# Particle absolute time unable to go over 1 second

**URL:** <https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/particle-absolute-time-unable-to-go-over-1-second/332584>\
**Category:** FX\
**Tags:** unreal-engine, bug-report, editor, question\
**Created:** [September 17, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/particle-absolute-time-unable-to-go-over-1-second/332584 "2015-09-17T23:18:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chaofanatic](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Chaofanatic](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Chaofanatic)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/particle-absolute-time-unable-to-go-over-1-second/332584/1 "2015-09-17T23:18:14Z")

</div>

Whenever you create a curve for any initial modifier for a particle system, it’s supposed to be operating on absolute emitter time, not on per-particle lifetime, but the absolute time is apparently broken as the effect will just stop once it reaches one second.

For example, if you try to use an initial size modifier to have your particles start spawning small and new emissions will grow larger over time, the scaling will stop after the first second even if you set it to something higher.

It seems like there’s some bugs with the absolute time modifiers for particles cause they simply don’t work after the first second. I’ve tried a lot of trial and error but nothing is helping.

[Someone else had the same problem here,](https://answers.unrealengine.com/questions/278044/setting-initial-color-over-emitter-duration-does-n.html) but I don’t think a fix was ever made for it.

I’d like to make it clear that this isn’t something that can simply be replaced with a lifetime based modifier. With this broken you’re completely unable to make the system fade in or fade out over time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lovecraft\_K](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Lovecraft\_K](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Lovecraft_K)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/particle-absolute-time-unable-to-go-over-1-second/332584/2 "2015-09-18T16:41:38Z")

</div>

Hi Chaofanatic -

This does appear to be a regression of particle behavior. I have added a new Report in as UE-21246 and will let you know as we investigate a solution.

Thank you for your help and report -

Eric Ketchum