Whether a daily render project becomes a thing or not, Day 1 is off to a good start.

2016, Using xParticles for fireworks.

Fireworks is synonymous with the new year, so here we are. The text started as a MoType, with a xpCollider tag to add some interaction. Low and behold there’s an option to spawn on collision, so i turned that on for a laugh. A pretty simple scene, a xpSpawn modifier explodes the fireworks with another xpSpawn affecting those particles with a little trail. Just like the $19 fireworks boom box you can buy at The Warehouse.

*// Textures:
4 xParticle materials making use of gradients and modifiers ie change colour over life
1 Material texture used with GSG Top Coat (< This it the bees knees for quick quality reflectance without spending hours changing a bunch of things and it all looks the same…)
 
*// Lighting:
1 Backlight and 1 light with 2016 excluded.
The funk is in xpSprite object where I found the option to make lights. So this is attached to the first spawn stage of the firework, with an inverse squared falloff - hence all the spawned partciles the initial firework burst are lights.
 
*//Animation:
All x-particles dynamics, with 2 keyframes for the initial light. #nextlevel
 
*//Render:
Standard render + Ambient Occlusion
 
*//After Effects:
“Graded” with curves
A touch of glow
 
*// Scene:
Objects: 30 (295)
Polygons: 9196
Particles: Hard to tell… at the most 3000 in a frame, but varies ±1000…wish
Textures: 5
Lights: 2, plus the particles which can be anywhere up to 700
Render time: 1h50m Rocking on the macbook pro. ~20seconds per frame
 
*// Problems:
Make objects editable for the xpCollider tag to work.

*// Tip of the day:
Top Coat from GSG is worth its weight in gold. Fast, simple and easy to layer up surfaces and reflections. 10/10.
Don’t buy fireworks from The Warehouse. Lighting the empty cardboard box on fire afterwards was more exciting….

As always, thanks for watching, questions welcome!