niagara
Niagara VFX authoring and inspection: systems, emitters, modules, parameters, NIR text.
What it's for
This namespace reads and edits Niagara particle assets: systems, emitters, renderers, modules, parameters, and the graphs behind them. Your assistant can inspect an existing effect as structured text, change one thing about it, and validate the result, all without you opening the Niagara editor and clicking through stack panels.
Use it to tune an effect you already have (nudge a spawn rate, swap a module script, recolor a renderer), to build one up from scratch (create a system, create an emitter, add it to the system, then add renderers and modules), or just to preview a system by spawning it into the active world. There are also quick shortcuts like a stock ribbon/beam actor for lasers, trails, and contrails.
The workflow is deliberately read-first and one-edit-at-a-time: inspect the current state,
apply a single edit, then validate before you rely on it. Each edit RPC does exactly one
thing, so compile, save, and dirty behavior stay attributable to that operation. For focused
graph reads and node-level surgery, reach for the niagara.graph subgroup; for
high-level authoring notes, the niagara.authoring page.
Examples
Inspect an effect as text before touching it
Reading the system's real state gives your assistant accurate context for the next edit.
You: Show me what's inside the muzzle flash Niagara system.
call("niagara.inspect", {assetPath:"/Game/VFX/NS_MuzzleFlash"})
→ {emitters:["Flash","Smoke"], renderers:2, parameters:[...]}
Done. Two emitters (Flash, Smoke), a sprite and a ribbon renderer.
Tune one module input and recompile
Change a single stack input on an emitter, then compile and save in the same call.
You: Halve the spawn rate on the Smoke emitter of NS_MuzzleFlash.
call("niagara.set_module_input", {assetPath:"/Game/VFX/NS_MuzzleFlash",
emitter:"Smoke", entryId:"SpawnRate", inputName:"SpawnRate",
value:50, compile:true, save:true})
→ {ok:true, compiled:true}
Done. Smoke spawn rate set to 50 and the system recompiled.
Drop a quick beam into the level
The stock ribbon actor is the fastest way to preview a laser or trail between two points.
You: Spawn a red beam from the turret to the target.
call("niagara.create_ribbon", {systemPath:"/Game/VFX/NS_Beam",
start:{x:0, y:0, z:120}, end:{x:800, y:0, z:120},
width:6, color:{r:1, g:0, b:0, a:1}})
→ {ok:true, actor:"NiagaraRibbon"}
Done. Red beam spawned between the two points.