Cartoon Fuse Spark

HOW IT'S MADE

Cartoon Fuse Spark stacks 8 particle emitters, each with its own job. Techniques worth a look: sub-emitters set off by other particles, particles stretched along their motion and post filters (outline). A scene layer (ground or a prop) shows in the studio for context and stays out of every export.

It loops seamlessly every 0.6 s, and 4 of its layers fire in bursts, so it pulses instead of flowing evenly. Start times are staggered from 0 s to 0.05 s, so the layers arrive one after another. It carries little colour of its own, so it takes a tint well: select "Burst Star" and set Colour A and Colour B. Size on the same layer sets how big its particles are. The colour swatches by the downloads recolour every layer at once.

Layers, in draw order

1. Burst Star, Burst Star CoreparticlesA single particle every 0.1 s. It swells and then shrinks away. It spins. Colour: white.
2. Spark CoreparticlesA single particle every 0.1 s. Colour: white.
3. Spit SparksparticlesA steady stream of shards. They fall under gravity and slow down with drag. Colour runs from white to gold over each life.
4. Pop StarsparticlesA single particle every 0.15 s. It swells and then shrinks away. It spins. Colour runs from white to gold over each life.
5. Smoke PuffsparticlesA steady stream of dots from a disc. They spawn "Smoke Puffs Body" as they appear, spawn "Smoke Puffs Light" as they appear, sway from side to side and swell and then shrink away. Colour: white.
6. Smoke Puffs Body, Smoke Puffs LightparticlesDots set off by "Smoke Puffs". They sway from side to side and swell and then shrink away. Colour: white.