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This plugin uses new APIs `MeshBake/MashTrailBake` (added with Unity 2018.2) to render particles by CanvasRenderer.
You can mask and sort particles for uGUI without Camera, RenderTexture, Canvas.
Compares this "Baking mesh" approach with the conventional approach:
(This scene is included in the package.)
|Approach|Good|Bad|Screenshot|
|-|-|-|-|
|Baking mesh<br>**\(UIParticle\)**|Rendered as is.<br>Maskable.<br>Sortable.<br>Less objects.|**Requires Unity 2018.2+.**<br>Requires UI shaders to use Mask.|<imgsrc="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/12690315/41765089-0302b9a2-763e-11e8-88b3-b6ffa306bbb0.gif"width="500px">|
|Do nothing|Rendered as is.|**Looks like a glitch.**<br>Not maskable.<br>Not sortable.|<imgsrc="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/12690315/41765090-0329828a-763e-11e8-8d8a-f1d269ea3bc7.gif"width="500px">|
|Convert particle to UIVertex<br>[\(UIParticleSystem\)](https://forum.unity.com/threads/free-script-particle-systems-in-ui-screen-space-overlay.406862/)|Maskable.<br>Sortable.<br>Less objects.|**Adjustment is difficult.**<br>Requires UI shaders.<br>Difficult to adjust scale.<br>Force hierarchy scalling.<br>Simulation results are incorrect.<br>Trail, rotation of transform, time scaling are not supported.<br>Generate heavy GC every frame.|<imgsrc="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/12690315/41765088-02deb9c6-763e-11e8-98d0-9e0c1766ef39.gif"width="500px">|
|Use Canvas to sort|Rendered as is.<br>Sortable.|**You must to manage sorting orders.**<br>Not maskable.<br>More batches.|<imgsrc="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/12690315/41765087-02b866ea-763e-11e8-8c33-081c9ad852f8.gif"width="500px">|
|Use RenderTexture|Maskable.<br>Sortable.|**Requires Camera and RenderTexture.**<br>Difficult to adjust position and size.<br>Quality depends on the RenderTexture's setting.|<imgsrc="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/12690315/41765085-0291b3e2-763e-11e8-827b-72e5ee9bc556.gif"width="500px">|
#### Features
* Sort particle effects with uGUI
* No Camera, RenderTexture or Canvas are required
* Masking with Mask or RectMask2D
* Easy to use
* Support Trail module
* Change alpha with CanvasGroup
* Scaling independent of Transform
* No heavy allocation every frame
* All ParticleSystem.ScalingModes and all Canvas.RenderModes are supported. They look almost the same in all modes.
Animation clips can change the material properties of the Renderer, such as ParticleSystemRenderer.
It uses MaterialPropertyBlock so it does not create new material instances.
Using material properties, you can change UV animation, scale and color etc.
Well, there is a component called CanvasRenderer.
It is used by all Graphic components for UI (Text, Image, Raw Image, etc.) including UIParticle.
However, It is **NOT** a Renderer.
Therefore, in UIParticle, changing ParticleSystemRenderer's MaterialPropertyBlock by animation clip is ignored.
To prevent this, Use "Animatable Material Property".
"Animatable Material Property" gets the necessary properties from ParticleSystemRenderer's MaterialPropertyBlock and sets them to the CanvasRenderer's material.
