Particle Effect For UGUI (UI Particle)
<< 📝 Description | 📌 Key Features | 🎮 Demo | ⚙ Installation | 🚀 Usage | 🛠 Development Note | 🤝 Contributing >>
📝 Description
This package uses the new APIs MeshBake/MeshTrailBake (introduced in Unity 2018.2) to render particles through CanvasRenderer.
You can render, mask, and sort your ParticleSystems for UI without the need for an additional Camera, RenderTexture, or Canvas.
📌 Key Features
- Easy to use: The package is ready to use out of the box.
- Sortable: Sort particle effects and other UI elements by sibling index.
- Maskable: Supports
Mask or RectMask2D.
- No extra components required: No need for an additional
Camera, RenderTexture, or Canvas.
- Trail module support: Fully supports the Trail module.
- CanvasGroup alpha support: Integrates with
CanvasGroup alpha.
- No allocations: Efficiently renders particles without allocations.
- Any canvas render mode support: Works with overlay, camera space, and world space.
- Any Render pipeline support: Compatible with Universal Render Pipeline (URP) and High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP).
- Disabling domain reload support: Supports disabling
Enter Play Mode Options > Reload Domain.
- Animatable material properties: Supports changing material properties with AnimationClip (AnimatableProperty).
- Multiple materials: Supports 8+ materials.
- Correct positioning: Adjusts world space particle positions correctly when changing window size for standalone platforms (Windows, MacOSX, and Linux).
- Adaptive scaling: Provides adaptive scaling for UI (AutoScalingMode).
- Performance optimization: Mesh sharing group to improve performance.
- Particle attractor: Includes a particle attractor component.
- Emission position mode: Supports relative/absolute particle emission position modes.
- Custom view size: Fixes min/max particle size mismatch.
🎮 Demo
⚙ Installation
This package requires Unity 2018.3 or later.
Install via OpenUPM
Install via UPM (with Package Manager UI)
- Click
Window > Package Manager to open Package Manager UI.
- Click
+ > Add package from git URL... and input the repository URL: https://github.com/mob-sakai/ParticleEffectForUGUI.git
- To update the package, change suffix
#{version} to the target version.
- e.g.
https://github.com/mob-sakai/ParticleEffectForUGUI.git#4.13.0
Install via UPM (Manually)
-
Open the Packages/manifest.json file in your project. Then add this package somewhere in the dependencies block:
{
"dependencies": {
"com.coffee.ui-particle": "https://github.com/mob-sakai/ParticleEffectForUGUI.git",
...
}
}
-
To update the package, change suffix #{version} to the target version.
- e.g.
"com.coffee.ui-particle": "https://github.com/mob-sakai/ParticleEffectForUGUI.git#4.13.0",
Install as Embedded Package
- Download a source code zip file from Releases and extract it.
- Place it in your project’s
Packages directory.
- If you want to fix bugs or add features, install it as an embedded package.
- To update the package, you need to re-download it and replace the contents.
🚀 Usage
Component: UIParticle
UIParticle controls the ParticleSystems that are attached to its own game objects and child game objects.
- Maskable: Does this graphic allow maskable.
- Scale: Scale the rendering particles. When the
3D toggle is enabled, 3D scale (x, y, z) is supported.
- Animatable Properties: If you want to update material properties (e.g.,
_MainTex_ST, _Color) in AnimationClip,
use this to mark as animatable.
[!TIPS]
(Unity 2021.1 or later) Custom Animatable Properties
From the Add Custom... menu in Animatable Properties, you can add fields located outside the Properties block in the shader as Animatable Properties.
This allows Matrix, Matrix Array, Float Array, and Vector Array values modified by the ParticleSystemRenderer.SetPropertyBlock method to be automatically reflected in UIParticle.
- Mesh Sharing: Particle simulation results are shared within the same group. A large number of the same effects can
be displayed with a small load. When the
Random toggle is enabled, it will be grouped randomly.
- None: Disable mesh sharing.
- Auto: Automatically select Primary/Replica.
- Primary: Provides particle simulation results to the same group.
- Primary Simulator: Primary, but do not render the particle (simulation only).
- Replica: Render simulation results provided by the primary.
- Position Mode: Emission position mode.
- Absolute: The particles will be emitted from the world position.
- Relative: The particles will be emitted from the scaled position.
- Auto Scaling Mode: How to automatically adjust when the Canvas scale is changed by the screen size or reference resolution.
- None: Do nothing.
- Transform: Transform.lossyScale (=world scale) will be set to (1, 1, 1).
- UIParticle: UIParticle.scale will be adjusted.
- Use Custom View: Use this if the particles are not displayed correctly due to min/max particle size.
- Custom view size: Change the bake view size.
- Time Scale Multiplier: Time scale multiplier.
- Rendering Order: The ParticleSystem list to be rendered. You can change the order and the materials.
[!TIPS]
Press the Refresh button to reconstruct the rendering order based on children ParticleSystem’s sorting order
and z-position.
[!TIPS]
When a GameObject with this component is selected in the editor, a temporary ParticleSystem is added if needed so you can preview the effect in the Scene view.
The generated ParticleSystem is marked with HideFlags.DontSave, so it is neither saved nor included in builds.
Basic Usage
- Select
GameObject/UI/ParticleSystem to create UIParticle with a ParticleSystem.
- Adjust the ParticleSystem as you like.
[!Tips]
Adding a UIParticle to the parent is the recommended setup rather than attaching it directly to the ParticleSystem.
When using ParticleSystem.emission.rateOverDistance, it is recommended to move the transform of UIParticle rather than the ParticleSystem.
Usage with Your Existing ParticleSystem Prefab
- Select
GameObject/UI/ParticleSystem (Empty) to create UIParticle.
- Drag and drop your ParticleSystem prefab onto UIParticle.
Usage with Mask or RectMask2D Component
If you want to mask particles, set a stencil-supported shader (such as UI/UIAdditive) to the material for
ParticleSystem.
If you use some custom shaders, see
the How to Make a Custom Shader to Support Mask/RectMask2D Component
section.
Usage with Script
// Instantiate ParticleSystem prefab with UIParticle on runtime.
var go = GameObject.Instantiate(prefab);
var uiParticle = go.AddComponent<UIParticle>();
uiParticle.scale = 100;
// Control by ParticleSystem.
particleSystem.Play();
particleSystem.Emit(10);
// Control by UIParticle.
uiParticle.Play();
uiParticle.Stop();
Component: UIParticleAttractor
UIParticleAttractor attracts particles generated by the specified ParticleSystem.
- Particle Systems: Attracts particles generated by the specified ParticleSystems.
- Destination Radius: Once the particle is within the radius, the particle lifetime will become 0, and
OnAttracted
will be called.
- Delay Rate: Delay to start attracting. It is a percentage of the particle’s start lifetime.
- Max Speed: Maximum speed of attracting. If this value is too small, attracting may not be completed by the end of
the lifetime, and
OnAttracted may not be called.
- Movement: Attracting movement type. (
Linear, Smooth, Sphere)
- Sphere Curve Rate: When
Movement = Sphere, the curve rate of the sphere movement.
- 0: Move in a straight line to the destination.
- 1: Move in a perfect sphere to the destination.
- 0 < x < 1: Move in a curve between straight and sphere.
- Update Mode: Update mode.
- Normal: Update with scaled delta time.
- Unscaled Time: Update with unscaled delta time.
- OnAttracted: An event called when attracting is complete (per particle).
Component: ParticleSystemPreviewer
ParticleSystemPreviewer is used to preview a ParticleSystem in the editor.
- When a
GameObject with this component is selected in the editor, a temporary ParticleSystem is added if needed so you can preview the effect in the Scene view.
- The generated
ParticleSystem is marked with HideFlags.DontSave, so it is neither saved nor included in builds.
- This component will be removed in builds.
Project Settings
You can adjust the project-wide settings for UI Particle. (Edit > Project Settings > UI > UI Particle)
Settings
- Enable Linear To Gamma: Automatically correct the color space of the mesh.
- Default View Size For Baking: Default view size for baking particle systems.
Editor
-
Hide Generated Component: Automatically hide the generated UIParticleRenderer component and UIParticle BakingCamera.
-
Preview On Select: When selecting UIParticle, a temporary ParticleSystem is generated for preview.
🛠 Development Note
Compares the Baking mesh approach with the conventional approach
-
Baking mesh approach (=UIParticle)
- ✅ Rendered as is.
- ✅ Maskable.
- ✅ Sortable.
- ✅ Less objects.
-
Do nothing (=Plain ParticleSystem)
- ✅ Rendered as is.
- ❌ Looks like a glitch.
- ❌ Not maskable.
- ❌ Not sortable.
-
Convert particle to UIVertex (=UIParticleSystem)
- ✅ Maskable.
- ✅ Sortable.
- ❌ Adjustment is difficult.
- ❌ Requires UI shaders.
- ❌ Difficult to adjust scale.
- ❌ Force hierarchy scalling.
- ❌ Simulation results are incorrect.
- ❌ Trail, rotation of transform, time scaling are not supported.
- ❌ Generate heavy GC every frame.
-
Use Canvas to sort (Sorting By Canvas )
- ✅ Rendered as is.
- ✅ Sortable.
- ❌ You must to manage sorting orders.
- ❌ Not maskable.
- ❌ More batches.
- ❌ Requires Canvas.
-
Use RenderTexture
- ✅ Maskable.
- ✅ Sortable.
- ❌ Requires Camera and RenderTexture.
- ❌ Difficult to adjust position and size.
- ❌ Quality depends on the RenderTexture’s setting.
| Approach |
FPS on Editor |
FPS on iPhone6 |
FPS on Xperia XZ |
| Particle System |
43 |
57 |
22 |
| UIParticleSystem |
4 |
3 |
0 (unmeasurable) |
| Sorting By Canvas |
43 |
44 |
18 |
| UIParticle |
17 |
12 |
4 |
| UIParticle with MeshSharing |
44 |
45 |
30 |
🔍 FAQ: Why Are My UIParticles Not Displayed Correctly?
See this issue.
If ParticleSystem alone displays particles correctly but UIParticle does not, please check the following points:
- Shader Limitation
- Most cases can be solved by using
UI/Additive or UI/Default.
- Particles are not masked
UIParticle is maskable.- Use maskable/clipable shader (such as
UI/Additive or UI/Default)
- Set
Mask or RectMask2D component properly.
- Particles are too small
- If particles are small enough, they will not appear on the screen.
- Increase the
Scale value.
- If you don’t want to change the apparent size depending on the resolution, try the
Auto Scaling option.
- Particles are too many
- No more than 65535 vertices can be displayed (for mesh combination limitations).
- Please set
Emission module and Max Particles of ParticleSystem properly.
- Particles are emitted off-screen.
- When
Position Mode = Relative, particles are emitted from the scaled position of the ParticleSystem, not from
the screen point of the ParticleSystem.
- Place the
ParticleSystem in the proper position or try Position Mode = Absolute.
- Attaching
UIParticle to the same object as ParticleSystem
Transform.localScale will be overridden by the Auto Scaling option.- It is recommended to place
ParticleSystem under UIParticle.
- If
Transform.localScale contains 0, rendering will be skipped.
- If you are using
Shape module, please check whether the scale includes 0.
- Displayed particles are in the correct position but too large/too small
- Adjust
ParticleSystem.renderer.Min/MaxParticleSize.
- If
Trails.RibbonCount is greater than 1, the following error occurs frequently.
Failed setting triangles. Some indices are referencing out of bounds vertices. IndexCount: 660, VertexCount: 222
- Adding a
UIParticle to the parent is the recommended setup rather than attaching it directly to the ParticleSystem.
- When using
ParticleSystem.emission.rateOverDistance, it is recommended to move the transform of UIParticle rather than the ParticleSystem.
- (v4.13.0, v5.0.0-preview.18) Try changing the
Default View Size For Baking setting under ProjectSettings > UI > UI Particle to a value such as 100 or 1000.
Shader Limitation
The use of UI shaders is recommended.
- If you need a simple Additive shader, use the
UI/Additive shader instead.
- If you need a simple alpha-blend shader, use the
UI/Default shader instead.
- If your custom shader does not work properly with UIParticle, consider creating a custom UI shader.
Built-in shaders are not supported
UIParticle does not support all built-in shaders except for UI/Default.
If their use is detected, an error is displayed in the inspector.
Use UI shaders instead.
(Unity 2018 or 2019) UV.zw components will be discarded
UIParticleRenderer renders the particles based on UIVertex.
Therefore, only the xy components are available for each UV in the shader. (zw components will be discarded).
So unfortunately, UIParticles will not work well with some shaders.
(Unity 2018 or 2019) Custom vertex streams
When using custom vertex streams, you can fill zw components with “unnecessary” data.
Refer to this issue for more information.
Overheads
UIParticle has some overheads, and the batching depends on uGUI.
When improving performance, keep the following in mind:
- If you are displaying a large number of the same effect, consider the
Mesh Sharing feature in
the UIParticle Component.
- If you don’t like the uniform output, consider the
Random Group feature.
- If you are using multiple materials, you will have more draw calls.
- Consider a single material, atlasing the sprites, and using
Sprite mode in the Texture Sheet Animation module
in the ParticleSystem.
How to Make a Custom Shader to Support Mask and RectMask2D Component
Shader tips
Shader "Your/Custom/Shader"
{
Properties
{
// ...
// #### required for Mask ####
_StencilComp ("Stencil Comparison", Float) = 8
_Stencil ("Stencil ID", Float) = 0
_StencilOp ("Stencil Operation", Float) = 0
_StencilWriteMask ("Stencil Write Mask", Float) = 255
_StencilReadMask ("Stencil Read Mask", Float) = 255
_ColorMask ("Color Mask", Float) = 15
[Toggle(UNITY_UI_ALPHACLIP)] _UseUIAlphaClip ("Use Alpha Clip", Float) = 0
}
SubShader
{
Tags
{
// ...
}
// #### required for Mask ####
Stencil
{
Ref [_Stencil]
Comp [_StencilComp]
Pass [_StencilOp]
ReadMask [_StencilReadMask]
WriteMask [_StencilWriteMask]
}
ColorMask [_ColorMask]
// ...
Pass
{
// ...
// #### required for RectMask2D ####
#include "UnityUI.cginc"
#pragma multi_compile __ UNITY_UI_CLIP_RECT
float4 _ClipRect;
// #### required for Mask ####
#pragma multi_compile __ UNITY_UI_ALPHACLIP
struct appdata_t
{
// ...
};
struct v2f
{
// ...
// #### required for RectMask2D ####
float4 worldPosition : TEXCOORD1;
};
v2f vert(appdata_t v)
{
v2f OUT;
// ...
// #### required for RectMask2D ####
OUT.worldPosition = v.vertex;
return OUT;
}
fixed4 frag(v2f IN) : SV_Target
{
// ...
// #### required for RectMask2D ####
#ifdef UNITY_UI_CLIP_RECT
color.a *= UnityGet2DClipping(IN.worldPosition.xy, _ClipRect);
#endif
// #### required for Mask ####
#ifdef UNITY_UI_ALPHACLIP
clip (color.a - 0.001);
#endif
return color;
}
ENDCG
}
}
}
🤝 Contributing
Issues
Issues are incredibly valuable to this project:
- Ideas provide a valuable source of contributions that others can make.
- Problems help identify areas where this project needs improvement.
- Questions indicate where contributors can enhance the user experience.
Pull Requests
Pull requests offer a fantastic way to contribute your ideas to this repository.
Please refer to CONTRIBUTING.md
and develop branch for guidelines.
Support
This is an open-source project developed during my spare time.
If you appreciate it, consider supporting me.
Your support allows me to dedicate more time to development. 😊
License
Author
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