Cfx.re launches Catalyst, a free node-based particle effects editor for FiveM

Cfx.re released Catalyst on 12 November 2026. It is a free, all-in-one editor for creating and editing GTA V particle effects, and FiveM creators can download it now through the Cfx Portal.

Particle effects are the fire, smoke, sparks, dust, water, light and decals that bring a scene to life. In GTA V they are stored in .ypt files. Catalyst lets developers build these effects as a node graph, see the result update live and export finished files for GTAV Legacy, GTAV Enhanced or both from one project. Roleplay servers that want their own visuals no longer need to keep launching the game just to check a small change.

What Catalyst brings to creators

Three ideas set the tool apart from editing values by hand. You can preview most changes without launching the game. Properties follow curves instead of fixed numbers. And every part of an effect is a separate node that you can inspect, rename and reuse.

• A node-based workflow: you build effects by connecting nodes.
• A real-time preview window with Editor, Preview, Wireframe and Simulation views. Simulation shows each particle as a coloured dot, so you can follow how it spawns, moves and dies.
• Keyframed curves for colour, size and rotation over a particle's lifetime.
• Import and export of existing .ypt files, so you can open and rework current effects.
• A dedicated .ctlst project format for saving progress and sharing work with co-developers.
• Access to the game's own textures and meshes through a read-only Global pool, plus the option to import your own .dds textures and .ydr meshes.

How an effect is put together

Effects are built in five layers. The Particle Effect Rule is what you trigger in-game; it sets duration, looping, tint, scale, culling and collision. Event Emitters sit on a timeline. Each one pairs an Emitter Rule, which controls how particles are born, with a Particle Rule, which controls how they look and move afterwards. Optional Behaviours sit on top, including Color, Size, Rotation, Acceleration, Collision, Light and Decal.

Newcomers should watch for a few traps. A Particle Rule needs a Draw node (Draw Sprite, Draw Trail or Draw Model), or its particles stay invisible. Some behaviours also need a partner: Attractor needs an Attractor Domain and Decal needs Collision. Without the partner they silently do nothing. Evolutions are sliders from 0 to 1 that blend values towards alternative keyframes. Every Particle Rule also has a built-in LOD evolution driven by camera distance.

Installing and getting started

Catalyst runs on Windows 10 and 11, installs per user without admin rights and works offline. By default it installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Cfx\Catalyst. Save your projects somewhere else, because uninstalling deletes that folder. GTA V is optional but recommended. On start-up, Catalyst finds the game and loads core.ypt as the Global pool. If that fails, a dialog lets you point it to GTA5.exe or core.ypt yourself. Project files use the .ctlst extension. Right-clicking a .ypt file shows an Import in Catalyst option, but Catalyst does not become the default program for those files.

From editor to server

To export, use File > Export YPT (Ctrl+E). Each ticked collection becomes one .ypt. If you pick both targets, Catalyst writes separate files with _legacy and _enhanced suffixes so they never clash. You must fix any errors in the validation list first. The official walkthrough then gets the effect running in FiveM in a few steps:

• Create a resource folder with a stream subfolder holding the exported .ypt. For Enhanced-only assets, use a stream_enhanced folder instead.
• Add an fxmanifest.lua with fx_version 'cerulean', game 'gta5' and a client script.
• In the script, call RequestNamedPtfxAsset, wait for HasNamedPtfxAssetLoaded, then call UseParticleFxAssetNextCall before StartParticleFxLoopedAtCoord.