Deep space Shockwave Effect

[Kotayus]

i tried doing this a while back with no luck. Sadie tried explaining, but at the time i was still new to cinema, and didnt understand it...i would also be interested in how to do this...although mine would be for static imagery...though the same principles would apply. :bounce:

[bek]

good efect!! i too whant to now how we can do this!!


=)

[NWoolridge]

Here's a 10 minute (to do, not its duration) C4D version:

space explosion movie (http://www.bmc.med.utoronto.ca/c4d/splosion.mov)

And the file:

splosion.c4d (http://www.bmc.med.utoronto.ca/c4d/splosion.c4d)

Could be vastly improved with a little attention: SLA 2d noise instead of fire shader, better time curves, etc.

Nick

[JoelOtron]

Heres a not so good one I did in C4d in reply to a simiilar request on Creative Cow

http://www.joeldubin.net/test/boom2.mov

Heres a better one i did years ago in AE following a Cult Effects tutorial (lost the AE file!)

http://www.joeldubin.net/burstAEsmall.mov

[JoelOtron]

Sorry--I realized that that post wasnt very helpful! I will post the file (the c4d one) later today.

[basilisk]

I may be being stupid, but wouldn't a shockwave be spherical rather than circular, from an explosion in empty space. Also, does a shockwave conduct through a vacuum? (a shockwave is a displacement of matter or gas) Obviously radiation would radiate out, but that would travel at the speed of light so not be visible as movement.

Maybe I just don't watch the right sci fi movies...
:hmm:

[JoelOtron]

Originally posted by basilisk
Maybe I just don't watch the right sci fi movies...
:hmm:

Its a common cliche cg effect used in lots of Sci fi movies.

Would be nice if someone could elaborate on it so it made sense from a physics perspective.

[miketche]

It looks cool.:buttrock: That's about it.

[Bucko]

The radial "shockwave" effect as seen in the Star Wars upgrades etc etc is the explosion equivalent of a lense flare - stay well away!

[JoelOtron]

I agree--its a bit overused--they used it every chance they could in Star Wars. It made its "debut in Star Trek 6. Its definiitely an overused cliche pretty much right out of the gate.

But I guess sometimes a producer might want you to use it for a shot, so its good to at least know how to do it.

[AdamT]

For PC owners, there's a free shockwave shader for Darktree's Simbiont. Just slap it on a plane and render:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/A/d/AdamTrachtenberg/Plasma_Ring.avi

[Per-Anders]

it's very nasty, and more commonly now we have the ripplewave you see in the matrix (started out with that helicopter crash... i guess it's meant to be because it's just thematrix universe, but to me it looks like a crap texturemapped plane with a sinewave displacement (which is essentially what it is) and really undermined the feeling of structure... however that's a common one too, just animate a circular gradient in the displacement channel, or use something like nickl or the function deformer to create the wave effect through everything.

[manlio]

I remember a quite good tutorial for Cinema 4d on Computer Arts here in italy, some years ago. I'm not sure if I can find it, but I will search it tonight.
Bye

[astrofish]

Drifting off-topic a bit, but...

I still think that the Trek6 version of this effect is the best one I've seen, complete with the shock wave hitting the ship. This gave the effect a bit more of a 'purpose', and helped make it seem more real.

I really didn't like the one they slapped on top of the Death Star in the Spec-Ed. of 'A New Hope'. Then again, I didn't like most of the stuff they did with the spec-ed. It all seemed to be a technology demo for ILM, rather than any improvement to the story.

Anyway, I'm digressing so I shall stop.

Cheers - Steve

[JoelOtron]

Originally posted by astrofish
Drifting off-topic a bit, but...

I still think that the Trek6 version of this effect is the best one I've seen, complete with the shock wave hitting the ship. This gave the effect a bit more of a 'purpose', and helped make it seem more real.

I really didn't like the one they slapped on top of the Death Star in the Spec-Ed. of 'A New Hope'. Then again, I didn't like most of the stuff they did with the spec-ed. It all seemed to be a technology demo for ILM, rather than any improvement to the story.

Anyway, I'm digressing so I shall stop.

Cheers - Steve


My sentiments exactly. Plus the first time you see a new effect its cool. The second time its boring (ie: Matrix, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, etc).

I thought it was really tacky to slap on the shockwave in Star Wars (they used it twice in A New Hope!). I was very surprised ILM would go the 'stock fx" route after being such traillazers in the effects industry since their inception.

We're all a lot harder to impress these days I guess.

[Kotayus]

its just a guess, but i dont think the idea of SW special edition was to change the story, it WAS to touch up the effects...and they added some stuff in some scenes...and it was just to make a quick buck on the SW community.

[astrofish]

What I'm saying is that if it didn't add anything to the story then why bother doing it?

Unfortunaely, I think you're right that the main reason was just to make a bunch of extra cash.

One significant story change they did make was the Han+Jabba scene. Now that one _really_ came across as a technology demo... Technically impressive, but storywise it demoted Jabba from being this powerful unseen character that you didn't mess with, to someone who was basically a pushover. No wonder they ditched the scene the first time around...

Cheers - Steve

[Bucko]

This is very much off topic but...
They DID change the story in a (for me) significant way. In the original when Greedo stops Han Solo in the bar for not paying jabba on time Han, the scoundrel, fires at Greedo from under the table but in the "facelift" version they added an extremely ugly green blastershot from Greedo BEFOR Han fires to make him more of a hero by not shooting first - this changes Han Solo, the charming scoundrel that reluctantly becomes a hero into a Roger Ramjet type character.
George Lucsas has only produced crap since the first three movies - IMHO of course.

[BoERS]

Slightly back on topic... :p

Here is one that I did for the beggining of a school project a few weeks ago:
Movie is here! (http://homepage.mac.com/reitsma/SS_Explosion.mov)

And File is Here! (http://homepage.mac.com/reitsma/SS_Explosion.c4d) You are gonna have to right-click and 'Save to disk.'

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