Emitter

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-03

Overview

Emitter is a lightweight component responsible for emitting particles from an entity over time. It supports both legacy ParticleEmitter and modern VFXEffect systems, selecting the appropriate one based on what is attached to the entity. The component calculates particle production rates based on tick time and manages particle count limits using configurable density and lifetime factors. It integrates with the global EmitterManager system to schedule periodic updates.

Usage example

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddComponent("emitter")

inst.components.emitter.max_lifetime = 2.0
inst.components.emitter.ground_height = 0.5
inst.components.emitter.density_factor = 1.5
inst.components.emitter.config = { max_num_particles = 100 }

inst.components.emitter.area_emitter = function()
    return 0, 0, 0  -- center emission point
end

inst.components.emitter:Emit()

Dependencies & tags

Components used: None identified
Tags: None identified

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
inst	Entity	nil (assigned in constructor)	The entity instance this component is attached to.
area_emitter	function	function() print("no emitter") end	Callback that returns (x, z) coordinates for particle spawn position.
config	table	{}	Configuration table, expected to contain max_num_particles.
max_lifetime	number	1	Maximum lifetime (in seconds) for emitted particles. Actual lifetime is randomized within ±10% of this value.
ground_height	number	1	Vertical (y) position where particles are emitted.
particles_per_tick	number	1	Estimated number of particles to emit per tick (derived from desired rate and tick duration).
num_particles_to_emit	number	1	Current accumulated particle count scheduled for emission.
density_factor	number	1	Multiplier applied to particle counts and lifetimes for scaling emission intensity.

Main functions

Emit()

• Description: Starts the particle emission process by registering an update function with EmitterManager. It calculates per-tick emission rates and configures particle limits for both legacy and modern VFX systems. Does not emit particles immediately — it schedules periodic emission updates.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: If neither VFXEffect nor ParticleEmitter is present on self.inst, the component will silently fail to emit (no particles added, but no error thrown).

Events & listeners

• Listens to: None identified
• Pushes: None identified