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.. _particle-effect-basic-parameters:

Particle Effect Basic Parameters
================================

Every particle effect needs at least eleven parameters. These govern the
overall properties, such as the number of particles on the screen, the birth
and death rates, and the renderer, emitter, and factory that are used.

+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| **Variable**                      | **Definition**                              | **Values**      |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| poolSize                          | Maximum number of simultaneous particles    | [0, infinity)   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| birthRate                         | Seconds between particle births             | (0, infinity)   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| litterSize                        | Number of particles created at each birth   | [1, infinity)   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| litterSpread                      | Variation of litter size                    | [0, infinity)   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| localVelocityFlag                 | Whether or not velocities are absolute      | Boolean         |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| systemGrowsOlder                  | Whether or not the system has a lifespan    | Boolean         |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| systemLifespan                    | Age of the system in seconds                | [0, infinity)   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| BaseParticleRenderer\* renderer   | Pointer to particle renderer                | Renderer type   |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| BaseParticleRenderer\* emitter    | Pointer to particle emitter                 | Emitter type    |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+
| BaseParticleRenderer\* factory    | Pointer to particle factory                 | Factory type    |
+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+-----------------+


The renderer, emitter, and factory types will be discussed in the next three
sections.