Explosions

I've created the prototype explosions in C.I.N.D.-E 1.4 in Alias PowerAnimator using particle systems. Particle systems were first invented for the sequence showing the creation of the Genesis planet in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. Particle systems were originally used for fire effects but have been extended to create smoke, hair, water and many other complex difficult-to-model objects.

(The graphic just above looks like a line separator but it's really a sequence of 60 explosion frames reduced to fit on the screen!)

The explosions are pre-rendered on a Silicon Graphics computer in order to allow a virtually unlimited number of particles to be used in the simulation. Most of the explosive sequences in C.I.N.D.-E 1.4 are sixty (60) frames long and playback at rates ranging from 24 to 30 fps. Frames are dropped depending on your computer's rendering speed, so you may not see all the frames. This was done purposefully - so that faster computers show more of the explosions than slower computers. In fact, the entire architecture of the game engine allows for better graphics on faster machines. (See High-color, High-resolution, High-Performance.)

Here's a series of six "snapshots" from a 60 frame explosion:

Here's a big explosion in a scene: