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Pixar in a Box
Course: Pixar in a Box > Unit 7
Lesson 1: Introduction to particle systems- Effects overview
- Introduction to particle systems
- Simulating water
- Water simulation
- Smooth collisions
- Smoothed particle hydrodynamics
- Create water surface using particles
- Calculating contour lines
- What else can you make with particle systems?
- Fireworks simulator
- Genesis effect
- Getting to know Matt Wong
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Introduction to particle systems
Let's get started! First we'll explore the origins of particle systems with the man who invented them, Bill Reeves.
Want to join the conversation?
- Does a person interested in these types of graphic effects and anmation merely as a hobby need a great computer? Can a standard notebook handle this type of animation?(8 votes)
- The general problem with laptops is they are not very powerful, and they tend to heat up under hard use. But if that is what you have, use it! Create small scenes and blow the cat hair out of the fan once in a while.(3 votes)
- This program is just for creating water. Is there another program for other types of effects and animations?(3 votes)
- Do you need a high end computer to render all these particles? What kind of ram and motherboard if so?(3 votes)
- How powerful do these computers have to be in order to handle billions of particles? Wouldn't the computer have lag?(2 votes)
- Depends on how many particles you want to simulate. This is actually one of the ways they test the speed of new computers or benchmark them as it is called. Faster, more powerful computer the more particles!(3 votes)
- How much time and people does it take to create particles enough for an animated ocean??(3 votes)
- What About Under water? I am a lighting Artist but i want to do a underwater scene and I want to make it as believable as possibe(3 votes)
- no but ur mom is(1 vote)
- Firework show? Fantastic!(1 vote)
- THIS s WAY too hard I cant comprehend this my brian lose brainceell gonna die form heathattack pls help me at2:06
THIS IS WAY TO HARD HELP ME PLSPLS PH PLS OH PLS THIS TOO OMG THIS IS TOO HRD AHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHH(1 vote) - Wow! How do they manage to figure out all the physics rules for the particles? And, who does it? Is there a team of scientists who work on creating the rules for particle animation?(1 vote)
Video transcript
- Hi, I'm Matt Wong, an
Effects Technical Director here at Pixar. I work with Sara Beth and Eric who you met in the previous video and
this is the pool they were in, the Pixar Pool, which
is one of the nice perks of working here at Pixar. We don't just use the pool for recreation, we sometimes use it for work, too like in this reference video
we shot for Finding Dory. We wanted to see what it
would look like underwater when large objects like
this pumpkin hit the water. In the previous video
you learned that water and other physically
phenomena like smoke, dust, and fire can be simulated
using lots and lots of individual particles. Using particles is a
simplification of real physics but it's an effective tool for artists. The more particles you use the closer you get to real physics. Most of our simulations
require millions and millions of particles to create believable water. Keeping track of that many
particles would take too long for humans to do. Even computers have trouble
with large particle counts but we've developed some practical methods that you'll learn about in this lesson. One of the most power techniques we use is called a particle system. Particle systems were first
invented by an effects artist named Bill Reeves to
create a shot for the movie Start Trek Two back in 1982. The shot was called the Genesis Effect and it blew people away. It was a real milestone
in computer graphics. At the time Bill was working for a group that eventually became Pixar. And you know what, he still works here. Hey Bill. - Hey. - Can you tell us a little bit more about the Genesis Effect? Like what was the story point? - Well the Genesis Effect was this device that could turn a living
planet into a dead planet or a dead planet into a
living planet and I used particle systems to do the
transformational fire element at that. - And today we still use particles for lots of different effects. In the rest of the lesson you'll
learn how we use particles to simulate the motion of water and you'll create a fireworks show.