How to Build a Firework Trail in UEFN

Do you want to make fireworks that leave a glowing trail in the sky? It looks like magic! But it is just smart design. We will build the shiny line that follows the firework up. You will see how effects follow objects. Let’s make your island sparkle.

What You'll Learn

• How to copy an effect part to make a new one.
• How to focus on one part at a time.
• How to make a trail follow the firework head.

How It Works

Think of a firework like a rocket. The Head is the rocket. It flies up. The Trail is the smoke behind it. It follows the rocket.

In UEFN, we use Emitters. An emitter is a machine that makes particles. Particles are tiny dots of light or smoke.

We already made the Head. Now we need the Trail. We do not start from zero. We copy the Head! This is like copying a drawing. You keep the style. You change the details.

We will use a tool called the System Editor. This is our workshop. In the workshop, we have many machines. We only want to work on one machine at a time. So we hide the others. This helps us see clearly.

Let's Build It

Follow these steps in the UEFN System Editor.

1. Find the Head Emitter. Look in your list of emitters. Find the one named "Head".
2. Copy the Emitter. Right-click the Head emitter. Select Copy. Then right-click in the empty space and select Paste. Now you have a copy!
3. Rename the Copy. Double-click the new emitter. Name it "Trail". This keeps things tidy.
4. Focus on the Trail. Click the blue checkmark next to the Head emitter. This hides it. Now only the Trail is visible.
5. Add Particles. In the Trail emitter, add a Particle Emitter module. This is the part that makes the dots.
6. Make it Follow. Find the Location setting. Set it to follow the Head. Now the trail moves with the firework!
7. Change the Color. Pick a bright color for the trail. Maybe orange or yellow. This makes it look hot!
8. Check for Errors. Look at the Niagara Log. If you see red text, fix it. If it is green, you are good!

Here is a simple code idea. This is not full code. It shows the logic.

# This is a comment. It explains the code.
# We are linking the Trail to the Head.

Trail_Link = Head_Position

# The Trail follows the Head's position.
# It stays close behind it.
# This creates the trail effect.

The code links the trail to the head. The trail knows where the head is. It moves every frame. A frame is one picture in the game. It moves 60 times a second! That is fast!

Try It Yourself

Can you make the trail fade out? Try changing the Alpha setting. Alpha means how see-through something is. Make it start bright. Then make it end clear. This looks like real smoke!

Recap

We copied the Head emitter to make the Trail. We hid the Head to focus on the Trail. We linked the Trail to the Head. Now your firework has a beautiful trail! Great job, builder!

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/creating-fireworks-3-building-the-firework-trail-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/creating-fireworks-using-niagara-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/2-building-the-firework-head-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/building-the-firework-head-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/building-the-firework-trail-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite