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TheCaptn
03-07-2003, 05:23 AM
I'd like to animate a bright flash and an expanding mushroom cloud, but I'm not sure how to do it (I'm still a newbie at animating).
My first thought was to use the particle system and glow effects (like I have for other explosions), but then I realised I'd have to 'shape' the effect somehow. Maybe with deflectors or spacewarps? But I've never used them so I don't really know how, or even if they'll do what I want.

I also thought maybe I could just morph shapes, but I'm worried it'll look too fake. Maybe some combination of the two would look ok though.

Any suggestions on how to go about it?

There's two little additional bits that I can probably figure out more easily, but if someone wants to volunteer a method, I'm open it. :D
1) I'd like the mushroom cloud to also have an expanding ring-cloud (as in a H-Bomb explosion).
2) The blast should seem to wash over the camera, like in the footage of an avalanche, only brown and not white.

Thanks in advance... I'll let you know how it goes (anim is due in 7 weeks).
Sgt.ArchAngel
03-07-2003, 03:46 PM
im actualy working on doing the same thing
not for work but jsut for fun

i plan on writing a tutorial for it when im done
sp far its turning out pretty good
keep a lookout on my website for the tut

http://bricecaris.homeftp.net

PS:
sites still being worked on so some links dont work and some sections are not done

may have to goto my forums(*caugh* CGTALK RIP OFF(hehe i love this place to much) *cough*)
TheCaptn
03-08-2003, 12:04 AM
I'm looking forward to it. Any pointers in the meantime?

Anyway, I found a reasonable clip of the kind of thing I'm after, courtesy the US Department of Energy.
http://www.nv.doe.gov/news&pubs/photos&films/0800012/king012.mpg (12mb MPEG)
BrandonD
03-08-2003, 12:10 AM
FYI, it's not the kind of thing that can be done easily. If you're just starting out you might try some more trivial stuff just to get familiar with the application.

I've done it in the past by sticking particles to the surface of geometry that distorted and curled in on itself to create the proper motion.
TheCaptn
03-08-2003, 03:18 AM
I'm not really new to 3D Studio, but till now I haven't done a whole lot of animation... Most of my stuff has been character models and level design, and the occasional still scene.
I've done a few little animations, but I'm deliberately -trying- to extend myself on this one. I don't care that it's hard, as long as it's possible. :arteest:

What I'm playing with now sounds sort of like what you mentioned, but tell me if I'm on track:
I think I recall from somewhere that spacewarps can be applied to models to affect particle systems. So I've set up a particle spray, and modelled a sort of funnel to turn the the particles back into the center. I'm now playing with animating the funnel to expand in the right way.
I still don't know how to apply the spacewarp, or even if it can be done the way I'm thinking of.
TheCaptn
03-12-2003, 12:20 AM
I'll try to make this more than a shameless bump. I haven't spent a whole lot of time on it, but I'm still struggling to work out how this could be done.

Here's what I tried:
I created a shape similar to that of a mushroom cloud which I wanted the particles to follow. Added a spray emitter (yes I know it's square) and a deflector applied to the shape.
http://wolf.alphalink.com.au/mushroom_cloud_example.jpg

But I can only get the particles to bounce off the surfaces inside the shape, they won't follow the shape around smoothly like I wanted.
Clicky to see a small example (370kb AVI) (http://wolf.alphalink.com.au/mushroom_cloud_test03.avi)
Sgt.ArchAngel
03-12-2003, 05:22 AM
yeah i tried that too
i havnt been able to do anything yet with all the crazy stuff going on ere(family getting shipped out for war)
so when things settle down ill start back up on it
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