Particles

Before pRender (2D), the wire carries a simulation: particles with position, velocity, age, size, color and other attributes. It is not yet a normal raster image, so standard Blur or Color Corrector nodes do not modify individual live particles the way particle operators do.

This stateful behavior is also why particle simulations can depend on time. Jumping randomly through the timeline can produce a different evaluation experience than letting the system simulate from the beginning of the relevant range.

pEmitter or pImageEmitter creates the particles. Behavior nodes such as pTurbulence, directional or point forces, friction, bounce and kill operations then shape the motion. pMerge combines particle streams when several systems need to interact in one branch.

pRender (2D) sits near the end and decides how the simulation becomes visible pixels. After pRender (2D), the result can be treated like any other image layer and finished with Merge, Glow, Blur, grain or color correction.

Particles are useful when the visual should consist of many independent elements: sparks, dust, snow, rain, debris, magical points, logo disintegration, abstract data clouds or moving streaks.

If the job is only one soft highlight or one blurred layer, a particle system is usually unnecessary. The particle system earns its complexity when hundreds or thousands of elements need individual lifetime, velocity and behavior.

Keep the simulation as a separate branch until pRender (2D). An image or alpha channel can feed pImageEmitter as a source, and ordinary masks can constrain the final rendered result, but those connections do not turn a normal image node into a particle operator.

Once pRender (2D) has produced an image, match the particles to the plate with color, sharpness, motion blur, grain and depth cues. The simulation may be technically correct yet still look pasted on if the final 2D finishing does not match the shot.

For a disintegrating logo, use the logo image or alpha with pImageEmitter, add pTurbulence for irregular breakup, use a directional force to establish an overall drift and control lifetime so old particles disappear naturally.

Render the particle stream with pRender (2D), then composite it over the plate with Merge. Add Glow only where it supports the design and use the normal 2D pipeline for final color and integration.

A regular 2D node receives pixels and returns pixels. A particle node works on a live particle stream instead: each particle can carry position, velocity, age, size, rotation, color and other attributes that continue to change as the simulation advances.

That is why Blur, Glow or a regular Merge do not belong in the middle of a particle simulation. The particle branch must first be rasterized through pRender (2D); only then does it become ordinary image data that 2D effects understand.

Keep the distinction visible in the Flow: use p-nodes for emission, forces and particle behavior, use pRender (2D) as the boundary, and use normal 2D nodes for compositing and finishing after that boundary.

With Output Mode = 2D, pRender outputs an RGBA image: pEmitter → pTurbulence → pRender (2D) → Glow → Merge Foreground. Footage enters Merge Background through a separate branch. The blue Effect Mask limits the visible 2D result; it does not replace the emitter’s Region.

With Output Mode = 3D, pRender outputs particle geometry: pEmitter → pRender (3D) → Merge3D → Renderer3D → Merge. Camera3D and other objects join the scene through separate branches. This route retains the spatial context until Renderer3D; this pRender output cannot feed an ordinary Merge directly.

Choose the style in pEmitter/pImageEmitter and change it later with pChangeStyle when needed. Bitmap needs a suitable image and alpha; increasing Blur does not turn Point particles into textured sprites. Check style and output mode before adjusting lighting, cameras or image finishing.

After a timeline jump, Pre-Roll rebuilds simulation state from the start of the range to the current frame; Automatic Pre-Roll does this automatically. Restart instead clears accumulated particles at the current frame. Pre-Generate Frames is useful when snow or smoke must already fill the scene on the first visible frame.

Density depends on both emission rate and lifespan. If pSpawn makes the composition much slower, inspect child-particle counts and repeated spawning. Compare variants with the same random seed, range and time; test fast travel and collisions with Sub-frame Accuracy rather than merely adding more particles.