Raylib Particle Fireworks

A real-time fireworks simulator written in modern C++ with Raylib. Built from scratch to showcase clean OOP design, mathematically-driven visuals, and robust engineering practices valued by professionals and recruiters.

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Features

Architecture:

• Class-based (Particle) encapsulating physics, rendering, and life-cycle
• Self-contained update/render loop with delta-time integration
• Efficient memory management (particles and trails)

Visuals:

• Radial explosions, spirals, and fountains
• Particle trails with alpha fading
• Dynamic color transitions (base → red → transparent)
• Size scaling over lifetime

Math & Physics:

• Gravity and velocity updates each frame
• Trigonometric angle→vector conversion
• Linear interpolation for color and size

Performance:

• Trail length limit
• Backwards vector erasure for removal
• No heap allocation inside the frame loop

Controls:

• Left Click: Radial explosion at mouse
• F key: Fountain effect
• S key: Spiral pattern

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Project Structure

fireworks/
├─ src/
│  ├─ main.cpp          # entry point and game loop
└─ README.md

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Build & Run

Step 1: Install Raylib

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install libraylib-dev

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install raylib

# Windows (MSYS2)
pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-raylib

Step 2: Compile

# Linux / macOS
g++ -std=c++11 src/*.cpp -lraylib -lGL -lm -lpthread -ldl -lrt -lX11 -o fireworks

# Windows (MinGW)
g++ -std=c++11 src/*.cpp -lraylib -lopengl32 -lgdi32 -lwinmm -o fireworks.exe

Or, with CMake:

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build .

Step 3: Run

./fireworks

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Code Highlights

Step	Concept	Example Code/Logic
1.	Particle Class	constructor sets position, velocity, life, baseColor
2.	Physics Update	velocity.y += GRAVITY * dt; position += velocity * dt;
3.	Trail Capture	push current position, trim to MAX_TRAIL_LENGTH
4.	Patterns	Explosion, spiral, fountain use trig for vectors

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Why This Project Matters

• Game-ready techniques: Demonstrates core game engine and graphics concepts
• Math competence: Shows trigonometry, interpolation, and delta-time animation
• Clean engineering: Readable, modular, and efficient (SOLID-inspired)
• Recruiter appeal: Focus on modern C++ design, graphics, real-time logic, and code quality

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Roadmap

• Sound effects (explosion crackle, launch whistle)
• Configurable JSON-based firework presets
• GPU sprite-based particles (performance boost)
• 3D camera & depth-sorted particles

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome—especially for new explosion patterns, performance tips, or bug fixes. Feel free to open issues for suggestions!