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Plasma Rocket


JavierP

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Hi Guys,

This is a little test I have been working on for an upcoming project. I decided to post it because it seemed like one of those "can AM do blah blah?" kind of effects. So, I guess what I'm saying is 'AM can do plasma rockets too :)

 

Oh yeah, and its all procedural as well.

 

Javier

 

RocketB.jpg

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Pretty slick - don't suppose you'd care to share the method with us (although I will admit a vested interest for the space animation contest, so I'm more than understanding if you want to keep your edge if you are entering as well) ?

 

Also, I have to give technical nitpick. That looks like you have a diffuser/fan on the front of your rocket. Plasma rockets usually don't have those - but they do tend to have big magnetic rings to form a magnetic nozzle, which are even cooler IMHO. Not to mention a microwave generator that would do a potato in miliseconds :)

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Paul: Thanks. There is no real secret to the technique. It's just a simple model with some procedurals applied. I'll post a wireframe shortly, and a little explanation as to how it was done.

 

Jim: Thanks. I think its a few seconds to render at 800x600. I don't have the animation yet, but I'm workin' on it. It was made for animation, so I expect it to respond well.

 

OdinsEye2k: Thanks. Like I said, no secrets, just a little basic splinemanship :ph34r: I'm not entering the animation contest, so I can give you one of my edges, just make sure you keep it sharp :)

Also, thats not a diffuser/fan it's an "ion intake apperature" :blink: .......yeah... that's what it is...

 

Javier

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Thanks guys,

Here is a wire frame shot of the image. I think it pretty much reveals the trick. natess44, you're right, I don't have sprites, but my technique behaves like a sprite emitter. They are flat patches arranged in a row and, with the help of constraints, they face the camera automatically and can travel along a path. The only difference is animation is a bit more difficult. Also, I dont know if you can apply an animated procedural to a sprite emitter; can you? Well that's pretty much it. I will post an animation later, if anyone wants to see it.

 

Javier

 

rocketC.jpg

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That is a beautiful still opening this thread... I would love to see how the animation looks- but could you not just post it from one angle- move the camera and let's see how the planes track. Don't try to look too perdy here- let us see the guts!

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That is a beautiful still opening this thread... I would love to see how the animation looks- but could you not just post it from one angle- move the camera and let's see how the planes track. Don't try to look too perdy here- let us see the guts!

I am not a fan of gratuitous camera pan/tracking :) Besides, the planes don't hold up well to the movements when the camera is exactly perpendicular to them. They interpenetrate for one frame and a popping effect is visible. I think that an exotic rig cold prevent that but that is my weakest skill in AM, so I haven't really made a serious effort to explore that. However, except for the planes everyting holds up well. Maybe I could do a fly-by of the front only......

 

Javier

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Well that was sort of the point- unless the engine is going to remain stable to the camera at all times... when you wrote you designed it to be animated I assumed that meant it could move relative to the camera as well as simply move through it's own animated cycle.

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I designed it to perform well for the intended task in my project. It would be nice to be able to concieve of every single eventuality and make something to please the whims of everyone, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

Javier

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awesome... I'd love to see some more detailed info on the techniques used.

 

My only crit would be that the jet omission is a bit too uniform for my liking.. I'd like to see it rapidly varying in volume more. That would help to give the impression of a powerful amount of energy being generated.

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awesome... I'd love to see some more detailed info on the techniques used.

 

My only crit would be that the jet omission is a bit too uniform for my liking.. I'd like to see it rapidly varying in volume more. That would help to give the impression of a  powerful amount of energy being generated.

That's a good observation,but that's the finess part of the animation that I mentioned. I also plan to add, engine shuddder and some flowing action to the plasma flame. I just didn't have the time to add it to the test anim.

 

Javier

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My only crit would be that the jet omission is a bit too uniform for my liking.. I'd like to see it rapidly varying in volume more. That would help to give the impression of a  powerful amount of energy being generated. 

 

Actually, aside from shaking the engine a lot, you probably wouldn't see a whole lot of volume change in the plume (unless, I guess you *really* changed the throttle). You tend to design these things to be as steady as possible - every variation in pressure with time or position in the flow is more efficiency lost to your engine. Not to mention tearing the hell out of your combustor and being even louder than it would be normally. Hotspots would tend to show up as really bright streaks compared to the flame (see the Shuttle Main Engines at like T-2 seconds when they go from 60-100% throttle)

 

A space rocket would be even more placid than a jet engine, I would think, since you don't have so many design points to try and satisfy (take-off in thick air, cruise in thin) or inlet flow distortions. You basically just have a bonfire with a nozzle attached. Or, in the case of a plasma rocket - a microwave with a magnet attached.

 

Even though a fighter jet engine is super-powerful, you actually rarely see the flame change volume. Heck, even the beads that show up in the flame don't move that much IIRC.

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Actually, aside from shaking the engine a lot, you probably wouldn't see a whole lot of volume change in the plume (unless, I guess you *really* changed the throttle).  You tend to design these things to be as steady as possible - every variation in pressure with time or position in the flow is more efficiency lost to your engine.  Not to mention tearing the hell out of your combustor and being even louder than it would be normally.  Hotspots would tend to show up as really bright streaks compared to the flame (see the Shuttle Main Engines at like T-2 seconds when they go from 60-100% throttle)

 

A space rocket would be even more placid than a jet engine, I would think, since you don't have so many design points to try and satisfy (take-off in thick air, cruise in thin) or inlet flow distortions.  You basically just have a bonfire with a nozzle attached.  Or, in the case of a plasma rocket - a microwave with a magnet attached.

 

Even though a fighter jet engine is super-powerful, you actually rarely see the flame change volume.  Heck, even the beads that show up in the flame don't move that much IIRC.

You're right. I suppose the closest example that I can relate it too from personal experience is a bunsen burner flame.

 

However, your post reminded me of the first thing my grandfather said to my brother and I after he'd taken us to see Empire Strikes Back. He was an electrical engineer, a true disciple of science and though he had a great sense of fun and wonder he was an avid dismisser of hookum. My brother and I were speechless as we walked out of the cinema. I felt practically drunk on the magnitude of what I had just seen. My grandfather looked perplexed for a moment, stared at us both, then blurted out, "Of course, you wouldn't have been able to hear any of that in space!" He was more confused than angry. I'd like to think that he was trying to solve a major internal conflict between excitment and logic.

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However, your post reminded me of the first thing my grandfather said to my brother and I after he'd taken us to see Empire Strikes Back. He was an electrical engineer, a true disciple of science and though he had a great sense of fun and wonder he was an avid dismisser of hookum. My brother and I were speechless as we walked out of the cinema. I felt practically drunk on the magnitude of what I had just seen. My grandfather looked perplexed for a moment, stared at us both, then blurted out, "Of course, you wouldn't have been able to hear any of that in space!" He was more confused than angry. I'd like to think that he was trying to solve a major internal conflict between excitment and logic. 

 

Funny, Parlo, I feel the same inner conflict when I see NASA-rendered footage for various things. On the one hand, I know that they look a lot different from Hollywood stuff because they are somewhat based on real data. But they just never seem to convey all of the awesome forces going on in some events. They're actually pretty darned sterile, which isn't right either.

 

Back to the thread at hand, a fair amount of camera shake and shudder would be pretty nifty for the rocket, Javier. Most rocket launcher vibrations are a mix of sine waves that occur in the 10-5000 Hz range.

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  • 2 months later...

and the animation can be found here.

 

Javier

No luck getting there. The page supposedly is missing, so I tried to find in on the site...still no luck. Anywhere else we can catch it (no pun intended)?

I took that clip down already. If you reeeally want to see it I can put it back up, but otherwise, I don't think I'll put it back up.

 

Javier

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Just bumping this thread to the top of the forum again to give JavierP another opportunity to see it again and please his awaiting audience.

 

Encore my good man, your audience it waiting ;)

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  • 2 months later...

Actually, that render and model.... the whole image and concept, is amazing.

 

Look, I don't know who you are.... if you work professionally as an animator or not, but you have exactly the knack that I am looking for.

 

I have work for you, if you are interested.... I can't pay a great amount, but I can pay. The model is nearly complete, but I will need you to finish it.. (create some weathering, fix some bones, and add some form of sprite "propulsion" like you did for your model)

 

All I'll need is a short animation, or the complete model I can animate here. Interested? Let's talk.

 

-Jim

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