I’m building a particle-effects extension for GDevelop.
Reddit Gdevelop:
Stop guessing. Shape the effect while it’s alive.
The video shows the visual editor: the effect stays alive while I reshape it with guides.
No changing numbers, restarting Preview, and hoping it looks right.
I’m looking for feedback from GDevelop users:
What effects are hardest to build right now?
Trails, impacts, magic attacks, smoke, weather, UI effects, enemy auras, explosions?
Well, that depends on what type of particle you’re talking about. 2D particles are pretty capable, however, 3D particles suck quite a lot. Thats why I created my own fire system named Reaction engine.
I’d say all thats needed is better 3d particles. Although I have always wanted particles to not have to spawn from a cone, rather an area instead (helpful for weather). Explosions also are incredibly hard to make, in almost every way. It’s hard to make explosions look good with particles and not simulations, it’s hard for VFX artists to get the physics, color, and lifetime of an explosion to look right, and it’s a pyrotechnician’s job to make a real explosion look good.
Thanks, that’s useful feedback. My current work is focused on 2D effects, but area-based spawning is definitely relevant…especially for weather.
I also agree about explosions: they usually need several coordinated layers, not just one emitter.
What is the biggest limitation you hit with GDevelop’s 3D particles?
How does it compare to this existing project?
It looks excellent, and there is some overlap, but the workflow is different.
GDParticleFX appears to use an external editor hosted on itch, then exports JSON for use inside GDevelop.
SolarVFX is a GDevelop extension that runs directly inside GDevelop, including its editing workflow, so effects can be adjusted while seeing them in the game.
GDParticleFX also has strengths SolarVFX does not currently target, especially 3D particles and custom particle shapes. I see them as different tools with different priorities, not direct replacements.