After Effects Trapcode Particular (2026)

(developed by Red Giant, now part of Maxon) is an industry-standard particle system plugin for Adobe After Effects. Unlike After Effects’ native particle generator (CC Particle World), Particular operates in a true 3D space, offering unparalleled control over particle behavior, emission, physics, and rendering. It is widely used for motion graphics, visual effects (VFX), title sequences, and environmental effects (snow, rain, fire, smoke, dust).

If you want to use textures or specific masks, use a . after effects trapcode particular

| Plugin | Strengths | Weaknesses | |--------|-----------|-------------| | (Superluminal) | Node-based, fluid solver, more modern UI | Less community content, slower updates | | CC Particle World (Native AE) | Free, simple | 2D only, limited controls | | Particle Illusion (Boris FX) | Real-time, huge preset library | Less 3D integration with AE | | Trapcode Form (Maxon) | Grid-based particles, sound-reactive | Different use case (static particle arrays) | (developed by Red Giant, now part of Maxon)

The Aux (Auxiliary) System is a "particle within a particle." It allows particles to spawn new particles. If you want to use textures or specific masks, use a

: Apply the Deep Glow or standard Glow effect to the Particular layer for a cinematic look.

This is the most efficient way in modern versions of Particular to emit particles directly from the shape of live text.