Particle Dynamic Magic 2.1 - Ultimate Decal, Spline & Shuriken advanced effects framework

Thanks Ian. The next update will pack a lot of stuff and gameobject emission with more precision and posibilities, especially from spline and mesh sources. I am playing with shader options for gameobject motion as well, to combine with the batching for maximum performance.

DX11 is something i would like to start in v.1.8 and maybe rename to v.2.0, if i see it is hard to offer something great soon though, i will release v1.8 and do DX11 soon after that. The idea of having them accompany the current system is great too, that could be a very nice first step towards the final integration and reach of full GPU speed posibilities.

 

UPDATE:

New spline performance enchancements
The spline system has received a big performance boost, now there can be a much bigger number of splines all updating at the same time with a far less impact in performance.

This update will be included in the upcoming v1.8


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Gameobject Particles AI module
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The new Gameobject Particle AI module is now working great and i am adding the final details and more options. This new system will allow gameobject particles to think and react to the environment, with various options for emulating flocks, swarms and much more, while applying all Particle Dynamic Magic forces (if required).

That means that insects under a gravity pull will still react and try to avoid each other, plus the environment, than just be dragged by the force.

And that is only the begining of the possibilities with the system.

As a first application i will have emulation of bird and buttefly swarms and fish schools, maybe a herd as well (since the system is ground/environment aware and needs only a few considerations with the animations and a randomized waypoint system to cover everything)

 

UPDATE:
Gameobject Particles have been integrated in the updated spline control system and there will be only one script to handle both particles and gameobjects.

Summary of new features coming soon in v2.0
- 2D collisions for Shuriken particles.
The system can be applied to all Shuriken assets in the store, like every other PDM effect. Includes friction, bounce and more emulation features.
- New spline performance enchancements
The spline system has received a big performance boost, now there can be a much bigger number of splines all updating at the same time with a far less impact in performance.
- Masked gameobject particle emission from skinned mesh (v1.7 has skinned emission without mask) for complete control of the emitted positions
- Advanced mesh particle control on spline emission, now particles can be rotated individually to match the spline direction and change axis or rotation on demand.
- Dynamic growth of splines towards a target and target follow.
- New image emission modes, 'gravity' to bring particles back to the image source after real time manipulation, better real time image changing control and more.
- Spline collision detection and new emission modes
- Many new ready to use prefabs and examples, cutting through rolling fog, city destruction, collection of spline borders in various shapes for card game like effects and much more
- Gameobject Particle AI module. This new system will allow gameobject particles to think and react to the environment, with various options for emulating flocks, herds, swarms and much more, while applying all Particle Dynamic Magic forces, if required.

The upcoming version has been renamed to v2.0, since it has become a behemoth one.

 

A few of the new Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0 systems and samples.

- Particle AI, for flocks, herds and swarms
- Blood splatter, stick and drip in real time
- Dynamic gameobject particle god rays, with turbulence
- Dynamic Feathers, with skinned masked gameobject emission
- Multiple transform emission, for fire streams control in one pool
- New image emission features, like gravity
- 2D Particle collisions, with bounce and various controls
- Freeze and break targets, using the mesh emission and transitions module
- Localized Dynamic particle transition to other systems

More will be revealed as i finilize the v2.0 demo. A video with all effects will also follow before the demo.

Particle Dynamic Magic, the advanced Shuriken particles, gameobject, spline effects and control framework is on -50% sale for a limited time.

 

Some more of the upcoming additions to the effect library, based on splines
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Decal system (Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0)

- Dynamic Decals - Spray, paint, propagate from a single pool
- One draw call per material, custom static or dynamic batching
- Complete control over size,
- Erase by spraying or after melt time
- Conform to surface normals
- Move with surfaces
- Combination with particles, for effects like dripping blood

Blood, bullet holes and snow samples will be added to the new demo and effects library

 

Is that spline update example showing moving and blending colours along a spline ? Thats a great addition if it is. Also one suggestion I would have would be to create a menu entry which adds the necessary scripts to a gameobject or creates a new gameobject with them if none is selected for the different systems you have. At the moment you have lots of examples and I am assuming you expect people to import an example from the library and modify it for their needs. You now have so many systems you can't really anticipate and make examples for all combinations so it would be good if you had menu items so that someone could create new systems from menu items rather than having to know which scripts to drag onto an object. that might also be a good idea for your sky master system as well as some users will want to only select the elements they want.

 

Hi Ian, some great suggestions there as always. I do plan to support an auto configurator for both Sky Master and PDM, that is the next step for both packs as their options have indeed increased a lot from the initial releases.

The menu will be something like the one in Toon Effects Maker, where i handle particle scaling, property copy and the sprite creation at a higher level using an editor.

This would be in the next PDM update, since making that configurator is very time cosuming, if i am to cover the full range of PDM features. Also now that most systems are feature full and very mature is the ideal time to intriduce such a system.

Do you think i should start with a fewer main systems and release this update first sooner and cover more options later or release an as full as possible configurator a bit later ?

Sky Master one would also be a bit tricky, as i would like to give a very expansive library of ready to insert moods in it.

The spline is lit by two light sources. The color across the spline in object motion mode can vary with the Shuriken lifetime color parameters and some syncronization or by affecting colors locally through the attractor script.

 

I think it would be better to start with a fewer main systems and add more options latter. I would be inclined to start with meshes splines and game object emissions as they are the most likely things that people want to create from scratch rather than simply drag in an example.

the ideal way it would work would be the user selects a mesh in the editor that want to emit game object particles from and then selects that option in the menu and it automatically adds the appropriate scripts and setup. Perhaps it would as default emit spheres or something. The user could then change the options in this script for example change the game object that is emitted. Changing this object would then automatically add this object to a pool so that it was batchable

 

I think this would be the best way to go as well. I will focus on making a polished editor for mesh and gameobject emission, for the two main systems (mesh emitter and painter/propagator) with many instructions and tips integrated directly in the workflow of the creation.

This will be submitted when finished, after v2.0 is released and will be a priority before i move to the DX11 system.

 

Playing with splines and positioning options, WIP for the new demos

 

Veil like effect with spline emission

 

WIP in one of the new Unity 5 Demos. This will have a dragon spreading fire over a city and an encounter with a knight (ice shield grow and melt with dragon fire and ice/fire magic encounter)

The other one will have a country side with bird and flocks and herds

There will be 4 demos for Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0:

- Pack demo with all new effects showcase
- Angry Bots demo enchanced
- Dragon encounter demo
- Country side demo

 

Ribbon Particles




The fire demo is nearly done, fire can now be extinguished locally and produce smoke and much more.

Also Ribbon Particles have been added to the system.

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Wild fire demo WIP. The water will also procude smoke in the final version.

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Ribbon Particles with trail renderer are finilized and there is a loop and non loop mode for the trails.

 

Cuttng through rolling fog & ground leaves demos WIP.

 

Cutting through rolling fog, leaves and water with Particle Dynamic Magic forces and turbulence, wiht a tornado spell.

Particle Dynamic Magic version 2.0 demo WIP

 

New water and air shield effects

The water emits directly from the procedural water bubble surface along its normals. The refraction can be used in Unity 4 Pro and Unity 5.

 

Update:

New lightning ribbon mode has been added.
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UPDATE:

The Artificial Intelligence avoidance system is now fully functional and allows the combination of particles, gameobjects, all Particle Dynamic Magic forces and thinking agents that will avoid obstacles properly.

The current WIP is on the waypoint system and hero follow mode, for the flock/herd pack leader.

 

Dynamic ribbons, repel and local gravity, turbulence and collisions

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UPDATE:

A new big system has now formed and will be included in Particle Dynamic Magic (and also as standalone).

AI Particles have turned to the complete AI Agent Particles that will not just sense their space, but also do all sorts of behaviors, like jumping obstacles.

This new system allows the spread of AI agents on the map like they were particles.

A video will follow soon.

 

New blend shaders for detailed effects with less particle counts. WIP for Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0

 

Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0 possible icons


Small fraction of the new effects and systems in PDM 2.0

UPDATE:

A small sample of the new systems & ready to use effects coming in Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0 as a free update for all customers !!!!

This is just a small fraction of all the new samples to be included, another set will be posted soon with the 1st person spell casting, the full range of decal possibilities and much more

I wonder which of the above icons to use for the new version, any input would be welcome

These new effects will go to a Effects Collection 2 menu and the current prefab manager will be named as Effects Collection 1 and be parented to Particle Dynamic Magic menu entry (in Window), so they wont be mixed with Particle Dynamic Magic ones before v2.0. I think this is best for various reasons, one of them is that i can deploy the new code in this effects menu, that will make it trivial for users to add own effects (like in Toon Effects Maker editor).

The new categories will be Dynamic Decals, AI Particles, Ribbons, 2D Particles, Shaders & Shadows, Skinned v2.0, Shields, Spell Casting, Spline v2.0, Image v2.0

The goal is to have more than 300 ready to use effects during v2.0 cycle, for one of the biggest advanced dynamic/interactive effect libraries in the industry.

 

2D particles and collisions


Feather & Fire effects Webplayer Demo - Masked Gameobject particle emission from skinned mesh, for absolute freedom in particle control.

New demo showcasing one of the new effects categories

HAND SPELL CASTING DEMO - Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0
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More demos will follow soon​

 

UPDATE:

A new system for controlling spread of decals based on target angle has also been added. This will be ideal for snow decals that would not appear correct if sprayed on vertical surfaces for example and for generally better control of the spray conditions.

 

Clearly, a lot of work was put into making this. One of my favorite things about a video game is the particle effects, because when paired with awesome sound effects, it's really fun to watch, especially in RPGs where there's a ton of magic spells flying around everywhere.

 

Thanks

It has been a journey of discovery for me as well, since all my assets are systems created for use in my RPG game. That is why i am creating so many collections of ready to use effects for Particle Dynamic Magic, since most are tied to ideas i want to extend for implementation in the RPG effects.

I am also working in parallel on a very cool AI system, that will be compatible with Particle Dynamic Magic, for providing effects for mass battles in the most optimized way.

And all those will tie to a new InfiniCASTLE system for castle creation and destruction. Particles in the castles will also be using Particle Dynamic Magic for optimized distribution.

 

New refractive rain made for Sky Master will also be included in Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0.

Sky rendering, volumetirc clouds and volumetric haze are from Sky Master asset.

 

UPDATE:

The final shader based dynamic grass system is now done and will be included in Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0.

The grass can be spread in any surface and will follow the normals, can be lit by any source and receive shadows properly. Waving motion can be controlled with various parameters and will be an ongoing process as to what controls will be added to that behavior.

Performance is great even on my old laptop (pics above) and takes just 5 draw calls, with full shadows and lighting and any blade number.

I am also done adding features, since this update alone could be 2-3 independent packs already

Please also dont forget to add a review when possible, it really helps a lot growing the packs and with morale in the countless hours of hard work on them

 

UPDATE:

Particle Dynamic Magic 2.0 will introduce the Massive Pooling system, that will combine the pooling of Decals and Particles for maximum performance.

An example is a regiment of soliders with shotguns that fire bullets (particles), that then create holes in the walls (Dynamic Decals that stick and move with objects) and debri (particles - combination of billboard and mesh for wall chips) upon collision. With Massive Pooling the decals are pooled (avoid destroy/create, globally controlled from one pool), the shotgun bullets can all be emitted from a single particle system and the debri is also a single particle system.

With this appoach i have managed to increase performance and have near zero spikes (plays at 10-11ms on my old laptop, no spikes seen, while without the two systems pooled it played at 14-19ms and created multiple spikes towards the 17-19ms). A sample demo will come soon.

Also this system provides a streamlined way to cast spells and fire guns with decals and particles in a massive scale from one pool, the agent(s) can simply add its transform (or gun transform) to a list in the pool script and the cast will begin. Maybe i will also pass a timer to stop the emission after a time, than have the agent handle its own removal from the pool, but this is a tricky part, so it will probably come in a next version.

 

UPDATE:

The turrets demo is now ready and uses the pooling solution to great effect. I have also added blast script to make it more complete.

 

UPDATE:

Testing the new grass decal with fog. The demo controls are also ready, i have the rock movable to showcase the shadowing. The grass can be decombined and moved/projected at another place as well.

 

UPDATE:

Another special shader for Unity 5 is now ready and working great. This will allow the shader based volumetric lighting of smoke. The effect is SM2.0 so is compatible with everything. There is also a subsystem (or rather setup) that enables shadow cast and receive for the particle.

The shader will come in v2.0 or v2.1, depending on how long it takes to fully test and further optimize.

 

UPDATE:

A video of the new shader based grass system WIP, coming soon in v2.0

 

Another grass video. The system will also include an opaque shader, more videos are coming soon.

 

Update:
A new system for multi - transform particle emission from a single pool is almost ready and will be included in Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0. This system will allow the optimized casting of spells from any caster with a single pool for the cast and impact particles.

The system can also be tied to the Decal module and have a single pool decals cast, like bullet holes etc.

The Decal module has also received a new feature, it is now possible to cast a different decal per material, for total control of the effect.

-------- End of month offer !!! --------​

The next Particle Dynamic Magic purshase with a written review will get a voucher for Toon Effects Maker ($50 worth) !!!!

Make sure to grab Particle Dynamic Magic at the current low price, before the behemoth v2.0 update is submitted (price will go up to $90).

The offer lasts until the end of the month. Please post here and email (artengame@yahoo.com) the voucher of the pack to be eligible for the offer. The entry time is considered the purshase and not the review date.

Enjoy

 

UPDATE:

More varieties of the new Dynamic Decal Grass shader, this one will not use transparency and can be used for enchanced performance for lower end systems.

I will play a bit more with the possibilities in grass shaping with it before the final look. The grass casts and receives shadows, plus follow the underlying surface properly.

It is probably a good idea to make the more sparse and mix it with grass that only receives shadows and makes the inner areas look thicker but be cheaper. I wll make such an arrangement as well.

 

UPDATE:

New controls for shader based height variation have been added to the Dynamic Grass Decal system.

Also the new shaders have been tested in Unity 5 and work great.

Currently the height controls are adapted to the transparent variety of the shader and this will complete the Grass Decal shader pack.

 

Some of the new effects in PDM 2.0

 

2D collisions and shaders. Turbulence applied in 2ond pic.

 

Ribbon rendering combined with forces.

Over 100 new effects will be added in v2.0, for a total of 300+ ready for use advanced dynamic particle, decal, AI and spline effects !!!!

Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0 will be submitted soon, all systems are ready and polished and currently the demos and manual are finilized for release.

 

PDM 2.0 Manipulators demo WIP and a new sample (spline flower)

 

The summary of emission sources and types of particles (gameobject, ribbon, Shuriken, mesh, scripted, animtaed etc)

Next up the summary (at least a fraction) of the special FX like Tornados, Fire/ice stick, melt and propagation, chain lightning etc

 

Emission sources summary updated.

 

Special FX summary stage: Heat seaking missiles, chain lightning, fire cast & propagation, gameobject particle paiting, physics based splines, particle to particle collisions and there are more to be added.

Particle sources - types and manipulators almost done.

Special FX are the current WIP and will be adding a few more to try and grab as wide a spectrum as possible.

Since it is not possible to showcase all 300 effects in a few pics, these may later get more summaries e.g. for fire effects only etc

I will be making some videos of the above playgrounds too, it is really fun to play with all the effects in one go

 

UPDATE:

The demo is now nearly ready and the Preab Manager is populated with the 100 new samples (pics added for each sample and description).

The manual is also almost done, so the release is now very close. After the manual is final (missing only the descriptions for the new shaders), there will be a round of final testing and tweaks/polish, code clean up and the asset will be submitted for review, hopefully early this week.

 

The additional new 100+ effects collection is ready for Particle Dynamic Magic v2.0 Prefab Manager

The pack now offers more than 300 ready to use advanced effects, insertable to any project with one click

Besides the 100 new effects, the new Collection 2 Prefab Manager also offers easy particle scaling