Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago

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This vfx particle video tutorial shows you how to create debris/rubble for explosions, impacts, hits etc. in GameMaker with just a few mouse clicks.

The idea is quite easy. You need to create a new Particle System asset and customize it so that you have a burst of particles in a parabollic movement. To do that you need to set the direction of the burst in an upwards arch (here between 20 to 160), give it a random size, add some gravity, apply a sprite of choise or use the pixel/disk shape and give it variable speed values to look organic. This video shows you additionally a dummy emitter as a reference, so you can get a feeling how the particle should like in comparison. Not necessary but a neat trick for fine tuning. Optionally you can increment the orientation, so that you have a spin in it. That's it

Tldr: - vfx for the win

Note: This only works with the latest update 2023.2 (dropped yesterday) and upwards!

Short quick and dirty video on the new Particle System:
youtu.be/IYbxOmnmCwU

Long video on the new Particle System:
youtu.be/KB2BOymdTwI


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CHAPTERS
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0:00 What we will do, add debris/rubbel to the explosion image
0:37 Subscribe
0:50 How it works
2:15 Create a new particle System asset
2:25 Create a dummy emitter for comparison
3:57 Create the real debris/rubbel particle
2:13 Edit the values inside the Particle System's Emitter
4:10 Set the debris/rubbel to a disk shape
4:15 Set the emitter for one time burst and reset the emit area
4:40 Reset the size of the particle
5:00 Set to 40 particles per burst
5:10 Give the particles gravity to fly parabollic
5:24 Extent the duration of each particle's life
5:46 Give each particle an organic random speed value
6:02 Set the direction in a wide cone shape
6:32 Set the alpha of the third color to 0, this makes them fade out in the end
7:10 Create a new particle system during runtime and place it
8:28 Delete the reference dummy emitter
8:50 Set the colors of the particles to match the levels colors/ground colors