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EssentialAlso in ProGPU

TMCParticle

A lightweight plugin for many kinds of particles

A 3D particle system that emits everything from sprites to FBX 3D models. You can also draw your own path and have the particles flow along it.

Buy Essential · $99 Buy Pro · $199 How to use
Effect menu
Effect › TMC › TMC Particle
Acceleration
GPU + CPU
Color depth
8 · 16 · 32 bpc
Multi-Frame Rendering
Supported
Parameters
291

Key features

01

Particles that flow along a path

Drag anchors in the Composition panel to build a 3D path, and Shift-drag or Alt-drag (Option-drag on Mac) to add depth. Flow Speed, Trim Start, Trim End, and Loop Mode control the flow, with no rig layers or expressions.

02

6 presets, 10 particle shapes

Start from the Smoke, Embers, Snow, Confetti, Dust, or Sparks preset in Apply Look, then pick from 10 shapes: Circle, Square, Star, Sprite 2D, Sprite 3D, Paper, 3D Model, Glow, Ring, and Polygon.

03

FBX · OBJ 3D models

FBX and OBJ files are stored inside the project file, so they stay intact even if the originals are moved or deleted, and nothing is read from disk during rendering. Toon (Cel) style and outlines are also supported.

04

Particles that react to audio

Audio Reactive splits an audio layer into 6 bands and links them to emission rate, size, speed, and hue individually.

05

See the result anywhere on the timeline

The simulation doesn't keep state between frames, so you can jump to any point on the timeline and see the result right away, with nothing to pre-calculate.

Quick start

Follow these steps in order the first time.

  1. Apply Effect › TMC › TMC Particle to a new solid.
  2. Start from a preset such as Snow, Confetti, or Sparks in Apply Look.
  3. In Emitter, choose the emitter shape with Emitter Type (Point, Box, Sphere, Grid, Layer, Mask Path), set its location with Position, and set the amount with Emit Per Sec.
  4. In Particle, choose the shape, size, and lifespan, and draw how size, opacity, and color change over time with Size over Life, Opacity over Life, and Color over Life.
  5. When you move the 3D camera, the particles move in 3D space as well. Add more motion with Physics, Deform, and Force Fields if needed.

Parameter guide

Listed in the same order as the Effect Controls panel.

Effect Controls · TMC ParticleClick a group to expand it
Basic parameters1
Apply Look
Pop-up menu that sets many parameters at once to match the chosen look (six looks: Smoke, Embers, Snow, Confetti, Dust, Sparks; Custom leaves the current values as they are)
6 presets
Emitter31
Emit Per Sec
Number of new particles born per second
Emitter Type
PointBoxSphereGridLayerMask Path
Position
Center position of the emitter the particles come from (X, Y, Z; starts at the layer center)
Size X
X size of the Box, Sphere, or Grid emitter
Size Y
Y size of the Box, Sphere, or Grid emitter
Size Z
Z size of the Box, Sphere, or Grid emitter
Rotation X
Rotation around the X axis
Rotation Y
Rotation around the Y axis
Rotation Z
Rotation around the Z axis
Grid Count X
Number of grid cells along X for the Grid emitter
Grid Count Y
Number of grid cells along Y for the Grid emitter
Grid Count Z
Number of grid cells along Z for the Grid emitter
Direction
UniformDirectionalAlong PathPath Normal
Direction Input
Pop-up menu that chooses whether the direction is given as an angle or a legacy vector
AngleVector (Legacy)
Direction Angle
Direction angle on the screen plane (0° points up)
Direction Tilt
Tilt of the direction into or out of the screen (-90° to 90°; + points away from the viewer)
Direction X
X component of the direction vector used when Direction Input is Vector (Legacy)
Direction Y
Y component of the direction vector used when Direction Input is Vector (Legacy)
Direction Z
Z component of the direction vector used when Direction Input is Vector (Legacy)
Direction Spread [%]
How widely particles spread around the set direction
Velocity [/Sec]
Distance traveled per second at birth
Velocity Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in initial velocity
Random Seed
Changes the random pattern. The same value always gives the same result.
Emit Layer
Source layer the Layer emitter emits particles from
Alpha Threshold [%]
Alpha cutoff: no particles are born from pixels more transparent than this
Inherit Layer Color
Fit To Layer
Whether the Layer emitter's area follows the Emit Layer's size (when off, Size X and Size Y set it)
Alpha Over Time
Rate x Coverage
Whether the emission rate scales with how much of the Emit Layer is opaque (emission ramps up as a mask opens)
Coverage Reference [%]
Opaque coverage at which the full Emit Per Sec rate is reached (when Rate x Coverage is on)
Mask Index
Which mask the Mask Path emitter uses, by number (0 = all masks)
Path Motion16
Flow Along Path
Whether particles flow along the path
Source
Whether to take the path from an AE mask or use the plugin's own 3D path
AE MaskCustom 3D Path
Path
Button (Import from Mask) that copies the layer's mask shapes into the Custom 3D Path
Orient to Path
Whether particles rotate to face their direction of travel along the path
Flow Speed [%/Sec]
Percentage of the path traveled per second
Flow Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in travel speed
Phase [%]
Start Order
How starting points along the path are assigned
RandomEvenFrom Start
Start Spread [%]
Range over which the starting points spread
Trim Start [%]
Percentage of the path trimmed off the start
Trim End [%]
Percentage of the path trimmed off the end
Loop Mode
What happens when a particle reaches the end of the path
OnceLoopPing-Pong
Lateral Offset [px]
Distance particles are offset sideways from the path
Lateral Random [px]
Random per-particle variation in sideways offset
Path Influence [%]
Balance between following physics/wind and following the path
Close Loop (join end to start)
Whether to join the path's end point to its start to make a closed loop
Path Motion › Path Editing (edit in comp)4
Edit Path
Number of the path to edit in the Composition panel (the control's name shows the available range as (1-N))
Edit Anchor
Number of the anchor point to edit (the control's name shows the range as (1-N))
Anchor Z [px]
Depth of the selected anchor (px)
Depth Scale [%]
Multiplier applied to every anchor's Z (at 0 the path becomes completely flat)
World Transform6
Position X
Position Y
Position Z
Rotation X
Rotation around the X axis
Rotation Y
Rotation around the Y axis
Rotation Z
Rotation around the Z axis
Particle41
Particle Type
What a single particle looks like
CircleSquareStarSprite 2DSprite 3DPaper3D ModelGlowRingPolygon
Circle Feather [%]
Life [Sec]
How long each particle lives
Life Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in lifespan
Size
Size Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in size
Polygon Sides
Number of sides on polygon particles
Ring Thickness [%]
Aspect Ratio (W:H)
Aspect Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in aspect ratio
Size over Life
Curve that changes size over the particle's life
Size over Life Preset
Preset that picks the shape of the size-over-life curve
8 presets
Rotation X
Rotation around the X axis
Rotation X Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in X rotation at birth
Rotation Y
Rotation around the Y axis
Rotation Y Random [%]
Random variation in Y rotation at birth
Rotation
Rotation Random [%]
Random variation in rotation angle at birth
Spin Speed [deg/Sec]
Degrees per second a particle spins on its own
Spin Speed Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in spin speed
Spin Speed X [deg/Sec]
Spin speed around the X axis
Spin Speed Y [deg/Sec]
Spin speed around the Y axis
Opacity [%]
Opacity Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in opacity
Opacity over Life
Curve that changes opacity over the particle's life
Opacity over Life Preset
Preset for the opacity-over-life curve
8 presets
Color
Color Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in color
Color over Life
Gradient that changes color over the particle's life
Color over Life Preset
Palette preset for the color-over-life gradient
12 presets
Cycle Repetitions
Sets how many times the gradient repeats.
Phase
The angle that shifts the repeating gradient (360 degrees = one full cycle)
Sprite Tint [%]
How much of the particle color is mixed into the sprite image
Blend Mode
How the effect is blended with the original
NormalAddScreen
Size over Life Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in the size-over-life curve
Opacity over Life Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in the opacity-over-life curve
Over Life Random Mode
Whether the two randomizations above are picked once at birth or keep varying over time
At BirthOver Time
Size over Life Loop
Size over Life Random Phase
Whether each particle starts the size-over-life curve at a random point (so they don't all blink in unison)
Opacity over Life Loop
Opacity over Life Random Phase
Whether each particle starts the opacity-over-life curve at a random point (so they don't all blink in unison)
Particle › Sprite Texture5
Count
Number of texture slots (Texture 1–8) to use
12345678
Usage
How the textures are used (currently Single only)
Single
Layer
Time Type
Which point in time of the texture layer to take frames from
Current TimeCurrent Time FreezeStart at Birth - Play OnceStart at Birth - LoopStart at Birth - StretchRandom - Still FrameRandom - Play OnceRandom - Loop
Sub-Frame Time Sample
Whether to blend neighboring frames of the texture layer so its animation doesn't step frame by frame
Paper Options › Sheet Motion14
Enable
Whether to add fluttering, rocking falling-paper motion when Particle Type is Paper
Flutter Amp [px]
Flutter Freq [Hz]
Rock [deg]
Angle the sheet rocks from side to side
Tumble [deg/s]
Degrees per second the sheet tumbles over in the air
Tumble Rand [%]
Random per-sheet variation in tumble speed
Tumble Fraction [%]
Percentage of all sheets that actually tumble
Curl [px]
How much the paper curls inward
Curl Random [%]
Random per-sheet variation in curl amount
Curl Segments
Number of segments used to draw curled paper
Curl Angle
Angle of the curl direction
Curl Angle Random [%]
Random per-sheet variation in curl direction
Curl Wave [%]
How much the curl rises and falls like a wave
Curl Wave Speed [Hz]
Paper Options › Paper Lighting6
Light Angle
The direction the light comes from
Light Pitch [%]
Whether the light comes from the camera side (+) or from behind (-) (at 0 it grazes from the side, making the curves look deepest)
Light Intensity [%]
Ambient [%]
Base brightness that lights everything regardless of direction
Two-Sided
Whether the back of the sheet is lit as well (thin paper lit on both faces)
Back Face
Image layer for the back side (if left empty, the front is drawn on both sides)
3D Model21
Model
Button (Load .fbx / .obj...) that loads an .fbx or .obj model file into the slot (one per Model 1–4 slot)
Clear
Button that removes the loaded model from the slot
Texture Source
Where the texture applied to the model comes from
Auto (File)AE LayerFlat Color
Texture Layer
Layer applied to the model when Texture Source is AE Layer
Model Assignment
Which of the four model slots each particle uses
First LoadedRandomCycle (by ID)
Model Scale [%]
Shading
How light is applied to the model
Off (Unlit)Manual LightComp Lights
Light Angle [deg]
Angle around the screen from which the manual light shines
Light Pitch
Whether the manual light comes from the camera side (+) or from behind (-) (-1 to 1; at 0 it grazes from the side)
Light Intensity [%]
Ambient [%]
Base brightness that lights everything regardless of direction
Specular [%]
Strength of the highlights on smooth surfaces
Gloss
How narrow and sharp the highlights get
Two-Sided
Whether back faces of the model are lit as well (when on, Backface Cull doesn't apply)
Backface Cull
Whether to skip faces pointing away from the camera so the inside doesn't show through (only when Two-Sided is off)
Style
SmoothToon (Cel)
Toon Steps
Number of steps the shading is split into
Toon Softness [%]
Outline
Whether to draw an outline around the model
Outline Width [% of size]
Line width as a proportion of particle size
Outline Color
Color of the outline
Physics5
Gravity
Air Resistance
Force that slows particles in proportion to their speed
Wind X
Strength of the wind blowing along X
Wind Y
Strength of the wind blowing along Y
Wind Z
Strength of the wind blowing along Z
Deform › Turbulent Noise13
Turbulent: Enable
Whether to use turbulent noise that jiggles particle position and size
Turbulent: Affect Size
How much the noise affects size
Turbulent: Affect Position
How much the noise affects position
Turbulent: Fade-in [Sec]
Time after birth over which the noise gradually takes effect
Turbulent: Scale
Turbulent: Complexity
Turbulent: Octave Multiplier
Value the strength is multiplied by at each higher octave
Turbulent: Octave Scale
Value the pattern size is multiplied by at each higher octave
Turbulent: Evolution Speed
Turbulent: Evolution Offset
Starting point of the evolution phase
Turbulent: X Offset
X shift of the noise pattern
Turbulent: Y Offset
Y shift of the noise pattern
Turbulent: Z Offset
Z shift of the noise pattern
Deform › Orbit4
Orbit: Enable
Whether to use an orbital motion that makes particles move in circles
Orbit: Amplitude
Orbit: Frequency
Orbit: Fade-in [Sec]
Time after birth over which the orbital motion gradually takes effect
Deform › Spherical7
Spherical: Enable
Whether to use a sphere-shaped zone that pushes particles out or pulls them in
Spherical: Strength [%]
How strongly the sphere pushes particles out (negative values pull them in)
Spherical: Position X
X coordinate of the sphere's center
Spherical: Position Y
Y coordinate of the sphere's center
Spherical: Position Z
Z coordinate of the sphere's center
Spherical: Radius
Radius of the sphere
Spherical: Feather [%]
Force Fields9
Enable Force Fields
Whether to use Force Zones 1–3 (attract, repel, vortex, and wind zones)
Type
OffAttractorRepellerVortexWind
Position
Center coordinates of the force zone
Strength [%]
Radius [px]
Distance the force zone reaches
Falloff [%]
Direction X
X component of the Vortex axis or the Wind push direction
Direction Y
Y component of the Vortex axis or the Wind push direction
Direction Z
Z component of the Vortex axis or the Wind push direction
Bounce4
Enable
Whether particles bounce off a floor at the Floor Y height
Floor Y
Y height of the floor plane
Restitution [%]
Percentage of velocity kept after a bounce
Friction [%]
Percentage of horizontal velocity lost to friction against the floor
Trail16
Enable
Whether to draw a trail behind each particle
Trail Type
Whether the trail follows the path already traveled or is stretched along the velocity direction
Path TrailVelocity Stretch
Hide Head
Whether to hide the particle at the head and show only the trail
Length [Sec]
Length of time the trail covers
Velocity Scale
Multiplier applied to velocity in Velocity Stretch mode
Samples
Number of points used to draw the trail
Width Start [%]
Trail width at the head
Width End [%]
Width at the end of the trail
Width over Trail
Curve for how the width changes from the head to the end
Opacity Start [%]
Trail opacity at the head
Opacity End [%]
Opacity at the end of the trail
Opacity over Trail
Curve for how the opacity changes from the head to the end
Color Mode
InheritCustom
Trail Color
Separate color used for the trail
Trail Color Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in trail color
Trail Blend Mode
InheritNormalAddScreen
Child Particle System22
Mode
NoneOn Birth
Emit Probability [%]
Ratio applied to the child count (children per parent = Emit Per Sec × this value)
Emit Per Sec
Number of child particles each parent releases at once when it is born (up to 64 per parent)
Start From Main Life [%]
Point in the parent's life where child emission starts (not used in the current On Birth mode)
End From Main Life [%]
Point in the parent's life where child emission stops (not used in the current On Birth mode)
Velocity [/Sec]
Distance traveled per second at birth
Velocity Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in initial velocity
Direction Spread [%]
Range of directions the children spread in (in the current version they spread in all directions regardless of this value)
Life [Sec]
How long each particle lives
Life Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in lifespan
Size
Size Random [%]
Random per-particle variation in size
Opacity [%]
Color Mode
InheritCustom
Child Color
Color used for child particles when Color Mode is Custom
Texture
Whether children inherit the parent's texture or are drawn in a flat color
Inherit ParentFlat Colour
Size over Life
Curve that changes size over the particle's life
Size over Life Preset
Preset that picks the shape of the size-over-life curve
8 presets
Opacity over Life
Curve that changes opacity over the particle's life
Opacity over Life Preset
Preset for the opacity-over-life curve
8 presets
Hue Variation [%]
Brightness Variation [%]
Lighting & Shadow8
Shading
Particle shading (Off: no shading / Lambert: diffuse and ambient shading from the composition's lights)
OffLambert
Ambient [%]
Base brightness that lights everything regardless of direction
Diffuse [%]
Strength of the diffuse light that depends on the light direction
Shadow
OffOn
Shadow Color
Shadow Opacity [%]
Shadow Distance
Shadow Blur
Radius used to soften shadow edges
Depth Fade & Fog9
Far Vanish
Distance beyond which particles disappear completely
Far Start Fade
Distance at which particles start to fade as they get farther away
Near Start Fade
Distance at which particles start to fade as they get closer
Near Vanish
Distance within which particles disappear completely
Near/Far Curve
Shape of the fade curve
LinearSmooth
Fog Color
Fog Density [%]
Maximum amount of fog mixed in
Fog Near
Fog Far
Layer Occlusion12
Enable Occlusion
Whether the chosen layers hide the particles behind them
Count
Number of occluder layers to use (Layer 1–5)
12345
Layer 1
First layer used as an occluder
Layer 2
Second layer used as an occluder
Layer 3
Third layer used as an occluder
Layer 4
Fourth layer used as an occluder
Layer 5
Fifth layer used as an occluder
Feather [px]
Offset [px]
Z Tolerance [%]
Depth tolerance: particles aren't hidden until their depth differs from the occluder by this much
View Layer as Silhouette
Whether to show the occluder layers as silhouettes (for checking where the occlusion cuts)
Invert Mask
Flips the inside and outside of the mask to switch where the effect applies.
Audio Reactive13
Enable Audio Reactive
Whether particles react to the loudness of the Audio Layer
Audio Layer
Emit Rate: Boost [%]
How much to boost the emission rate when the sound is loud
Emit Rate: Band
Which frequency band's volume to use
Full (RMS)BassLow-MidMidHigh-MidTreble
Size: Band
Frequency band that modulates size
Size: Boost [%]
How much to boost size when the sound is loud
Velocity: Band
Frequency band that modulates velocity
Velocity: Boost [%]
How much to boost velocity when the sound is loud
Hue: Band
Frequency band that modulates hue
Hue: Shift [deg]
Angle the hue rotates when the sound is loud
Audio Duration [ms]
Audio Offset [ms]
Audio Decay [ms]
Time the value takes to follow the volume back down
Time & Render › Time Control5
Time Mode
How time flows
NormalSpeedReverseFreezePing-Pong
Time Offset [Sec]
Speed [%]
Rate at which time flows
Freeze At [Sec]
Time at which to freeze
Ping-Pong Period [Sec]
Time for one back-and-forth cycle
Time & Render › Motion Blur4
Enable Motion Blur
Whether to apply motion blur to the particles
Shutter Angle [deg]
Shutter Samples
Number of samples blended into each frame
Shutter Phase [%]
Time & Render › Depth of Field5
Enable Depth of Field
Whether to blur particles away from the distance set by Focus Distance [px]
Focus Distance [px]
Focus Range [px]
Depth range treated as in focus
Blur Amount [px]
How much particles blur when out of focus
Max Blur [px]
Upper limit of the blur
Time & Render › Output5
Render Pass
Pass to output (Beauty is the normal result; Depth, Age, Velocity, and ID are auxiliary passes for compositing)
BeautyDepthAgeVelocityID
Depth: Near (white)
Distance rendered as white in the depth pass
Depth: Far (black)
Distance rendered as black in the depth pass
Velocity: Scale [px/frame]
Multiplier applied to the velocity pass
Velocity: Smoothing [frames]
Number of frames over which the velocity pass is smoothed
Time & Render › System5
Pre Run [Sec]
Time the simulation runs in advance so particles are already in flight at 0 seconds
Time Scale
Time multiplier for the simulation steps
Anti-aliasing
Reduces jagged edges. Raise it for the final render.
Off2x3x4x
Use Composition Camera
Composite Original
NoneBelowAbove

Practical tips

  • If the particles need a path to flow along, turn on Flow Along Path in Path Motion and draw the path yourself in the Composition panel.
  • For paper petals that flip over as they fall, set Particle Type to Paper, turn on Enable in Paper Options › Sheet Motion, and adjust the Flutter Amp, Flutter Freq, Rock, Tumble, and Curl values.
  • If you need sources for compositing, you can render Depth, Age, Velocity, and ID passes with Render Pass in Time & Render › Output and hand them off for post-processing.
  • If particles need to go behind a layer, assign up to 5 occluding layers in Layer Occlusion.

Where to use it

  • Petals and confetti scattering in the chorus
  • Sparks and dust bursting on the beat
  • Light particles circling a character along a path

Pairs well with

TMC Light RaysEssential

Add rays of light through the particles for a stronger sense of space.

TMC GlowEssential

Put Glow on a Sparks or Embers look and the particles give off light.

TMC 3DStrokePro

Move 3DStroke's path lines and Particle's particles with the same camera to build a single scene.

Technical notes

  • Reads the comp's 3D camera and comp lights directly. Supports the 4-view layout in the Composition panel, and the cache updates when you edit a light.
  • Uses OpenCL and Metal acceleration for additive-blend sprites, 3D model triangle rasterization, and the downsample path, and switches to the CPU automatically where they aren't available.
  • Trajectories are calculated analytically with no stored state, so results are the same under Multi-Frame Rendering, scrubbing, and reverse playback.

Included in both Essential and Pro

Start with Essential for $99, or get all 25 with Pro for $199.

Buy Essential · $99 Buy Pro · $199