Clouds

Weather reference

FXMasterParticle effectAPI type: clouds

Moving cloud particles with orbit mode, direction synchronization, and shadows.

Weather effects can cover a full Scene or be limited to Regions. Configure the placement or movement controls exposed by the effect first, then tune its appearance, population, and optional background controls.

Reference	Value
Package	FXMaster
Effect kind	Particle effect
Category	Weather
Runtime type	clouds
Exposed parameters	24

Important controls

• Orbit: Makes clouds circulate around the effect area instead of only crossing the canvas in a straight or drifting path.
• Direction: Sets the primary travel direction for clouds. Directional Spread can add variation around this angle.
• Synchronized Direction: Uses the active Wind or Duststorm direction for Clouds. When the source direction changes, this effect follows it.
• Scale: Changes the rendered size of clouds. It does not change how many particles are present.
• Shadow: Adds a separate projected shadow beneath clouds to give the effect more depth against the map.

Setup notes

• Synchronized Direction allows Clouds to follow Wind or Duststorm direction changes.
• Orbit works well when clouds should circulate around a focal area rather than cross the full Scene.
• Shadow controls add depth, but high Shadow Opacity can reduce map readability.

Bundled preset usage

Preset	API name	Availability	Variants
Cloudy	cloudy	FXMaster	Normal
Nullfront	nullfront	FXMaster	Normal
Overcast	overcast	FXMaster	Normal
Partly Cloudy	partly-cloudy	FXMaster	Normal
Sunshower	sunshower	FXMaster, FXMaster+	Normal, Top Down
Thunderstorm	thunderstorm	FXMaster, FXMaster+	Normal, Top Down
Wildfire Smoke	wildfire-smoke	FXMaster	Normal

Parameters

The table combines the settings available for this effect in Scene and Region contexts. Scene-only and Region-only badges identify controls limited to one context. Hover or focus an info button to see what the parameter changes on the canvas. Select it to keep the card open. Each card also includes the default, range or choices, context, availability, API key, and control type.

24 exposed parameters1 Scene-onlyclouds API type

iHover or focus an info button to see what the parameter changes on the canvas. Select it to keep the card open. Context badges identify Scene-only and Region-only controls; unbadged parameters are available in both. Hover or focus an availability condition to highlight the parameter that controls it.

Parameter	Control	Default	Range or choices	Availability
Below Tokensi belowTokens	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Below Tilesi belowTiles	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Below Foregroundi belowForeground	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Levelsi levelsScene only	scene-levels	All Levels	—	Always
Tinti tint	color	#FFFFFF (disabled)	—	Always
Sound FXi soundFxEnabled	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Sound FX Soundsi soundFxManualSoundIds	multi-select	Rule default	—	Shown when Sound FX = On and the matching enabled SoundFX rule uses Multi-Sound Mode = Manual with at least two configured sounds
Orbiti orbit	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Orbit Distancei orbitDistance	range	0.5	0–1 · step 0.01	Shown when Orbit = On
Directioni direction	range	—	0–360 · step 5	Hidden when Orbit = On
Synchronized Directioni synchronizedDirection	checkbox	Off	—	Hidden when Orbit = On
Scalei scale	range	0.27	0.1–1 · step 0.01	Always
Speedi speed	range	0.27	0.1–1 · step 0.01	Always
Lifetimei lifetime	range	0.27	0.1–1 · step 0.01	Always
Densityi density	range	0.147	0.001–1 · step 0.001	Always
Opacityi alpha	range	1	0–1 · step 0.1	Always
Shadowi dropShadow	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Shadow Onlyi shadowOnly	checkbox	Off	—	Shown when Shadow = On
Shadow Positioni shadowRotation	range	315	0–360 · step 1	Shown when Shadow = On
Shadow Distancei shadowDistance	range	70	0–300 · step 1	Shown when Shadow = On
Shadow Bluri shadowBlur	range	2	0–20 · step 0.5	Shown when Shadow = On
Shadow Opacityi shadowOpacity	range	1	0–1 · step 0.05	Shown when Shadow = On
Darkness Activationi darknessActivationEnabled	checkbox	Off	—	Always
Darkness Activation Rangei darknessActivationRange	range-dual	{"min":0,"max":1}	0–1 · step 0.01	Shown when Darkness Activation = On

Direct-effect API example

The Direct Effect API creates a separate row shown through Manage API Effects. Add a stable apiMacro_…_p or apiMacro_…_f ID when later macro calls need to update or stop the same row.

const created = await FXMASTER.api.effects.play({
  particles: [{
    "id": "apiMacro_wikiclouds_p",
    "type": "clouds",
    "options": {
      "belowTokens": false,
      "tint": {
        "value": "#FFFFFF",
        "apply": false
      },
      "orbit": false,
      "scale": 0.27,
      "speed": 0.27
    }
  }],
});

await FXMASTER.api.effects.particles.stop(created.particles);

For complete API behavior, scene targeting, stack ordering, and toggle groups, see the Direct Effect API guide.