Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 10

Chapter 17

Particle Systems and Stream Output

In this chapter, we concern ourselves with the task of modeling a collection of particles (usually small) that all behave in a similar yet somewhat random manner; we call such a collection of particles a particle system. Particle systems can be used to simulate a wide range of phenomena such as fire, rain, smoke, explosions, sprinklers, magic spell effects, and projectiles.

Objectives:

    To learn how to store and render particles efficiently using the geometry shader and stream output functionality.

    To find out how we can make our particles move in a physically realistic way using basic physics ...