Vesper
IuvoParticles (Galaxy System)
Developed: December 1, 2025
Showcased: April 21, 2026
Space. The final frontier... Before building the main engine of course.
Once I had been able to make a basic 2D particle system and was able to leverage some controls over it, I decided to try and make something slightly different. I wanted to ensure that what I had developed up until this point, was actually capable of being used to make something more visually appealing. As I watched the current system work and how I was able to make the particles flow, I was reminded of those old Microsoft Windows screen savers. I remember being a kid just sitting in front of the computer screen, just watching the different shapes and colors unfold before my eyes.
I decided to try and make something similar that I would enjoy watching just as much. I chose space as my medium. As I am no astrophysicist, I started by researching to see how other people had come up with similar systems. I eventually found a website that shared a great deal of their process, source code (JavaScript), and even had a real-time visualizer that could be adjusted by parameters on the website. Unfortunately, I did not save a reference to the site at the time, but I have found a few other similar examples:
Similar Works
As stated, I used that site I found as a reference for ideas as well as some calculations I was unfamiliar with such as the arm spiral, and was able to come up with this. Is it completely realistic and conform to real world physics? No, but I like the visual of it and find it just as captivating as the real deal.
Also, due to the primitive manner in which I am applying gravity to the particles, after enough time, a sort of black hole will appear in the center of the galaxy. That was not my intended behavior, but as I like the progression that the system has over time, I decided to file that away as a feature rather than a bug.
Final Product
Everything is done in C++, rendered using ImGui primitives (Filled Circles).
Each particle technically renders TWO filled circles- one for the base color, and a second on top to simulate emission.
Particle count (not including the emissive circles) and rotational velocity are incrementally increased as follows:
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800 particles at rotational speed 0.2
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800 particles at rotational speed 5
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15,000 particles at rotational speed 5
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35,000 particles at rotational speed 20
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35,000 particles at rotational speed 50
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35,000 particles at rotational speed 50
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35,000 particles at rotational speed 100
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50,000 particles at rotational speed 100
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100,000 particles at rotational speed 100