom mesh)

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2. Key Node Properties

GPUParticles2D/3D Properties

Property	Type	Description
emitting	bool	Start/stop emission
amount	int	Total particles alive at once
lifetime	float	Seconds each particle lives
one_shot	bool	Emit once then stop
preprocess	float	Simulate this many seconds before first frame
speed_scale	float	Time multiplier for particle physics
explosiveness	float	0.0 = spread over lifetime, 1.0 = all at once
fixed_fps	int	Lock particle update rate (0 = match render FPS)
local_coords	bool	Particles move with the node (true) or stay in world (false)
draw_order	enum	Index, Lifetime, or Reverse Lifetime
amount_ratio	float	Fraction of particles to emit (0.0–1.0)

One-Shot vs Continuous

# Continuous emitter (fire, smoke, ambient dust)
$GPUParticles2D.one_shot = false
$GPUParticles2D.emitting = true

# One-shot burst (explosion, impact splash)
$GPUParticles2D.one_shot = true
$GPUParticles2D.emitting = false  # arm it
# Later, trigger:
$GPUParticles2D.restart()
$GPUParticles2D.emitting = true

// Continuous
var particles = GetNode<GpuParticles2D>("GPUParticles2D");
particles.OneShot = false;
particles.Emitting = true;

// One-shot burst
particles.OneShot = true;
particles.Emitting = false;
// Trigger:
particles.Restart();
particles.Emitting = true;

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3. ParticleProcessMaterial — Essential Properties

Emission Shape

Shape	Description
Point	All particles spawn at origin
Sphere	Random position within a sphere
Sphere Surface	Random position on sphere surface only
Box	Random position within a box
Ring	Random position on a ring/torus
Points	Spawn at positions from a texture/mesh
Directed Points	Spawn at positions with normals from mesh

var mat := ParticleProcessMaterial.new()
mat.emission_shape = ParticleProcessMaterial.EMISSION_SHAPE_SPHERE
mat.emission_sphere_radius = 2.0

var mat = new ParticleProcessMaterial();
mat.EmissionShape = ParticleProcessMaterial.EmissionShapeEnum.Sphere;
mat.EmissionSphereRadius = 2.0f;

Direction, Velocity & Gravity

var mat := ParticleProcessMaterial.new()

# Direction particles move (normalized)
mat.direction = Vector3(0.0, 1.0, 0.0)  # upward
mat.spread = 30.0  # degrees of randomness around direction

# Speed
mat.initial_velocity_min = 5.0
mat.initial_velocity_max = 10.0

# Gravity
mat.gravity = Vector3(0.0, -9.8, 0.0)

var mat = new ParticleProcessMaterial();
mat.Direction = new Vector3(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f);
mat.Spread = 30.0f;
mat.InitialVelocityMin = 5.0f;
mat.InitialVelocityMax = 10.0f;
mat.Gravity = new Vector3(0.0f, -9.8f, 0.0f);

Scale Over Lifetime

mat.scale_min = 1.0
mat.scale_max = 1.5

# Scale curve — shrink over lifetime
var curve := CurveTexture.new()
var c := Curve.new()
c.add_point(Vector2(0.0, 1.0))  # full size at birth
c.add_point(Vector2(1.0, 0.0))  # zero at death
curve.curve = c
mat.scale_curve = curve

var mat = new ParticleProcessMaterial();
mat.ScaleMin = 1.0f;
mat.ScaleMax = 1.5f;

var curve = new CurveTexture();
var c = new Curve();
c.AddPoint(new Vector2(0.0f, 1.0f));
c.AddPoint(new Vector2(1.0f, 0.0f));
curve.Curve = c;
mat.ScaleCurve = curve;

Color Over Lifetime

# Gradient: white → orange → transparent
var grad := GradientTexture1D.new()
var g := Gradient.new()
g.set_color(0, Color(1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0))  # start: white
g.add_point(0.5, Color(1.0, 0.5, 0.0, 0.8))  # middle: orange
g.set_color(1, Color(1.0, 0.2, 0.0, 0.0))  # end: transparent red
grad.gradient = g
mat.color_ramp = grad

var grad = new GradientTexture1D();
var g = new Gradient();
g.SetColor(0, new Color(1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f));
g.AddPoint(0.5f, new Color(1.0f, 0.5f, 0.0f, 0.8f));
g.SetColor(1, new Color(1.0f, 0.2f, 0.0f, 0.0f));
grad.Gradient = g;
mat.ColorRamp = grad;

Damping & Acceleration

# Damping — slow particles down over time (smoke deceleration)
mat.damping_min = 2.0
mat.damping_max = 5.0

# Radial acceleration — push away from center (explosion) or pull in (implosion)
mat.radial_accel_min = 5.0   # positive = outward
mat.radial_accel_max = 8.0

# Tangential acceleration — orbit around center
mat.tangential_accel_min = 2.0
mat.tangential_accel_max = 3.0

Angular Velocity (Rotation)

mat.angular_velocity_min = -90.0  # degrees per second
mat.angular_velocity_max = 90.0

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4. Common VFX Recipes

The recipes most projects need: fire (2D, looped emission with hot-color gradient + scale-down), explosion burst (one-shot, high-amount short-lifetime), dust / footstep puff (one-shot, scale-up + rapid fade).

See references/vfx-recipes.md for ready-to-use GDScript wiring and recommended ParticleProcessMaterial settings for all three.

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5. Trails (Forward+ and Mobile only)

Set trail_enabled = true on GPUParticles2D/3D and assign a Mesh (RibbonTrailMesh or TubeTrailMesh). Trails are NOT supported in the Compatibility renderer.

See references/trails.md for the setup and trail-mesh-type comparison.

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6. Subemitters

A particle can spawn another particle scene at lifecycle events (birth, collision, death, manual). Configure via ParticleProcessMaterial.SubEmitterMode + subemitter property on the parent particles node.

See references/subemitters.md for trigger modes, scene setup, GDScript and C# (v1.6.0 parity), and limitations.

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7. Attractors & Collision (3D)

GPUParticlesAttractor*3D (Box / Sphere / Vector Field) pulls particles toward a region. GPUParticlesCollision*3D (Box / Sphere / SDF / HeightField) lets particles bounce off geometry. Both Forward+/Mobile only; no 2D equivalents.

See references/attractors-and-collision.md for full setup of each attractor and collision type.

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8. Turbulence

Set turbulence_enabled = true on ParticleProcessMaterial and tune turbulence_noise_strength (0.5–2.0 typical), turbulence_noise_scale (lower = larger swirls), turbulence_noise_speed (animate the noise field). Cheap effect for "alive" smoke, fire, dust.

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9. Flipbook Animation (2D)

Sprite-sheet animated particles via ParticleProcessMaterial.AnimSpeedMin/Max + CanvasItemMaterial.ParticlesAnimHFrames/VFrames for the sheet layout. Particles cycle through frames over their lifetime.

See references/flipbook-animation.md for the full setup with GDScript + C# (v1.6.0 parity).

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10. Performance Tips

Technique	Savings	When to Use
Lower amount	Linear GPU savings	Always — use minimum needed
fixed_fps = 30	Halves particle updates	Background particles, ambient
amount_ratio < 1.0	Scale down dynamically	Quality settings slider
Smaller textures	Less VRAM + bandwidth	Mobile, many particle systems
local_coords = true	Cheaper transforms	When particles should move with node
Disable turbulence	Removes 3D noise cost	Mobile/web targets
Fewer trail_sections	Less trail geometry	When trail smoothness isn't critical
visibility_rect (2D)	Skips off-screen	Always set for 2D particles

Dynamic Quality Scaling

# Adjust particle density based on quality setting
func set_particle_quality(level: float) -> void:
    # level: 0.25 (low) to 1.0 (high)
    for particles in get_tree().get_nodes_in_group("particles"):
        if particles is GPUParticles2D or particles is GPUParticles3D:
            particles.amount_ratio = level

public void SetParticleQuality(float level)
{
    foreach (var node in GetTree().GetNodesInGroup("particles"))
    {
        if (node is GpuParticles2D p2d)
            p2d.AmountRatio = level;
        else if (node is GpuParticles3D p3d)
            p3d.AmountRatio = level;
    }
}

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11. Common Pitfalls

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Particles invisible	No texture (2D) or no draw pass mesh (3D)	Set texture or assign a mesh to Draw Pass 1
Particles appear then vanish immediately	lifetime too short	Increase lifetime (default 1.0s)
One-shot doesn't re-trigger	Need to call restart() before setting emitting = true	Call restart() then set emitting = true
Particles emit in wrong direction	direction or gravity misconfigured	In 2D, Y is inverted — upward is Vector3(0, -1, 0)
Particles don't follow the node	local_coords is false	Set local_coords = true for attached effects
Particles pop in (no pre-warming)	No preprocess time set	Set preprocess to 1–2x lifetime for ambient effects
Color ramp has no effect	Using color property which overrides ramp	Clear the base color (set to white) when using color_ramp
Trails not rendering	Missing trail material setup or wrong renderer	Enable "Use Particle Trails" on material; use Forward+ or Mobile
Attractors have no effect	attractor_interaction_enabled is false	Enable on the ParticleProcessMaterial
Subemitter not spawning	Child amount is too low to accommodate spawns	Increase child system's amount
Particles flicker on mobile	fixed_fps not set or too high	Set fixed_fps = 30 for consistency across devices

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12. Implementation Checklist

• Particle amount is set to the minimum needed for the visual effect
• lifetime matches the visual duration — not too short or too long
• one_shot is enabled for burst effects (explosions, impacts)
• preprocess is set for always-visible ambient effects (fire, smoke, dust)
• Emission shape matches the source geometry (sphere for explosions, box for area effects)
• color_ramp fades alpha to 0 at the end so particles don't vanish abruptly
• scale_curve shrinks particles over lifetime for natural fade
• local_coords is set correctly — true for attached effects, false for world-space
• One-shot particles are cleaned up with queue_free after lifetime + margin
• visibility_rect (2D) is set to prevent particles from being culled prematurely
• Dynamic quality scaling uses amount_ratio for player-accessible quality settings
• Performance-heavy features (turbulence, trails) are disabled on low-end targets