Decision framework for particle system projects. Routes to specialized particle skills (gpu, physics, lifecycle) based on task requirements. Use when building particle effects or needing guidance on which particle techniques to combine.
npxskills add tanepiper/teskooano--skill particles-routerLoading…
Routes to 3 specialized particle system skills based on task requirements.
| Task Type | Skill | Primary Signal Words |
|---|---|---|
| Rendering | particles-gpu | points, instanced, buffer, shader, thousands, performance |
| Motion | particles-physics | gravity, wind, attract, force, velocity, turbulence, collision |
| Spawning | particles-lifecycle | emit, spawn, fade, trail, pool, birth, death, age |
When multiple signals present, resolve by priority:
particles-gpu firstparticles-physicsparticles-lifecycleparticles-gpu → Buffer setup, shader rendering
particles-physics → Gravity, basic motion
particles-lifecycle → Emission, fade out
Wiring: GPU provides rendering foundation, lifecycle handles spawning/death, physics adds motion.
particles-gpu → Points with texture
particles-physics → Gravity, wind, turbulence
particles-lifecycle → Continuous emission, recycling
Wiring: Lifecycle emits continuously, physics handles falling + drift, GPU renders efficiently.
particles-gpu → Instanced or points rendering
particles-physics → Radial velocity, drag
particles-lifecycle → Burst emission, fade + shrink
Wiring: Lifecycle bursts particles, physics applies outward force + slowdown, GPU handles scale.
particles-gpu → Custom shader with noise
particles-physics → Upward force, turbulence
particles-lifecycle → Continuous emit, color gradient, size over life
Wiring: Lifecycle manages color/size curves, physics adds flicker motion, GPU renders with blend modes.
particles-gpu → Instanced mesh (if 3D shapes)
particles-physics → Attractors, flow fields, separation
particles-lifecycle → (Optional) Population management
Wiring: Physics dominates with behavioral forces, GPU handles rendering.
particles-gpu → Points with glow shader
particles-physics → Follow path, slight randomness
particles-lifecycle → Trail history, fade along length
Wiring: Lifecycle stores position history, GPU renders with alpha gradient.
particles-gpu → Instanced flat planes
particles-physics → Gravity, tumbling rotation, air resistance
particles-lifecycle → Burst emission, ground collision death
Wiring: Physics handles realistic falling, lifecycle manages burst and cleanup.
| Effect Type | GPU Focus | Physics Focus | Lifecycle Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars/sparkle | Points, static | Minimal | Twinkle (alpha) |
| Snow/rain | Points, texture | Gravity, wind | Continuous, recycle |
| Fire | Shader, blend | Upward, turbulence | Color/size curves |
| Explosion | High count | Radial, drag | Burst, fade |
| Smoke | Soft shader | Rise, curl | Slow fade, grow |
| Swarm | Instanced | Attractors, fields | Spawn/death |
| Trail | Line or points | Path following | Position history |
| Dust | Small points |
| Count | Approach | Skills Priority |
|---|---|---|
| < 100 | Simple, any approach | lifecycle > physics > gpu |
| 100 - 1,000 | Points or instanced | All equal |
| 1,000 - 10,000 | GPU-focused | gpu > physics > lifecycle |
| 10,000 - 100,000 | GPU essential | gpu >> physics (shader) > lifecycle |
| > 100,000 | Full GPU/compute | gpu only, physics in shader |
particles-gpu (rendering foundation)
├── particles-physics (motion layer)
└── particles-lifecycle (management layer)
particles-gpu is always needed for renderingparticles-physics and particles-lifecycle are independent but complementaryparticles-gpu optimizationparticles-physicsparticles-lifecycleUser Request
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Rendering particles? │──Yes──▶ particles-gpu (always)
└─────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Movement/forces needed? │──Yes──▶ + particles-physics
└─────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Birth/death/emission? │──Yes──▶ + particles-lifecycle
└─────────────────────────┘
│
▼
Most effects need all 3 skills
| Effect | Start With |
|---|---|
| Ambient dust | gpu (points) + lifecycle (continuous) |
| Button sparkle | gpu (points) + lifecycle (burst, fade) |
| Character trail | gpu + lifecycle (trail) |
| Weather | All three |
| Magic spell | All three |
| Data visualization | gpu + lifecycle |
| Combined With | Use Case |
|---|---|
shader-noise | Turbulent motion, organic shapes |
shader-effects | Glow, chromatic aberration on particles |
r3f-performance | Optimization, culling, LOD |
gsap-fundamentals | Scripted particle animations |
audio-reactive | Music-driven particle effects |
See individual skill files for detailed patterns:
/mnt/skills/user/particles-gpu/SKILL.md/mnt/skills/user/particles-physics/SKILL.md/mnt/skills/user/particles-lifecycle/SKILL.md| Brownian |
| Random spawn |
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Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).