Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Ultimate VFX - Massive Visual Effects and Particle System Collection

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by MirzaBeig, Aug 22, 2015.

  1. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Hello Unity friends! :D

    Quick-summary of what Ultimate VFX is: Ultimate VFX (“UVFX”) is a huge collection of particle system prefabs built primarily using Unity's native Shuriken editor. You can freely tweak everything! In addition to that, it includes several custom components ("plexus", force affectors) that allow you to do more. A lot more - even on mobile!

    > If you have any questions, please don't hestitate to ask. :)

    - Asset Store Link
    - INTERACTIVE DEMOS + Documentation (scroll to the bottom of the page)

    While containing a MASSIVE number of effects unique ONLY to this package, Ultimate VFX also includes...

    - Action VFX
    - Storm VFX
    - Particle Force Fields
    - Particle Plexus


    Note: all promotional images and videos use the Post-Processing Stack and Global Fog image effect (previously included in the Standard Assets package) by Unity. If you'd like, you can simply import the following package which has both to get a similar look for the demo scenes:

    > Post-Processing Stack + Global Fog (Google Drive)

    Video showing a FRESH install on Unity 2019 LTS...




    Check out this APK of a simple interactive demo to stress test the custom components on mobile platforms (Android) - tested on a Samsung Galaxy S5:

    > DOWNLOAD APK.

    v2.6+ features over 300 UNIQUE prefabs using 200+ ULTRA HI-RES textures and spritesheets (up to 8k).


    I started working on this asset package that serves as my personal go-to solution for a variety of effects. Before starting out with Unity, I was used to programming from scratch using just OpenGL and C++, including my own rendering framework and particle systems.

    One of the first things I played with in Unity was the built-in Shuriken particle system, and ever since then I've been totally addicted.

    I'm very much inspired by effects in games like Final Fantasy (VII, VIII, X, X-2) and Kingdom Hearts (1 & 2). So you may recognize a few of the prefabs names in the package. ;)








    1.png

    16.png

    21.png

    23.png

    26.png
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2021
    Roy-Hu and Manny Calavera like this.
  2. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    I saw this months ago when it first came out. Visually, this is very nice! :)

    On a practical level, I'm trying to think of how I can use this in my game, and I'm really not sure. What stands out to me as the most useful is the atom effect, and possibly some of the cloudiness.

    I wish you luck with this. If I recall correctly, there's a HUGE difference between the way this looked in the initial version and the way it looks today. The first looked reasonably good, but this new one is very well done. :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2015
  3. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Thanks, hopeful :)

    When I first released this I put together some of the assets I had lying around from past projects. With time, I've had a chance to use this in newer games I've worked on and refine the library based on needs.

    My intention with this asset was to make a very well-rounded solution for all sorts of effects in games. The included effects are meant to show off the potential and large variety of effects that can be created, and are more complex than what you would typically use for a single instance in a practical application of the set.

    This has the advantage that you can drag prefabs that remotely resemble the sort of effect you're going for, then drag out individual systems from within their hierarchies to make the exact effect you want.

    But this is why I absolutely love it when I get requests to create/analyze specific effects from examples (either existing games or just by description) so that I can throw those in there. I'll often sit down with my favourite games and just deconstruct their effects as a learning experience.

    If I started creating every possible variation I'd never be able to stop!

    What sort of game are you working on and what are some of the effects that would be in there? I have some time this weekend to play around so this could be a good exercise for me. Also great for expanding the practical side of this asset with an actual request from another developer.
     
  4. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2014
    Posts:
    7,790
    WOW. Those examples are crazy.
    This is the kind of quality expected when you have a dedicated sfx artist on the team. Great asset.
     
  5. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    Hmm ... hard to describe what sorts of effects I'm looking for, as I'm actually fairly open at this point. But the game is a 3D adventure with characters in a realistic modern urban setting, with the ability to accept influences from science fiction and magic. So it's not hyper realistic, but it's also not low poly, anime, space battles, or heroic fantasy, etc.

    While your art style is very appealing, I'm not quite sure how to match it with my game. I'd say the atom and hazy clouds, maybe, and possibly something else here or there, like maybe the molecule type graphic and the "glamour," which could possibly be used as status indicators on a character (to show that they've been infected, or their mind is scrambled, or something like that).

    I do have your VFX marked for my wish list. I'm just going to have to figure out some ways to use them. :)
     
  6. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Thank you! In a weird twist, I'm usually the programmer first, "sound/music guy" second, and artist/designer last if there's no one else.

    I think I have a rough idea of what you're getting at. I totally understand that specific needs can be...well, specific :p
    I'm always adding new content to this pack so maybe in the future it'll have more of what you're looking for, or for a different game.

    A few of the newer prefabs I added are for "critical hits" and the like (just started on them in the last two hours).

     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
  7. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2014
    Posts:
    7,790
    Might want to rearrange your usefulness priority. Unless you are as good at programming and music as you are at fx, then I guess keep on coding. But those code bits aint as pretty. :)
     
  8. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    It probably comes from a background where I'm used to being spread thin. Later on I started working in larger, more multi-disciplinary teams and so based on my experience I was assigned as the programmer.

    For years I worked on game engines using (for the most part) OpenGL and C++ and nowadays I work full-time as a Unity game developer (where I'm mostly programming in C#). But I really love working with VFX when I have time! I was heavily into music production for some years, too, before dropping that entirely.
     
  9. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    Yeah, I'm inclined to agree you should just keep doing what you're doing, and make more of it. Beautiful stuff! :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2015
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  10. Manny Calavera

    Manny Calavera

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2011
    Posts:
    205
    The effects look great!

    As for suggestions of possible effects:
    - Dust impact, e.g like this.
    - Full screen effects (fog, snow blizzard, wind, etc) that can be applied on a single quad over the screen and animated with uv scrolling or sprite sheet. Otherwise fill rate is an issue with full screen particles.
     
  11. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    +10 motivation points =D

    This is fantastic. I appreciate the example! And you're absolutely right about the fill rate. Might be a good time to finish off an editor tool I'm working on to convert/bake Shuriken systems into spritesheets.

    It's already functional and does exactly what you'd need it to. I just need to get around to working on the key images for publishing on the asset store and take care of any minor bugs. Even then I'm still expecting to make major improvements to it after release through feedback from users (more robust features, and so on).

    By the way, I love Grim Fandango! Played it many years ago.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    theANMATOR2b and Manny Calavera like this.
  12. khos85

    khos85

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2013
    Posts:
    541
    Hi, your effects look very nice, I tried the asset store link but it did not work, could youprovide this please?
     
  13. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    That's strange! The link in my signature and the original post were the same, but only the one in my signature followed through. Thanks for catching this. I think it's fixed now.

    Here's the link: https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/26701.
     
  14. khos85

    khos85

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2013
    Posts:
    541
    No probs, thanks for the link.
     
  15. Manny Calavera

    Manny Calavera

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2011
    Posts:
    205
    Such tool has already been around for some time. What is really hard to find are seamless/loopable full screen effects for wind, blizzard, etc.
     
  16. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    I just got a chance to check it out. It's a very neat tool! The coin party example and particle lighting was creative. It seems that on Unity 5 the particle system to spritesheet conversion doesn't work right off a fresh import (although I didn't bother tweaking anything). Even so, looking through the code the method used for conversion isn't actually outdated and is somewhat similar to what I'm doing.

    Once I have access to After Effects next month I'll likely experiment between a few methods of rendering and animation within Unity for looping fullscreen particle sheets. I've got this weird idea I want to try where I animate something in Unity, render that out to a spritesheet or video, then modify it in AE, then take it back into Unity again.

    On a more or less related note, I've also been working on a library of fire-based effects derived from UVFX using my spritesheet tool and I have some screens below.














    That last one is a result of sillyness. I-- I regret nothing :)
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    Ony and Manny Calavera like this.
  17. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602



    Also seriously contemplating if I should release it as a freebie. You can see it already has 80+ prefabs (46 instances, and more in perpetual mode) built from UVFX, but using entirely new spritesheets and textures from the conversion tool. So it would be a different product entirely even though the core texture assets would be derived from UVFX.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
  18. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    I'm not sure I'm understanding the above posts, but I think it would be a fine idea to include utilities that work with VFX inside the VFX package.
     
    Ony, MirzaBeig and Manny Calavera like this.
  19. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    Hmm ... the more I look at these graphics, the more they look like they belong in my game.

    I'm just going to go ahead and buy them and hope for the best. :)
     
    Ony likes this.
  20. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Say I create some sort of effect using the assets (textures, spritesheets, scripts, etc.) in UVFX. I render that entire effect to a new spritesheet (bake the effect to a series of texture frames) using the tool I mentioned and then create an entirely new set of effects using that spritesheet. That's what my VFX Fire Pack is!

    The advantage to doing this is that I can create increasingly complex effects that have very little overdraw and low particle counts. Additionally, they'd be well suited for mobile apps where you're better off having less than a few hundred live particles on screen (for the processor, at least) vs. ultra high end desktop rigs that won't have much problem handling tens of thousands of particles blending over each other all over the screen.

    Earlier, Manny made a great point about how fullscreen effects like fog and rain using particles generally kill performance since you have several large textures blending over each other and taking up massive chunks of the screen. In this case, the drawing of the particles further from the camera is still necessary to achieve depth as the entire system is transparent.

    Baking effects to a single spritesheet and then rendering using a single quad has the advantage of alleviating some of this problem. And the challenge is getting a nice effect that loops well, but still retains that feeling of depth so it doesn't look like a fullscreen quad slapped on top.

    To really make it work, you might need some sort of simulated parallax with more than one quad. Another technique would be to have a shader that takes the depth from the camera and attenuates the transparency for parts of the fullscreen effect, making it look like it's actually part of the scene in 3D.
     
    Manny Calavera likes this.
  21. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Send me a PM. I've got a discount for you ;)
     
    theANMATOR2b likes this.
  22. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Just added some epic potential with a custom shader to highlight intersections with geometry using Shuriken. This will be part of the game I'm working on to be included in future versions demonstrating how to use UVFX in real dev. environments.


    ANIMATED GIF: http://gfycat.com/InstructiveWhimsicalGharial.

    Inspired by the neon planar intersection effect using particles from InFamous: Second Son.

     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    theANMATOR2b and Manny Calavera like this.
  23. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    BTW, I thought I'd mention that I had already bought UVFX before I received Mirza's kind note above, but I was able to use his generosity to send a copy of UVFX to a friend. :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2015
    Ony, theANMATOR2b and MirzaBeig like this.
  24. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
  25. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Added a real-time, particle-based distortion shader and some new prefabs to show it off. Also updated the demo scene to reflect how UVFX would composite into next-gen games. Going to go back and retroactively update some prefabs that would look good with the new effect(s)!

    The effect below is also using a custom shader to both render the smoke, as well as the turbulence.



    And another screen from yesterday...for fun:


    This is all coming out in the next update!
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    Ony and Manny Calavera like this.
  26. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    Looking good! :)
     
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  27. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602


    INFERNO - AAA title xXMLG360NOSCOPEXx multi-million dollar budget edition.
    Suitable for Call of Duty 12, Crysis 4, and Final Fantasy MMMMCMXCIX. Or your next game ;)


    ^Since fire is popular. I added this effect which demonstrates how to use UVFX for flamethrower, lava field, and ring of fire effects...in the same prefab. Also putting that distortion shader to good use!

    With "advanced rendering" off, it's better suited for low-end machines (including mobile). I did manage to build and run UVFX for Android running on my Galaxy S5.


    INFERNO - circa 1998.

    After compressing the textures to half their resolution or less (native resolution is mostly 4096^2) from within Unity's importer, performance was satisfactory. Most of these prefabs have a lot of large, screen-hogging textures, so that would need to be optimized. But the instantiated effects that didn't have those worked well!

    As it turns out, the new particle water effect looks amazing. The advantage here is that you can have realistic looking water and control it's flow. I'll be experimenting more with that later.



     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    hopeful likes this.
  28. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Just putting the final touches on the next major release!




    UVFX will likely get a price hike to $25 - $35, but I'm not sure about the release of VFX Fire Pack.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    Ony and hopeful like this.
  29. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    What's in the Fire pack compared to the Ultimate?
     
  30. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    The fire pack is an entirely different asset. It doesn't share textures from UVFX but was (mostly) created from Shuriken particle system animations that were built from UVFX and baked into spritesheets using the tool mentioned a while back.

    It doesn't hold up to UVFX, so it'll either be really cheap, or maybe even free.

    The next release will be built with Unity 5.2, so that's the recommended version to have running.

    v1.5 of UVFX has much better fire systems entirely which you can try out using the same demo link in the first post. Blood and liquid effects are a new addition to the instantiable set as well. The newest textures also have a massive 8192x8192 pixel resolution (the maximum Unity supports). You can always change the import options when building for mobile.

    × ❰❰ INTERACTIVE WEBPLAYER DEMO ❱❱ ×
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2015
  31. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    So the new fire pack is mainly old fire effects from UVFX?

    The new fire FX in UVFX are ... hot. :)
     
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  32. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Not quite! Similar to the earlier screenshot, say I create a fire effect using UVFX.



    Above you'll see one of the prefabs, and to the right is the tool I made with the prefab selected.


    This is a different screen, but it shows how that once I have an effect ready, I can bake it into a spritesheet. In this screen you can see the 8x8 (64 frame) spritesheet overlayed on the top left.

    I can then use the spritesheet to create completely new effects that are actually more optimized than the original because it has multiple systems and textures baked into every single frame. It's especially handy for mobile.


    Like this (from VFX Fire Pack).

    So technically speaking, UVFX has the superior fire effects on all counts, and far more potential. But VFX Fire Pack is still useful for many types of effects since it uses different textures.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    Ony and hopeful like this.
  33. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    UPDATE VIDEO!

    Showing off some of the new effects. I'll be submitting this to the store tomorrow, so it should be available by the end of the week. This time, I've included all the post-effects in the package so you'll get exactly what you see here.

    With all the new additions, the *.unitypackage is now around 850mb, possibly making this one of the (if not THE) biggest particle systems package on the entire store. ;)

     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2015
  34. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    Wow, that IS big! That's because a lot of the textures are at very high resolution, right?

    Looking forward to it! :)
     
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  35. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Yeah, the newest textures are 8192x8192. For the 8x8 spritesheets, that's 1024 per frame! The upload is complete, so all that's left is to wait for an approval. ;)
     
  36. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    UVFX 1.5.0 is on the asset store! :D

    This version has image effects from the demo included, as well as 8 custom [optional] particle shaders for things like distortion, cutoff, etc., and one full screen effect.

    https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/26701


    To make sure you get the the latest version, please download with Unity 5.2.0 or higher.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2016
    Manny Calavera, hopeful and Ony like this.
  37. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    I'm back! :)

    I'm excited to say that UVFX will be part of an upcoming sale by Unity THIS weekend (45% off).

    I also have some new effects to show off that will be part of a FREE asset release next week (I'm currently uploading the package). I've already posted several screens for this same asset earlier, but here are some new ones (made entirely within Unity as always):























    The reason this asset is free is because it originally started out as an experiment for the Shuriken->spritesheet conversion tool I mentioned earlier in this thread. I haven't put nearly as much effort into it as UVFX, but it's still a high-quality asset that I feel is worth sharing.
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2015
    Ony, montyfi and Manny Calavera like this.
  38. hopeful

    hopeful

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Posts:
    5,676
    Looks beautiful!

    I think your sale is going to go pretty well. And at least one person is going to ask why the download is so big. ;)
     
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  39. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Thanks! I'm looking forward to answering a question like that. :)
     
  40. montyfi

    montyfi

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2012
    Posts:
    548
    Looks pretty cool, will definitely buy it this weekend!
     
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  41. NalleDer

    NalleDer

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2014
    Posts:
    3
    Hi there. The effects look really good!

    Does the pack include the export to sprite sheet tool?
     
  42. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    I haven't gotten around to finishing up with that tool, so it's not included in this asset unfortunately.
     
  43. Bathofblood

    Bathofblood

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2015
    Posts:
    7
    This one look amazing !

    Compatible with Unity 5.1.1 ??
    did it work well for 2d sprite games ??


    i need this small answers before buying it
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2015
  44. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Hey there! Are you the same person who emailed me?

    Here's what I wrote:

    ----

    Yes, it's fully compatible with 5.1.1, however, to get the latest version using the Asset Store I suggest you upgrade to at least 5.2.0.

    Alternatively, you can buy the asset and send me your invoice number as proof of purchase, and I can provide you with a direct link to download the latest .unitypackage you can use with 5.1.1.

    ---

    To clarify why this is: as I've been updating this asset, I've been uploading using the version of Unity I had at the time. However, all *.unitypackages made with 5.x are backwards compatible for minor versions, and I have a direct link available for buyers for this exact purpose.

    You shouldn't have any issues making 2D effects with this asset. :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2015
  45. NalleDer

    NalleDer

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2014
    Posts:
    3
    Any chance it will be included in the near future, or getting it in its current state along with a purchase?

    I think the effects look great but the export tool along with importing the result to build more and more complex effects is what really piqued my interest!
     
    MirzaBeig likes this.
  46. dayero

    dayero

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2014
    Posts:
    45
    I second that question :)
     
  47. Firlefanz73

    Firlefanz73

    Joined:
    Apr 2, 2015
    Posts:
    1,314
    Hello,

    I just purchased your package and watched the demo. Looks great!

    I am working on a sandbox / rpg crossover game. Do you have any additional particle for digging / mining / cutting trees maybe ? :)

    Thanks a lot and have a nice Weekend!
     
  48. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Seems like people are interested in this, so it's something I'm seriously considering now. But I'm still waiting on Unity 5.3 (to be released December 8th) since it includes a major update to the current particle system. I'll need someone to remind me to start working on the spritesheet tool after that!
     
  49. MirzaBeig

    MirzaBeig

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2014
    Posts:
    602
    Thanks for purchasing UVFX! :)

    It's definitely possible to create effects like those with the package. Can you link me to some reference screens/videos so I can get an idea of what you're trying to create? Videos and animated graphics are best. I can try whip up some prefabs for you and send them your way as a *.unitypackage "expansion" for UVFX.
     
  50. Firlefanz73

    Firlefanz73

    Joined:
    Apr 2, 2015
    Posts:
    1,314
    That would be totally great, thanks a lot!
    We try to make it a bit realistic but more colorful looking.

    We just bought the UMA RPG starter set with UMA costumes and here is how our game "Biotopia3D" is looking right now:

    Screens: http://magicstorm.de/?E[game]=23&E[lang]=0
    Clips: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvBf9rb_dZ6Nt-AtxAuwh-bThLLGUSn6z

    I am sure your effects will perfectly fit for all kinds of Magic and Strange Things somewhere in the land we Need, all fire and torch stuff, etc. :)
    Now I only Need something for digging, mining, cutting. My own particle attempts look bad ;-)

    Thanks!