24 replies to this topic

[Nocturne]

DOWNLOAD : http://dl.dropbox.co...ames/Sparks.exe

INTRODUCTION

Sparks is tool I made which allows you to create particle effects and then save them as a series of sprites, which can then be loaded into GameMaker or whatever other animation tool you use. You can also save the particles as a text file, which contains pre-formatted GML in case you wish to use this tool as a particle designer too (although it is not as flexible as some).

FEATURES

You can design up to three different particles.

Test them over your own choice of background color or graphics

Particles can be saved and loaded again later

Choose the number of animation frames (approximate)

Fully transparent sprites are easy to import and use

Saved files include GML for the particles

SUMMARY

This tool started out as something I made only for myself, due to the fact that particles can be quite slow in HTML5 and are not able to reproduce the same blending and colors as they do in windows. So, I designed this tool to make sprites from the particles as they are much faster in browsers and on devices... As I worked on it, I realised that if I find it useful, then so will all of you and so I polished it up and present it here for anyone to use! Please post with any feedback and bugs, but don't ask for more features as they will not be getting added... this is a finished tool and I will only fix bugs from now on.

KNOWN BUGS!!!

trying to create a sprite when you have no particles defined will crash the program.

[Yal]

Put short: Cool! Guess this will be useful to many people. I'll download it myself and see if I can muster up some good feedback.

Also, your spelling on the menu items give away your British english.

[xot]

Found a bug immediately, 'cause I'm good like that.

Start it up, click "CREATE SPRITES", Cancel, OK, interface is dead.

Otherwise, THIS IS AWESOME. Should be very helpful to particle experts and novices alike.

[gnysek]

Download link is dead for me...

[Nocturne]

Download link is dead for me...

Fxed.

@Xot : i never thought that anyone would try and create a particle when there were none defined... I will update and fix that later, thanks!

[xot]

i never thought that anyone would try and create a particle when there were none defined...

It was literally the first thing I did. Some people compose symphonies. Others build cathedrals. I break software.

Having a lot of fun with this. I can already see how it would have saved me a lot of time on two recent projects.

[Swifty]

Great work Nocturne, loving this particle creator! I've already spent the last 15 minutes fiddling around with it and no problems on my end. I know I'll put it to good use so +1

Edit: As a suggestion I'd probably add a close button to click and a popup box saying yes/no to close the program - I've accidentally hit escape a couple times now to cancel a popup box and closed the program too losing my work!

Swifty

Edited by Swifty, 11 May 2012 - 02:16 PM.

[Nocturne]

Thanks Swifty! Okay, I will add a dialogue to close the window in the next update (tonight). Glad you like it!

[Swifty]

This could be a bug: I have my 3 particles, on the second particle under the 'Death' option I set it to Particle 3 - but it's creating Particle 2, which in turns creates more Particle 2 on death, lagging the program out. However If I pick Particle 1 It works fine and creates Particle 1.

Swifty

[Nocturne]

Okay, v1.4 is now uploaded!

FIXED :
Step and death particles now created properly.
No more errors if you try and create sprites with no particles defined.

ADDITIONS :
Reset button! Reset the whole program to start again.
Off button. Escape no longer ends the program.
Sounds. Yes, button have sounds now!
Crash prevention when you make too many particles.
Instructions now only appear the very first time you run the program.
Particle counter and progress report when making sprites added.

[Swifty]

Good work Nocturne a question and another suggestion:

Question: I made a particle 3, but I only really want it to trigger from the death of particle 2. Is there a way so it doesn't create Particle 3 at the start of the test? If not perhaps adding a button to "Create at Test" or whatever.

Suggestion: Add a mute button sound, no offense intended but the sounds to me could be distracting at times.

Swifty

[Nocturne]

Hmm... You are right that it could be very useful to have a button that only creates the particle at death. As this tool was really only intended for my personal use I never thought about it that much. If I can cram one into the already overcrowded interface then I will! I may actually have to re-design this eventually... And I´ll add a mute button to the program too, or change the sounds for less annoying ones or something. Thanks for such good feedback!

[dadio]

I made something just like this...

Nah, *very* nifty little tool!
Will probably put to good use in my own stuff sometime soon.

[Nocturne]

Thanks for the comment Dadio!

New update!!!

BUG FIXES :
Particle orientation didn't save relative, but it does now.

NEW FEATURES :
Particles have a "Create?" toggle so that they can be switched on or off but still be active for step and death routines.
New sounds that annoy less.
New "mute" button just in case they still annoy!

NOTE: Due to changes, old saved particles cannot now be loaded. Sorry...

[Player Zero]

Nocturne, this is an excellent effects utility, all the more important now that real time particles are less feasible on HTML5 and handheld platforms.

I particularly like the fact that you can save the effects to png alpha transparencies, the older particle effects generators that I tried couldn't do that.

One feature suggestion: being able to import your own sprites.

Thanks very much for your efforts.

[Nocturne]

Thanks for the feedback! I had thought about allowing your own sprites, but I wanted to make the output files compatible with GM in a "no fuss" way... BUT as the focus of the program really isn´t about making the particles so much as making the sprite animation, I may work it in there. Actually, I have been toying with re-doing the whole IDE anyway as it's a bit cramped and I'd like to increase the number of particles that you can use to 5 or 6 as well... So in Sparks2 I'll do it, okay?

[Player Zero]

So in Sparks2 I'll do it, okay?

That sounds great, looking forwards to it.

[coines23]

This is a fantastic little tool; I'm having too much fun with it and it's eating into my working time...

Found a bug, though. In the GML output, all three particle systems in the effect end up having the third particle shape applied to them.

[Nocturne]

This is a fantastic little tool; I'm having too much fun with it and it's eating into my working time...

Found a bug, though. In the GML output, all three particle systems in the effect end up having the third particle shape applied to them.

Thanks! And I'll see about fixing that ASAP.

[ParrotPeach]

Cool... Thanks, Nocturne.