particle systems with bullet?

[vexator]

i want to add particle systems to my game engine. i already use bullet for physics simulation so it would be nice if i could also use it to simulate particle effects.

- is bullet qualified for this?
- if yes, what would be the most efficient way to do it in bullet?
- are there maybe even demos yet?

thanks!

[Erwin Coumans]

It would be possible to combine or contribute a particle system with Bullet. Not sure if anyone has tried this before.

Did you do any research into existing particle system libraries, preferably under the Zlib license (or MIT, BSD)?

What features and interaction/collision detection are you looking for?
Thanks,
Erwin

[vexator]

yes i have but i'd like to keep dependencies to a minimum. plus i need bullet anyway to check for collisions between particles and the world. i do not need complex particle systems, just simple effects like explosions, smoke trails etc.

[Oogst]

Bullet would only be of help with particle systems if you were really doing physics on them, like forces or collisions.

However, most games do not do that at all. Most games do not do particle collisions (although on multicore it is becoming more mainstream these days). The most interesting aspects of particles are more in the field of texture transitions, spawning patterns, modifiablity by artists, rendering efficiency. These are all things where Bullet is of no help at all, I think.

[Erwin Coumans]

Bullet would only be of help with particle systems if you were really doing physics on them, like forces or collisions.

Providing collision detection for particle systems is a good use of Bullet. It can and will be done sooner or later, it is just a matter of priorities. If there is a contribution or integration with a good particle system (preferably under the Zlib license) it will likely be accepted.

Hope this helps,
Erwin