A Detour into Particle Systems

Particle systems are an area of graphics programming that, like the topic of input processing, can have entire books devoted to covering particle systems from basic theory to concrete implementation. We’re not going to get into that level of detail here, because we’ve got a lot of other things to do in addition to learning about particle systems! Here’s what you need to know about particle systems in general. In a moment, we’ll look at their relationship to Babylon.js and how we can use them for fun and profit.

Think back to the last video game you played. If it was a text-based game, then think of the last game you played that wasn’t text-based. Did the game have explosions? Are there magic fireballs exploding? What about fireworks or campfires? Each of these is an example of where a particle system might be employed by a game developer.

Let’s back up a bit. A particle is a single entity with a discrete...