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3D lightning

WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199
edited December 1969 in Carrara Discussion

I wanted lightning strikes for a long time and found hitfilm express will do it

yay


can texture planes
but


getting greedy and thinking mmmm particles and motion paths
only thing is, I need motion paths that branch,
yes can link several but it all seems so fiddly when surely there is a way to make random branching animated lighning stikes
maybe even with anything grows?

Was wondering if anyone has thought of making us a nice random lightning strike plugin?

Comments

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited May 2015

    The thing with lighting, is that it is so fast that it would be really difficult to discern any three dimensionality from it. An exception would be a continuous electrical arc. I can think of a couple possibilities for that, but would need to experiment.

    Post edited by evilproducer on
  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,235
    edited December 1969

    wendy♥catz said:
    ...yes can link several but it all seems so fiddly when surely there is a way to make random branching animated lighning stikes maybe even with anything grows?

    Maybe use a tree with no leaves? No time to test right now, but maybe turn it upside down and use an Elevation function in the alpha channel to reveal the tree from top to bottom? Can't test until later this evening.

  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited May 2015

    Again, there's no need to immediately run to a plugin. You can find 1.73 trillion gorgeous images of lightning strikes on the internet. And with some minor and very quick compositing you can insert multiple strikes in your animation, as well as light the surroundings during each flash.

    And as Evil said, it's not really a 3D effect since it lasts only a split second. By the time your camera moves a few feet the strike is long gone...

    By the way, don't forget the glow around the strike and details like that. A perfect opportunity for some compositing. Especially if you want particles emitted where the strike hits the ground and stuff, or underlighting of the dark clouds. Cool.

    Post edited by JoeMamma2000 on
  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 1969

    By the way, this thread piqued my interest, and I did a short search on related stuff. And I found this very interesting video by a VERY skilled and sharp CG guy, Andrew Price. Here's how he approached the concept. BTW, he's a Blender guy who does some excellent tutorials.

    Now, his approach was pretty much the opposite of the typical approach that people here take. Instead of running for a plugin he did some research with reference images, and actually decided to model the lightning strike and the clouds, etc.

    Not something I'd do, but you have to give him a lot of credit for jumping in with both feet and doing the arduous work to model all of this stuff.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB0dphDcC7g

  • Design AcrobatDesign Acrobat Posts: 459
    edited May 2015

    Cripeman had a tutorial on making electrical discharges.

    I've used the marble shader in making animated lightning as well.

    One can play around with the undulation to vary the strikes and make sure the vain count is set at one.

    The pertubations can be slightly varied as well as the global scale and blending.

    Just adjust the frames as you wish and have them close together to represent the quickness of the lightning.

    Single frame shown, it looks better animated and with scary clouds.

    lightning_sjader_frames.jpg
    431 x 64 - 8K
    Post edited by Design Acrobat on
  • MarkIsSleepyMarkIsSleepy Posts: 1,496
    edited May 2015

    You can make a simple lightning design in Photoshop or Gimp and just pop it in the glow channel of a plane too. I did a search for "Photoshop Lightning Brushes" on DeviantArt and got about a dozen results, so even if you aren't confident in your ability to draw lightning you can use one of those brushes and just stamp it. :)

    Here's one set: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Lightning-Photoshop-Brushes-37337848

    Although, now that I reread your original post, that's pretty much what you already have and not what you want to try, so feel free to ignore me. :)

    JoeMamma2000 said:
    By the way, this thread piqued my interest, and I did a short search on related stuff. And I found this very interesting video by a VERY skilled and sharp CG guy, Andrew Price. Here's how he approached the concept. BTW, he's a Blender guy who does some excellent tutorials.

    Now, his approach was pretty much the opposite of the typical approach that people here take. Instead of running for a plugin he did some research with reference images, and actually decided to model the lightning strike and the clouds, etc.

    Not something I'd do, but you have to give him a lot of credit for jumping in with both feet and doing the arduous work to model all of this stuff.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB0dphDcC7g

    I love Andrew Price's tutorials. I don't use Blender (yet) but I always learn something from how he explains his thought process and work-flow. He's got some great general videos on color and composition too.

    Post edited by MarkIsSleepy on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199
    edited May 2015

    As I said in my first post, I have already done lightning strikes using a textured plane, I also have stock footage of both static and video. http://youtu.be/XATmaxiBbYc
    I was looking for a way to create 3D lightning, the tree idea not a bad one, I have tried vertex modelling some and creating morphs too and there is RAWarts boned effects.
    A lightning generator could be used for superheros too like those props.
    Everything I have done just looks too contrived, I have tried photographing lightning many times as the real thing looks so magnificent but a static shot would not do it justice, the way it snakes and branches is amazing and no video I have seen really captures that, (maybe a few that certainly are NOT for sale or in my budget) my animation would indeed be slowed down compared to nature but if I wanted a stock video I would use one, I want that effect to use in a fantasy way.

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    wendy♥catz said:
    As I said in my first post, I have already done lightning strikes using a textured plane, I also have stock footage of both static and video.
    I was looking for a way to create 3D lightning, the tree idea not a bad one, I have tried vertex modelling some and creating morphs too and there is RAWarts boned effects.
    A lightning generator could be used for superheros too like those props.
    Everything I have done just looks too contrived, I have tried photographing lightning many times as the real thing looks so magnificent but a static shot would not do it justice, the way it snakes and branches is amazing and no video I have seen really captures that, (maybe a few that certainly are NOT for sale or in my budget) my animation would indeed be slowed down compared to nature but if I wanted a stock video I would use one, I want that effect to use in a fantasy way.

    You say in a fantasy way? Is this actually cloud to ground or cloud to cloud lightning, or is it more like magical bolts shooting from some wizard or sorcerous? The effect and way to achieve it could be very different.
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199
    edited December 1969

    Well sort of both really.
    I would use cloud to ground, cloud to cloud stuff in a fantasy way too, is one of the reasons I love 3D, there are no rules.
    Plasma balls, tesla coils mad scientist labs you name it.
    I love the rapid branching snaking effect, even that hitfilm generated video effect I linked really lacks it but is the closest I have found so far.

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199
    edited December 1969

    http://youtu.be/XATmaxiBbYc I added it to my post it seems after you quoted it

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987
    edited May 2015

    Hi Wendy, if you found some footage of a Van Der Graaf generator close up might help.
    That lighting effect from Hitfilm.... Premiere Elements gives exactly the same!

    Do you have Corel Painter 15 - it has some amazing particle brushes which could be customised to do something pretty good I think

    Post edited by Headwax on
  • 3drendero3drendero Posts: 2,024
    edited December 1969

    Yes there is a plugin. Pycloid 0.2 has the new tubes growing function that looks close enough on the demo videos. Just some fine tuning to get closer to lightning.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k6iVZlJLnM

    http://www.f1oat.org/pycloid/index.html

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199
    edited December 1969

    Oh wow that looks awesome!

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    edited December 1969

    haven't tried these, says props and morphs :cheese:

    http://www.daz3d.com/orestes-electromancy - poser installer

  • Persona Non GrataPersona Non Grata Posts: 1,365
    edited March 2021

    .

    Post edited by Persona Non Grata on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199

    That looks very good Selinita yes

    I had forgotten about this thread

    I often go outside during storms to watch the snakey lightning but sadly still not seen anything quite like what I witness here, we get awesome light shows and it does actually branch out and snake before my eyes

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,199
    edited June 2019

    Be also interesting now we have cutouts

    while not animated it would be cool trying a series of actual photographic stills in it

     

    and sorry very old thread so my video long gone

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
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