Magic Particles news: Recent Episodes
Astralax studio
New features:
- The bug in material editor was fixed.
You can download Magic Particles 3.54 here.
New features:
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
You can download Magic Particles 3.53 here.
New features:
- Several bugs were fixed in editor.
You can download Magic Particles 3.51 here.
New features:
- Now editor may be launched in MAC OS with the help of WINE.
- The possibility to select any sequence of the frames from texture appeared in the editor for visualization of particles.
- Multithreading was added in API.
- Contexts are were added in API. Now emitters may be loaded in different contexts.
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
Note that the new API will not work with the old version of the wrapper. You can download Magic Particles 3.5 here.
New features:
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
You can download Magic Particles 3.45 here.
New features:
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
You can download Magic Particles 3.44 here.
New features:
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
You can download Magic Particles 3.43 here.
New features:
- The new special effects were added: 3d_ktl10.ptc.
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
You can download Magic Particles 3.42 here.
New features:
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
You can download Magic Particles 3.41 here.
New features:
- The new special effects were added: 3d_ktl7, 3d_ktl8, 3d_ktl9.
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
- Memory leak was fixed in the wrapper.
You can download Magic Particles 3.37 here.
This upgrade contain only updates for the wrapper, without editor. It's happened because developer was focused on updates for old RTS game which he was developed quite long time ago. Some minor bugs was fixed in the API, and the most important, the wrapper get SetCamera() function. Now, working with the camera will be much easy.
Video tutorial about timeline, shows how to add, remove keys. Also explained how to control folders on timeline.You can take a look on this tutorial here.
Video tutorial about user interface of the program. Shown the difference between Gray and Red graphs. Explained Emitter Lifetime, Particle lifetime.You can take a look on this tutorial here.
The plugin allows you open files of Magic Particles 3D in Adobe After Effects.Currently the plugin is FREE.The plugin was developed by Yuriy Levchenko.More details on plugin could be found here.
New features:
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The new properties appeared for particle:
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Trail - particle extends according to the trajectory of the movement. The speed of the reduction of the trajectory is configured by the user.
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Beam - the user draws the path for the particle, and the particle extends according to this path. It is possible to use 'Noise', i.e. the path may change itself with the definite rate. The texture may extend gradually from the beginning to the end of the path.
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Path - the user draws the path for the particle, and the particles move only according to this path. At the end of the path the particles may be destroyed or they may continue the movement or jump over to the beginning of the path.
Trail and Beam for 3D emitter have the additional properties, for instance, for the texturing of the path several surfaces may be used. The orientation of the surfaces may be chosen by the user too. For example, the surface may be oriented by the camera.
Beam and Path receive the path from the user and this path is built from the animation keys. Every key additionally contains the Time. This Time will be considered, i.e. it is possible to set different speed for different segments of the path. * The particles as 3d models were added. It is necessary to create such particle in advance with the help of 3D Max or Maya. Magic Particles may load the following formats: fbx, collada, 3ds, obj and dfx (it is necessary that the mesh should consist of the triangles).
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Magic Particles allows to load automatically the textures, which are used by the mesh. The material will be created from these textures.
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Magic Particles allows to texture one mesh by several textures (i.e. different edges may be textured by different textures). It is possible to select the Color Set for the mesh vertices and use different UV Sets too.
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Magic Particles allows to change Pivot of the mesh.
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It is possible to use animation from meshes. The rate of the animation is defined by the user.
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The physics may influence the meshes.
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The Materials were added. The Materials allow to manage the texturing of the particle. For example, the multitexturing may be used or several textures may be drawn on the particle independently.
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It is possible to set the rules of the texture blending for the multitexturing. I.e. the user may choose the source of the color (vertex color, texture color or color from previous operation) and define the blending operation (multiplication, addition, subtraction).
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The way of the texture addressing may be chosen (WRAP, CLAMP, MIRROR).
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The way of the blending of the final pixel with the pixel on the scene may be set by the user too.
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For meshes it is possible to select different textures for different edges.
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Material has the Timeline, which allows to manage the textural coordinates in time. Each texture is managed independently. The properties Position, Rotation and Scale are used for it. Timeline allows to set the animation keys for each property or define the constant speed for change of the property. The property 'Time' may be used in 2 ways: absolute time or time of the particle life in percent.
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The new objects Picture, Text, Video and Model were added. These objects can be shown with the emitter, if they are placed in the same folder. I.e. at present several additional images or videos may be attached to the emitter.
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These objects have Timeline, that allows to change their position on the scene.
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These objects (except Video) may be used in API (the property 'Use in API' turns on this possibility). It means, that the library will use these objects as the usual emitters.
- The new types of the Storages appeared. All background objects will be automatically placed into the corresponding Storage.
- Currently some diagrams of Particle Type may be scaled by the axis X. It allows to execute the diagram several times during the particle existence.
- The properties Velocity, Weight, Spin and Angular velocity received an additionally possibility, which allows to invert their values randomly for each particle.
- At present the diagram Angular velocity allows to rotate the particles around the emitter.
- For the users of API the editor allows to calculate the maximal Bounding Box of any emitter. This info may be used for the optimization, because it allows to detect quickly the location of the emitter relatively to the visible part of the scene.
- For the users of API the technology of LODs was added. LOD allows according to the distance to the camera to use automatically different variants of the same emitter. I.e. if the emitter is near then this emitter should be drawn in high quality, otherwise if the emitter is far, then the low quality may be used. For levels of LOD the other emitter or the same emitter with the changed properties may be used. Besides Picture may be used instead of the emitter (it is useful to create simple animation from frames). Additionally for each level of detail several Variants may be defined. API will randomly choose one Variant from the existing Variants.
You can download Magic Particles 3.34 here.
New features:
- The object Camera was added in 3D version. Any 3D-emitter can choose any camera for rendering.
- Fullscreen mode (F11) get an option for selecting monitors. Option is available in program settings.
- Camera properties (position, fov, aspect ratio, viewport) are accessible from API through function Magic_GetView. Camera can be used for rendering 3D-emitters in 2D-games.
- Several bugs were fixed in editor and API.
- Version of API for Emspripten was added.
You can download Magic Particles 2.25 here.
New features:
- Fullscreen mode was added (F11)..
- The abilities to manage orientation particles plane were added. Now it is possible to rotate some orientation planes together with emitter.
- The ability to loop emitter in the editor for Dev-version appeared.
- The abilities to convert ptc-files in API mode using command line were improved. New command line parameter allows to send file with convertation settings. File with convertation settings can be saved from the editor.
- API function Magic_SetViewMatrix was changed to Magic_SetCamera, which makes API integration easier into game engine.
- Function Magic_GetVersion was added in API.
You can download Magic Particles 2.24 here.
In the article, developer of this software - Alexey Sedov is describing key elements, which you need to remember, while doing special effects for games using Magic Partciles (Dev).You can take a look on this article here.
These games use technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about these games here.
1
Title: Island of Death: Demons and Despair
Type: Hidden object
Developer: DominiGames
2
Title: All Word Games
Type: Collection of 26 word games in 1 pack
Developer: Nordcurrent
3
Title: Chronicles of Albian 2: The Wizbury School of Magic
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Zagrava Games
4
Title: Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Argali
5
Title: SweetNRoll
Type: Puzzle + Trivia
Developer: Arello Mobile
6
Title: The Keepers: The Order's Last Secret
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Blam! Games Ltd
7
Title: Match 3 Quest
Type: Match 3
Developer: furry
8
Title: Into the Haze
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Argali
9
Title: The Treasures of Montezuma 4
Type: Match 3
Developer: SPL
10
Title: Dance of Death
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Eight Game Studio
11
Title: Treasure Masters, Inc.: The Lost City
Type: Hidden object
Developer: CASA Games
12
Title: Farm Frenzy 4
Type: Time Management
Developer: SPL
13
Title: Stray Souls: Stolen Memories
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Alawar Friday's Games
14
Title: Rush for Gold: Alaska
Type: Time Management
Developer: RainbowGames
15
Title: Magic Encyclopedia: Moon Light
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Cyber Cradle
16
Title: Mysteries of Undead: The Cursed Island
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Go!Games
Hello my Dear user!I've been thinking ... and why wouldn't I congratulate you with New Year, especially because I have all possibilities in order to do that. And so ...Congratulations on this most interesting and magical holiday! I wish you, first of all, to have really decent goal that makes life worth living. And aslo I wish you to have enough power to be able to reach this goal. And, of course, good luck to achieve it.Alexey SedovP.S.I've been thinking, that much more interesting when congratulation accompanied not just with 'taken from the internet postcard' , but with something more significant. Therefore at home I recorded melody which, in my opinion, quite good suited to the occasion. Authorship and performance, made by me :)Titles: Tomorrow morningCreated: approximately 1997Author and artist: Alexey SedovTools: acoustic guitarFilesize MP3: 1,27 MBDownload music
New features:
- Physic objects were added: wind, obstacle and magnet. Wind is external power, obstacle allows to detect the collisions, magnet attracts or repulses the particles. The examples are located in file physics.ptc (folder Samples of installed program).
- Possibility of managing the events was added. For example, it is possible at the moment of particle distruction to create another particle or to destroy the particle at the moment of collision with the obstacle.
- Custom variables of the type bool, int, float and string appeared for folders, emitters and particle type. These variables are extracted with the help of API. It is possible to use the diagram as variable for emitters.
- Possibility of objects finding by name was added.
- At present the user may turn on or turn off the texture optimisation in storage.
- Square sizes may be obligitary defined for textural atlases.
- Magic Particles may be installed into separate folder. It allows not to delete previous version.
- Possibility of hiding/showing Timeline was added. Use View->Timeline.
- (API) Functions for working with Events appeared. For example, user can get the message about creation of new particle and execute some actions at this moment.
- (API) Possibility of creating, changing and deleting of physic objects directly with the help of API was added. Magic Particles uses own decision to detect collision, but there is possibility of including external physic engine.
- (API) At present user can control every particle directly changing the position, size and other properties of particle.
- (API) Functions for I/O streams were added.
- (API) Possibility of choosing the direction of axes X,Y,Z was added
- (API) Totally approximately 50 new functions were added to API, the description of which is possible to find in the file API.chm.
- (API) Number of the wrappers for fast integration of API into engines was increased. Wrappers for Mac OS, iOS, Android, Windows 8 / RT, Windows Phone 8, Cocos2dx were added.
You can download Magic Particles 2.22 here.
These games use technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about these games here.
1
Title: Building the Great Wall of China
Type: Time management
Developer: Nordcurrent
2
Title: The Curse of the Werewolves
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Nordcurrent
3
Title: KooZac
Type: Puzzle
Developer: Square Enix / Viker / SPL
4
Title: Mystery Manor: Hidden Adventure
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Like Games
5
Title: Fierce Tales: The Dog's Heart
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Blam! Games Ltd
6
Title: Royal Defense
Type: Tower Defense
Developer: Go!Games
7
Title: Lake House: Children of Silence
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Alawar Friday's Games
8
Title: Golden Trails 3: The Guardian's Creed
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Awem
9
Title: Dark Mysteries: The Soul Keeper
Type: Hidden object
Developer: cerasus.media
10
Title: Garden Rescue Christmas Edition
Type: Tower Defense
Developer: RainbowGames
11
Title: Inbetween Land
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Specialbit
12
Title: Fantasy Conflict
Type: RTS
Developer: Spellbox
13
Title: 101-in-1 Games
Type: Arcade and Action
Developer: Nordcurrent
14
Title: The Chronicles of Emerland Solitaire
Type: Hidden object
Developer: RainbowGames
15
Title: The World's Legends: Kashchey the Immortal
Type: Hidden object
Developer: DominiGames
16
Title: Resurrection, New Mexico
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Media Art
17
Title: Love Story: The Beach Cottage
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Media Art
18
Title: Crossworlds: The Flying City
Type: Hidden object
Developer: 2 Monkeys / G5 Entertainment
19
Title: Haunted Hotel 4: Charles Dexter Ward
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Specialbit
20
Title: Pride and Prejudice
Type: Hidden object
Developer: Aerohills
- Some bugs were fixed in visual editor and API.
- The wrapper for API was improved.
www.astralax.com
Cradle of Egypt. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Awem
Type: Match 3
Nemo's Secret: Vulcania. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Odian Games
Type: Hidden object
Odysseus: Long Way Home. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Rainbowgames
Type: Hidden object
In Search of the Lost Temple. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: DominiGames
Type: Hidden object
Mystery Stories: Mountains of Madness. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: cerasus.media
Type: Hidden object
New version of API works with 3D.
You can download Magic Particles 3D (Dev) here.
New features: * A new propertiy Opacity was added on Timeline. * Orientation of particle relative to its movement was added. * Orientation is made for each Particles Type separatelly. * Scene may be moved by left button mouse holding ALT. * Particles Types may be mixed while drawing. * Child particles now may move relatively to parent particles direction. * Possibility to control particle size by width and height appeared. * Editor allows to scale textures visually. * Library is compatible with editor Timeline, i.e. all actions executed in editor with the help of Timeline will be played by library. * Possibility to create TAIL from particles between 2 emitter positions appeared. * Program work on computer with 2 monitors was improved. * Possibility to estimate effective usage of textures for special effects was added. * Functions of API working with file names were changed for string format UTF8. * Functions of translating strings between UTF8 and UTF16 were added in API. * Wrapper was changed for Unicode work. * Visual editor cuts off useless places of loaded textures. * Now wrapper is able to restore lost textures in case of changing the screen mode. * Serious changes were made for textural atlas. * Wrapper was changed for usage in 2d and 3d mode. * 3D library version appeared. * About 40 new functions were added to API.
Mystery Novel release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Far Mills
Type: Hidden object
Celtic Lore: Sidhe Hills release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Aerohills
Type: Hidden object
Treasure Hunters release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Far Mills
Type: Hidden object
Letters from Nowhere 2 release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Far Mills
Type: Hidden object
Ancient Spirits: Columbus' Legacy release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: cerasus.media
Type: Hidden object
Haunted Hotel: Lonely Dream release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Specialbit Studio
Type: Hidden object
Cradle Of Rome 2 release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Awem
Type: Match 3
Tulula: Legend of a Volcano release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Alta Games
Type: Hidden object
New version works with 3D and has got timeline for control of special effects in time. Besides, this version allows to create Screensaver automatically.
Magic Particles 3D 2.0
New features:
- This version works with 3D-emitters. All forms of emitters exististng for 2D now may work in 3D. There is additional form of emitter "Model", that is possible to load from 3DS-file.
- Timeline was added. It allows to move, rotate and scale the emitter in time. The timeline is made in analogy with program Adobe AfterEffects.
- Now Screensaver may be made from emitters automatically.
- The design and possibilities of scene were improved. It is possible to scale and rotate the scene.
- A lot of new special effects are added into the program.
Vampire Saga - Pandora's Box (iPad) release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Go!Games
Type: Hidden object
Mystery of the Earl release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Aerohills
Type: Hidden object
Nemo's Secret: The Nautilus release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Odian Games
Type: Hidden object
Island: The Lost Medallion release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Specialbit Studio
Type: Hidden object
Love Story: Letters from the Past release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Media Art
Type: Hidden object
A Dwarf's Story release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Try2 Games
Type: Match 3
1001 Nights: The Adventures Of Sindbad release. This game uses technology of Magic Particles (Dev) for special effects. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Menge
Type: Hidden object
Heroes of Hellas 2: Olympia release. You can know out the details about the game here.
Developer: Jaibo Games
Type: Match 3
This is a video guide to help you with the basics of Magic Particles. You can watch it here.
New features of the editor:
- 1) Improved work with animated folders: a) Added user's icon. b) It is possible to insert the same kinds of a background, as on the usual emitter. c) Now it is possible to move animated folders on a scene and to scale them. d) Export of animated folders is improved.
- 2) Functional properties of graphics is improved: a) On the curtailed graphic was added new fields which allow to edit constant values without graphic deployment. b) The graphic in a normal kind can be stretched now on height by means of the mouse.
- 3) Now it is possible to export not compressed video with the alpha channel
- 4) Added button for deleting of all textures from particle type.
- 5) Added a field "Delete trembling (new particles are frozen for a short time)".
- 6) The program uses the CPU more economically now
- 7) The updating mechanism through the Internet is improved and possibility to accept a news was added.
- 8) Work with diagrams is altered completely - now red and grey diagrams is united (it is possible to disconnect this through program options).
- 9) By the right button on the diagram the context menu opens (if short click) . A part of buttons it is transferred to this menu. United diagrams it is possible to move horizontally or vertically.
- 10) For curves in program options now there is a factor which influences force of curvature.
- 11) Min/max dialogue is deleted now. Now this field varies directly on diagrams.Sorting of particles is transferred on the diagram "Opacity".
- 12 ) The base set of special effects is expanded.
- 13) Improved work with texture storage.
- 14) Now you can see the form of emitter on the scene visually. You can enable/disable this feature with "F9" button.
- 15) Now it is possible to reduce/increase the height of the scene due to the settings window under the scene.
Magic Particles (Dev): * 1) Added version for PowerPC. * 2) Ready version for IPhone.
This game using Magic Particles (Dev) for visual effects. You can download demo version here.
This game using Magic Particles (Dev) for visual effects. You can download demo version here.
Now you can use Magic Particles in Delphi-based projects. You can download a wrapper for Delphi here.