Particle effects, written in YAML

VEngine is an animated particle effect engine for Minecraft servers. It plays visual effects (spirals, rings, comets, beams, portals) anywhere in the world and lets you author your own effects as plain YAML files - no Java, no restart, no client mods. Besides particles, effects can render solid item, block and text models through vanilla display entities.

These docs are split by audience:

Requirements and installation

• Paper or Spigot 1.21.6 - 26.x, Java 21+ (26.x servers need Java 25, the jar runs on both)
• Put VEngine-<version>.jar into plugins/, restart, run /ve play traveling_comet
• Optional plugins, picked up automatically:
  • PlaceholderAPI: %vengine_*% placeholders, and placeholders inside effect formulas - see Placeholders
  • MythicMobs: vengine skill mechanics - see MythicMobs
  • PacketEvents: client-side display models - see Following entities
• The vengine-api / vengine-core jars on the download page are for developers only
• VEngine sends anonymous usage statistics (number of worlds, plugins and online players) and plugin error reports to FastStats

After the first start you get:

plugins/VEngine/
├── config.yml        # view distance, particle budget, limits
├── triggers.yml      # effects played on game events
├── effects/          # one .yml per effect, hot-reloaded by /ve reload
└── shapes/           # pictures, fonts, OBJ and SVG files for imported shapes

Deeper documentation

• Display entity rendering (display: block): Display Entities
• Formula functions, variables and YAML schema: Parametric Effects
• Implicit surfaces and plants: SDF surfaces and L-systems
• Atoms built into the plugin and their parameters: Built-in primitives
• Kotlin DSL and SPI reference: Developer Guide