dust

[Bendytoons]

This is fx work I'm doing for TWO, but I wanted to post in the general forum as well to get feedback and share the knowledge.

dust.mov

dust7.zip

[KenH]

Dust is rarely white....more brown. The individual sprites are too clear in that animation for my liking. I'd reduce the life.....or maybe do something with the opacity. Also, for the speed that box at, the dust should spread out further and faster.

 

I'd try it out myself, but you didn't include the tgas.

[pdaley]

i think dust would have a faster expansion/emission than what you are showing. Your example looks a little 'steamy' to me. Also, the turbulence looks to obvious to me.

[Kamikaze]

One of the options for volumetrics is dust and it can look decent, I think you can even add turbulance to it along with different shapes (sphere,box,cone,cylinder(or something like that), alone it wont get the most realistic effect but combined with sprites and possiablly a material effector.........?

 

Michael

[Bendytoons]

Paul & Ken, thanks for comments. Now it is darker, bigger, faster, and differently whirly.

 

Michael- I am trying to avoid volumetrics as much as possible. They are costlier, less contollable, and more prone to look "computery". If I can get the look using spriticles, I think that's the way to go.

 

oh, and tgas are now in the zip

dust11.zip

dust6.mov

[Avi]

I think the dust would start a bit before the box hits the ground...

 

Really cool looking though!

[Dhar]

That looked sweet <cough..cough>

[Kamikaze]

Yes I had read on the forum many times about how Volumetrics greatly effect render time, Im not sure why but im not finding that to be so.....I mainly wanted to suggest combining methods, rarely in todays 3D special effects do you find a single element used, not by the DVD extras I've watched...LOL...(you see where I get some of my ideas (smile)) I do get a big slowdown with sprites when used like I need to use them, my machine will sit computing something after I even turn them off...but I still use them and love them,

I do like the last test example of yours and it looks convincing to me, love that swirling action in the dusty air..and I dont see much use in any additional features...

 

Keep it goin..

 

Michael

[Bendytoons]

faster expansion. Movie has the full cycle

dust8.mov

[Bendytoons]

faster expansion, heavier dust, faster dissapation

dust10.mov

[KenH]

Getting there. IMO, the dust could dissipate even faster. I used the fast forward button in quicktime and it seemed to look better. Also, the sprites seem to spread out in such a way that it looks like there are two big sprites on either side of the box. It looks too even/ordered. Maybe mixing it up abit might improve it.

[Kamikaze]

This is a really cool thread, only thing is ,like Ken writes it is a matter of opinion ,...looks to fast to me....in dissipating..of course I live in a high humidity area where the dust (and boy does my house have it) may stay in the air longer, I guess , I did a few tests with man made dust (powder found around the house) and real dust in the house, and got different results, of course the weight of the dust material must have some sort of effect ......

 

Also, the composition of the dust and thickness of the layer(s) of dust may have some sort of effect on how visable and dissipation.

not tryin to get too technical am I, well thats just like me on "some" things...

 

Michael

[robcat2075]

That's not bad looking dust, I've seen less convincing dust effects done with bigger budgets. On the Disney Dinosaurs DVD there's a dust effect on one of the menus that doesn't look as good.

 

The element that I find most unconvincing about most CG dust is that it somehow just disappears in place rather than settling or being dispersed somehow.

 

Perhaps not so much dust at the outset would be easier to get rid of at the end.

[Dhar]

Looks good to me.

 

To nitpick: I don't know what look is required for this piece (realistic/cartoon). I went ahead and dropped a box at my workshop, & observed that the dust doesn't originate right at the edge surface of the box. Because of air turbulance generated by the box the dust was blown 6-8 inches away from the box first before it started rising & rolling. I dropped a box of air filters 16X22X25" deep, about 10-15 lbs. The contents/weight of your box and the drop distance must be taken into consideration.