Lightning

Lightning strikes an object again and again: jagged bolts drop from above, hit it with a bright flash and fade, then strike from a different direction along a new path. Several bolts run at once, each on its own timing, so the strikes feel random and alive.

How it works

Each bolt is built by splitting a straight line again and again and pushing each middle point sideways by a random amount, which gives the crooked zigzag of real lightning. A bolt starts somewhere above and around the object and ends at its centre. It does not appear all at once: a bright head travels down the path, leaving a fading trail, then the whole bolt flashes at two to three times its brightness for a split second, like a return stroke, and dies away. After a short random pause the bolt is rebuilt with a new shape and a new starting point. A soft electric halo glows along each bolt.

Settings

• Bolt Count: up to eight bolts at the same time.
• Branch Depth: how many times the path is split; higher gives more jagged detail.
• Strike Radius: how far from the object the bolts start.
• Color: the white-hot core and head of the bolt.
• Glow Color: the electric halo around it.
• Speed: how fast the bolts travel down.

Use it for

Storms, Tesla coils, electricity and power themes, dramatic impact moments. Pair it with Lichtenberg or the Plasma Lightning cursor.