Create a VFX Fire Flower For Film
Learn the skills to make feature film level effects that can be directed, with Varomix
Varomix
Creating visual effects for feature films and advertising is always a challenge. Aside from the difficulty and technical ability required to create the actual CG effect in Houdini, you are creating something that is someone else’s vision, and that is far more challenging.
That said, you have to be able to have control over the simulated effect so that it does what you want. Supervisors and directors will never accept something that’s different from the project’s vision, simply because a piece of software or the VFX artist lacks the ability to create the most accurate rendition of the concept art and/or idea required. Of the course of this tutorial we’re going to make a fire flower – and the flower literally has to be made of burning fire, so we have a few aspects to consider. The main thing is the shape. As you know, fire doesn’t have a specific shape; it’s chaotic, wild and the movement is unpredictable. For this effect to be successful we need to keep these aspects as much as possible while also depicting the flower shape.
One of the key skills any FX artist needs is patience. Why? Well simulations take time to calculate (even more so at the level of a feature film), so be patient and make lots of notes – notes about changes you’re making or notes from your supervisor or director. That way you’ll always know what you changed and what version corresponds to specific changes. It’s not unusual for a supervisor to ask you to go back to a previous version, so always make sure you’re prepared for this.
This tutorial works through my process for creating a fire effect for film production, and you can download a detailed video of each step from the online Vault, as well as the files to complete the project. By the end of this tutorial you will have a understanding of how to create feature film, production quality effects. For all the assets you need go to creativebloq.com/vault/3dw209