Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 6, 2013. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
In three tutorial videos with a total running time of more than three hours, Andrew Kramer shows how artists can realistically composite and create an explosion. The first video shows the compositing with After Effects for this train chrash scene:
It specifically explains tracking with Mocha and Magic Tracking Presets as well as rotoscoping with masks. Kramer also shows how the CG train elements can be composed in After Effects and the CG explosions with Depth Matte. In the tutorial, the AE artist uses stock footage from his "Action Essentials 2" package.
Go to the tutorial in HD quality here.
In the second video, the destroyed train tanker model is created in 3ds Max. The explosion physics are simulated with Rayfire, while the lighting setup, Matte Shadow and rendering are carried out with V-Ray. Kramer also shows how the PFLow particle tool can be used to create flying debris particles that land on the ground as rubble.
Here is the 3ds Max tutorial "Tanker Destruction"
In the last tutorial, Kramer presents how he creates an explosion with Fume FX and 3ds Max. He explains how to create a particle system for simulations and which Fume FX simulation settings must be made to create the explosion from the video.
You can find the "Fume FX Explosion" here.
