Quick Start

For a first setup, add one particle effect and one filter effect, then check where both effects sit in the layer stack.

1. Add a particle effect

1. Open the FXMaster Controls Scene Controls group.
2. Select Particle Effects.
3. Add Rain, Snow, Clouds, Fog, or another particle effect.
4. Set the main layout options first: Top Down, Below Tokens, Below Tiles, direction, and background mode.
5. Adjust scale and speed, followed by density and opacity.
6. Save the row and check the result on the Scene.

For an overhead battle map, consider starting with Top Down enabled when the effect supports it.

2. Add a filter effect

1. Select Filter Effects.
2. Add Color, Bloom, Fog, Underwater, or another filter effect.
3. Confirm whether the filter effect should display below tokens, below tiles, or in the default weather layer.
4. Tune the filter effect while the particle effect remains active so the combined result stays readable.

Filter effects change the rendered Scene image, so small adjustments can have a larger visual impact than the same adjustment on a particle effect.

3. Check the effect stack

Open Manage Layers and arrange the active Scene effects from top to bottom. The stack controls which FXMaster effects are drawn over or under the others.

A useful starting order is:

1. Short effects such as Screen Shake or Lightning.
2. Airborne weather particles.
3. Color and Bloom filters.
4. Fog and other atmosphere filters.
5. Ground-level particles and persistent backgrounds.

See Layers and Ordering for the complete layer model.

4. Save the result

Select Save Particle and Filter Effects as Macro to create a reusable macro from the current particle and filter effect setup. Run the macro later to recreate that setup.

5. Clear all effects

Use left-click on Clear Scene Particle and Filter Effects (Right-click: Disable Region Effects) to clear the effects you’ve placed on the canvas after confirmation.

Example first Scene

Try this setup on a rainy overhead map:

Effect	Initial choices
Rain particle effect	Top Down on, Splash on, Background off, moderate density
Fog filter effect	Low opacity, slow movement, token trails off
Color filter effect	Slightly lower saturation with a cool tint
Layer order	Rain above both Color and Fog

After the main result looks correct, try enabling Rain’s Background and Token Interaction parameters, or a suppression Region to prevent the effect in a specific area.