Tutorial: How to Make Sparks in Blender
By BlenderGuru.
Andrew Price writes:Previously, creating realistic sparks in blender was nearly impossible because there was no way to make the particles fade out or change color over time.
But there’s now a new node in Cycles called the Particle Info node that allows you to change a particles material based on it’s age, velocity or size etc. I’ve been waiting for this feature for years, so I’m super psyched to be able to demo it!
In this tutorial I’ll show you how to use the new Particle Info node to create realistic sparks.
Link
Hi Andrew.
Nice job! However just a small comment. I’m not up to date really with cycles functionality, but actually you could change the color of particles over time. You could control it with the age of particles.
There was a tutorial on it a few years ago, I believe about 4-5 years ago already? I remember because I was playing around with that feature.
But now it’s in Cycles and just so much better looking!
Thanks.
Yeah I’m aware that there used to be a way to do it, but that was only in 2.49 (and it was a bit of hack anyway :P). The functionality was never brought to 2.5 until now.
Awww man. Andrew, that is awesome. !
Thanks :)
In high resolution, and close range, they looks like bubbles from molten iron.
That’s why you make your own tweaks to it. I actually like that this video looks that way since it means people will want to improve on it to get it more “sparky” and less “molten” — it also means you don’t have to worry as much about being accused of ripping off blenderguru. I’d still rather figure it out on my own, all the same.
I had in mind that molten bubbles add realism. I think, that debris throw out from material melt (because of friction heat between material, and blade), and form bubbles (probbaly because of surface tension). But I do not know if this is true.
Wonderful, great effect with nice song. Slow motion with DOF, a very professionnal tutorial. And very realistic…
Thank for your sharing
De France…
Those wishing to improve on Andrew’s excellent work to make more realistic sparks should be aware of important facts found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_testing
I’m afraid this video doesn’t look anywhere near realistic! It looks like somebody splashing about in coloured oil. Sparks leave a definitve vector trail, like this plasma cutter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQK0udoz1Wk .
I think that in reality sparks, are bubbles of molten material. Vector trail iliusion is created because, they move very fast, and in time while video camera expose one frame, it move significant distance and trace line in frame. That can be seen in slow motion video. When sparks recede emission source, they speed decreases and true form more clear visible. Since in this tutorial video, spark are in slow motion i think that they form are correct. Only flaw that sparks in tutorial don’t split and fork, like in real slow motion videos. But like tmbartol indicated, maybe it depend on material.
Warning: my theory about sparks is not based on scientific data and can be wrong.
Random youtube links with sparks in slow motion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-av9nRUpqWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L7TTLWXjqc
awesome tutorial I watched it yesterday and render video looks really cool too .About realism I don’t think cgi artist should just create realistic looking things but give that soul as well I that you did :).well done.I work with these cutters tools every and I never seen image so poetic.