Next Generation Particles - Reference

The Parameters for a ParticleController are:

name	The name to use for the geometry in the scene graph
mesh	The mesh to use (Usually either PointMesh or QuadMesh)
maxParticles	The maximum number of particles to allow active at any one time
lifeMin	The minimum amount of time (in seconds) for which each particle lives
lifeMax	The maximum amount of time (in seconds) for which each particle lives
source	The source from which the particles are spawned
emissionController	The frequency and timing with which particles are spawned. If null then no particles are automatically spawned and they must be triggered manually using emitNextParticle() or emitAllParticles()
influencers	Zero or more ParticleInfluencers, each of which changes the behaviour of the particles.

name

The name to use for the geometry in the scene graph

mesh

The mesh to use (Usually either PointMesh or QuadMesh)

maxParticles

The maximum number of particles to allow active at any one time

lifeMin

The minimum amount of time (in seconds) for which each particle lives

lifeMax

The maximum amount of time (in seconds) for which each particle lives

source

The source from which the particles are spawned

emissionController

The frequency and timing with which particles are spawned. If null then no particles are automatically spawned and they must be triggered manually using emitNextParticle() or emitAllParticles()

influencers

Zero or more ParticleInfluencers, each of which changes the behaviour of the particles.

All of the following classes have defined Interfaces or Abstract Classes to allow custom implementations and behaviour to easily be plugged into the system.

Javadoc for the system can be found at http://www.zero-separation.com/particles/javadoc

Mesh

The Mesh options are:

PointMesh	Fastest and most efficient, but also most limited
QuadMesh	Much more flexible than point mesh, all particles are represented as 2-dimensional quads
TemplateMesh	Allows particles to be full 3d objects, with the mesh for each particle being generated from one of any number of template meshes. This allows fully 3d particles and takes in texture co-ordinates and even (if required) vertex colours and normals from the original mesh converting them as required.

PointMesh

Fastest and most efficient, but also most limited

QuadMesh

Much more flexible than point mesh, all particles are represented as 2-dimensional quads

TemplateMesh

Allows particles to be full 3d objects, with the mesh for each particle being generated from one of any number of template meshes. This allows fully 3d particles and takes in texture co-ordinates and even (if required) vertex colours and normals from the original mesh converting them as required.

Source

The Source options are:

PointSource	Generates all particles from a specific point with a random velocity. The point itself is a spatial so can be attached to the scene graph and will move with it.
MeshSource	Generates all particles from a randomly selected point on the given mesh. A random triangle is selected and then the particle emitter from a random point within that triangle along the triangle’s normal vector.
WeightedMeshSource	Provides the same functionality as MeshSource but weights triangles based on their relative size, larger triangles will tend to emit more particles. This provides a more even spread but uses more resources and needs to be kept updated if the mesh changes.
ParticleParticleSource	Emits particles from another ParticleController. The particle is emitted from a randomly selected active particle and the new particle starts with identical velocity, rotation, etc as the particle it is being emitted from.

PointSource

Generates all particles from a specific point with a random velocity. The point itself is a spatial so can be attached to the scene graph and will move with it.

MeshSource

Generates all particles from a randomly selected point on the given mesh. A random triangle is selected and then the particle emitter from a random point within that triangle along the triangle’s normal vector.

WeightedMeshSource

Provides the same functionality as MeshSource but weights triangles based on their relative size, larger triangles will tend to emit more particles. This provides a more even spread but uses more resources and needs to be kept updated if the mesh changes.

ParticleParticleSource

Emits particles from another ParticleController. The particle is emitted from a randomly selected active particle and the new particle starts with identical velocity, rotation, etc as the particle it is being emitted from.

EmissionControllers

NULL	The NULL EmissionController does not automatically emit any particles, they must be emitted externally by a call to the ParticleController emitNextParticle() or emitAllParticles(). Note that if the ParticleController is not in use for an extended period of time it is recommended that to save resources you pause it by either disabling the controller or removing the Geometry from the scene graph.
RegularEmission	This EmissionController just emits particles at regular intervals, it will emit multiple particles in one frame if more than one interval has passed since the previous frame.

NULL

The NULL EmissionController does not automatically emit any particles, they must be emitted externally by a call to the ParticleController emitNextParticle() or emitAllParticles(). Note that if the ParticleController is not in use for an extended period of time it is recommended that to save resources you pause it by either disabling the controller or removing the Geometry from the scene graph.

RegularEmission

This EmissionController just emits particles at regular intervals, it will emit multiple particles in one frame if more than one interval has passed since the previous frame.

Influencers

ColorInfluencer	Modify the particle’s color over time
GravityInfluencer	Apply steady acceleration in a specified direction over time
MultiColorInfluencer	Modify the particle’s color through multiple colors over time
PreferredDestinationInfluencer	Move the particle towards a specified point
PreferredDirectionInfluencer	Rotate the particles velocity towards the given direction over time
RandomImpulseInfluencer	Apply a random impulse to the particle either at initialization or every frame
RandomSpriteInfluencer	Select a random sprite for the particle from those available when it is initialized
RotationInfluencer	Rotate the particle by picking an initial rotational velocity at random and then maintaining it
SizeInfluencer	Modify the particle’s size over time
SpatialDestinationInfluencer	Move the particle towards a given spatial, it will attempt to reach the current location of the spatial by the end of the particle’s life cycle.
SpeedInfluencer	Modify the particle’s speed over time
SpriteAnimationInfluencer	Animate the particle through the available sprites over time

ColorInfluencer

Modify the particle’s color over time

GravityInfluencer

Apply steady acceleration in a specified direction over time

MultiColorInfluencer

Modify the particle’s color through multiple colors over time

PreferredDestinationInfluencer

Move the particle towards a specified point

PreferredDirectionInfluencer

Rotate the particles velocity towards the given direction over time

RandomImpulseInfluencer

Apply a random impulse to the particle either at initialization or every frame

RandomSpriteInfluencer

Select a random sprite for the particle from those available when it is initialized

RotationInfluencer

Rotate the particle by picking an initial rotational velocity at random and then maintaining it

SizeInfluencer

Modify the particle’s size over time

SpatialDestinationInfluencer

Move the particle towards a given spatial, it will attempt to reach the current location of the spatial by the end of the particle’s life cycle.

SpeedInfluencer

Modify the particle’s speed over time

SpriteAnimationInfluencer

Animate the particle through the available sprites over time