Cartoon Mushroom Cloud

HOW IT'S MADE

Cartoon Mushroom Cloud stacks 18 particle emitters, each with its own job. Techniques worth a look: sub-emitters set off by other particles, particles stretched along their motion, keyframed parameters 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 2.4 s, and 7 of its layers fire in bursts, so it pulses instead of flowing evenly. Start times are staggered from 0 s to 0.32 s, so the layers arrive one after another. To change its colour, select "Column" in the studio and edit the Colour over Life gradient. 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. Shock RingparticlesA single particle at the start. It grows as it ages. Colour runs from white to orange over each life.
2. Dust SkirtparticlesOne burst of 26 dots from a ring at 0.05 s. They spawn "Dust Skirt Body" as they appear, spawn "Dust Skirt Light" as they appear, swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour: white.
3. Dust Skirt Body, Dust Skirt LightparticlesDots set off by "Dust Skirt". They swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour: white.
4. ColumnparticlesA stream of dots from a disc, its rate keyframed over the loop. They spawn "Column Body" as they appear, spawn "Column Light" as they appear, swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from gold to violet over each life.
5. Column Body, Column LightparticlesDots set off by "Column". They swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from white to violet over each life.
6. CapparticlesOne burst of 22 dots from a disc at 0.3 s. They spawn "Cap Body" as they appear, spawn "Cap Light" as they appear, swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from gold to violet over each life.
7. Cap Body, Cap LightparticlesDots set off by "Cap". They swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from white to violet over each life.
8. Cap CoreparticlesOne burst of 6 dots from a disc at 0.32 s. They spawn "Cap Core Body" as they appear, spawn "Cap Core Light" as they appear, swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from gold to violet over each life.
9. Cap Core Body, Cap Core LightparticlesDots set off by "Cap Core". They swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from white to violet over each life.
10. Ground FireballparticlesOne burst of 12 dots from a disc at the start. They spawn "Ground Fireball Body" as they appear, spawn "Ground Fireball Light" as they appear, swell and then shrink away and slow down with drag. Colour runs from gold to violet over each life.

4 more layers are in the studio.