VFX / FX
Readable effects. Controlled simulation domains. Game sprites vs cinematic volumes.
When to Use
- Smoke, fire, dust, sparks, debris
- Magic / sci-fi energy FX
- Muzzle flashes, trails, impacts
- Geometry Nodes driven particle systems
Path Decision
Game real-time → Meshes/cards/ribbons + emissive mats (+ GN)
Cinematic → Mantaflow / particles / GN → render → comp
Hybrid → Sim in Blender → bake flipbooks/meshes for engine
Workflow
Brief (silhouette + timing) → Proxy emitter → Sim/GN prototype
→ Art-direct motion → Materials/lights → Cache → Render/comp or export
Effect Types
| Type | Blender Approach |
|---|---|
| Smoke/fire | Mantaflow domain + flow; keep domain tight |
| Sparks | Particle Newtonian + collision + trail |
| Debris | Rigid body shards (physics-sim) |
| Magic ribbons | Curves / GN extrude + emissive |
| Dust hit | Short particle burst + soft sprites |
Domain Rules (Volume)
- Domain only as large as needed
- Resolution from low → high after motion approved
- Open borders intentionally; avoid wasted empty voxels
- Collection:
COL_FX_[Shot]
Naming
- Emitters:
FX_Emit_[Name] - Domains:
FX_Domain_[Name] - Caches: document frame range in brief
Game Export Notes
- Prefer mesh cards / GN instances over volume export
- Atlas flipbooks when baking fire/smoke for engines
- Keep pivot at logical spawn point
Constraints
MUST DO
- Approve motion at low res before high-res sim
- Light FX intentionally (emissive + key)
- Cache before final render
MUST NOT DO
- Huge empty domains
- Unbounded particle counts
- Skip timing brief (start/peak/end frames)
Reference Guide
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|---|---|---|
| Fx Timing Brief | references/fx-timing-brief.md |
When needed |
| Volume Domain Rules | references/volume-domain-rules.md |
When needed |
| Game Fx Export | references/game-fx-export.md |
When needed |