Adding a Second Glow to the Explosion

Creating Explosions

Adding Streaks with Radial Blur

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials > Animation Tutorials > Creating Explosions > 

Animating the Explosion's Glow

The glow will be more realistic if it changes over time.

Animate the explosion's glow:

1. On the toolbar, click Curve Editor (Open).

   The Track View - Curve Editor is displayed.

2. Go to the Modes menu and choose Dope Sheet.
3. In the Controller window on the left, pan down until you can see the label Render Effects. This is near the top of the scene hierarchy.
4. Click the plus icon to the left of Render Effects to expand the render effects tracks.
   TipClicking a plus icon in this window expands tracks. When the tracks have been expanded, the icon changes to a minus icon. If you want the tracks collapsed, click the minus icon. The tracks will no longer be visible.
5. Click to expand the Lens Effects tracks.

   With the Lens Effects tracks open, you can see both glow effect tracks.

   

6. Scroll down and click to open the blast tracks.

   

   All the glow attributes in the Rendering Effects dialog are listed here. You can set keys for any attribute to animate its effect.

7. Click the Intensity track to select it, then right-click and select Assign Controller. Select Bezier Float, and then click OK.
8. With the Intensity track selected, turn on Add Keys on the Track View toolbar.

   

9. In the Key window on the right, click the Intensity track to add a key at frame 0 and another key at frame 9.
   TipWhen you move the time slider, the vertical blue lines in the Dope Sheet indicate the current frame. This is a useful way to find the frame you need.
10. Right-click the first key and set its value to 0. Move to the second key and set it to 0 as well.
11. Set the Out interpolation value of the first key to Stairstep. This will lock the glow between the first two keys.

    

12. Add another key at frame 12. Right-click the key and set its value to 75.0.
13. Add another key at frame 30. Right-click the key and set its value to 0.
14. Set the interpolation to Linear for the Out value keys at frame 9, the In and Out values for frame 12, and the In value for frame 30.

    

15. Close the key dialog by clicking the X button in its title bar.
16. You can see the shape of the intensity curve you just created by choosing Modes > Curve Editor. (You might have to expand tracks and scroll to find the blast > Intensity track once again.)

    

    Animated intensity displayed in the Curve Editor

    When the explosion begins, the Intensity rapidly rises to 75.0, then more slowly fades until at frame 30 it is zero once again.