Afterburn 3.2
3ds Max volumetric effects plugin

Afterburn 3.2 (3DS Max Plugin)
Supports 3DS Max version 4.x through 2009

This product is download only There are no shipping fees for this product.

AfterBurn is a production-proven volumetric effects plugin that has been used in cinematic productions such as Matrix Reloaded, Armageddon, Dracula 2000, HBO trailer, Mechwarrior3 cine trailer, various IMAX movies and games such as Warcraft3, Starcraft, Sin and many others.

This all-in-one solution enables rendering of ultra realistic effects ranging from clouds, pyroclastic smoke, dust, superb explosions effects, liquid metals, water and various procedurally defined "hard" objects.

Unique solutions (features) that were carefully designed and built into the AfterBurn set of plugins will introduce you to a completely new meaning for the word "creativity".

With AfterBurn Deamons you can even drill a hole through clouds or change the wind direction and strength.

AfterBurn Effects enable glowing based on particle age, or transferring AfterBurn Z-buffer, Mtl-buffer to MAX buffers so you can apply Glow or Depth of Field effects. The Numerous examples and presets on the CD will make learning easy and fun.

AfterBurn is a fully volumetric raymarching engine, and excels at creating very natural looking effects. All of the standard MAX particles can be turned into fireballs, clouds, smoke, explosions, nebulae, liquid metals, canyons in a matter of minutes!

Video Post glow filter - Allowing glow of AfterBurn effects, with varying glow size and strength with particle age

Combustion - Standard MAX Combustion with AfterBurn technology. Features: glow, falloff, proper mixing with AfterBurn, HyperSolids, two shading algorithms and built in antialiasing for HyperSolids.

One of the AfterBurn's many unique features is the ability to assign glows, and even depth-of-field to different parts of the volumetric effect. This is possible since AfterBurn lets the user create their own channels for Z-Buffer, ID-Channel Buffer, and Age Buffer. These channels can be transferred to MAX standard buffers for use of other (non-AfterBurn) Video Post filters. AfterBurn even has its own Glow filter which is capable of glowing AfterBurn volumetric output -- with glow color, strength and size varying with the age of the volumetric particle.

What's new in version 3.2:

For existing AfterBurn users, here is a short list of the major features and additions to this exciting new version.

- ThinkingParticles 2 Support:

AfterBurn 3.2 now supports multiple ThinkingParticles 2 particle groups within the Master System. From the AfterBurn user interface, you can select ThinkingParticles as your source particle, and a new Group selector dialog will appear. Whichever TP2 particle Groups you pick will be displayed inside the Source Particles/Daemons group of controls (as shown below).

- Improved Explode Daemon Calculations:

AfterBurn 3.2 has re -worked the core algorithms of the Explode Daemon so that it achieves faster results and is not as memory intensive. In terms of controls, it is identical to previous versions, but in terms of speed, you will see a marked improvement.

- AFCs now use full Bezier interpolation:

AfterBurn 3.2 has added full Bezier interpolation to all of its AFC control dialogs. Now users can manipulate full Bezier curves and handles to define your curves and gives you more control over how your flow curves appear.

- Added Support for finalRender Stage-1 Global Illumination and Caustics:

As part of the interoperation between DCP plug-ins, AfterBurn 3.2 now offers a tighter connection to finalRender Stage-1's Global Illumination and Caustics generation. In previous versions of AfterBurn, all GI and Caustics data would not affect the output look of the AfterBurn volumetrics as shown in the image below.

Now, within AfterBurn 3.2, you can right-click on the particle system to which AfterBurn is assigned, choose fR-Properties and from the resulting dialog turn on Calculate Self-GI and/or Generate Caustics controls. At that point, the volumetric puffs will use the Global Illumination and Caustics data from Stage-1 to light the scene.

Rendering

The AfterBurn renderer is accessed via the Environment rollout. The effect is highly customizable, as is control over quality/speed demands.

HyperSolids is a completely new approach in volumetrics rendering. Using this technology it is possible to render liquids and other 'blobby' objects without a single poylgon. With built in antialiasing the effect renders smooth, without artifacts.

Additional volumetric plugins that ships with AfterBurn (Combustion-helper based, fog, and volume fog), including AfterBurn, can be properly mixed together at rendering time. From now on, the user don't have to worry which effect will be first, and which the second one, as AfterBurn renderer will properly mix them.

Raytrace and Shadow map algorithms are supported within AfterBurn shadow generators (AfterBurn lights are not used anymore)!

With several unique light-scattering functions, volumetrics can scatter varying degree of light 'photons', based upon the angle between the camera and the lights.

AfterBurn volumetric can be seen through surface with refraction applied, and also seen on reflective one.

Animation

In 3D Studio MAX, each particle is represented depending upon it's own age/life. Since Track View is not suited to representing animation over particle age, a new form of animation control was necessary. AfterBurn's Animation Flow Curves (AFCs) represents the change of parameters over particle age. With such flexible animation graph control, the animator is completely unfettered when it comes to re-creating real or imaginary scenery. AFC supports different key types including Corner, Smooth and Bezier. AFC also supports various Interpolation Controllers such as 'Particle Age', 'Paticle Velocity', 'Object Distance', 'Expression' and more.

Color change over particle age is animated via gradients (linear and TCB types). In AfterBurn each key color and position can be animated over the particle age, and time. Similar to AFC, gradients also supports various Interpolation Controllers.

AfterBurn's rich feature set, intuitive interface, and ease of solving some of animation's biggest headaches assure that every small or large animation studio will find that AfterBurn pays for itself on the first project.

With five different basic noise types (fractal, turbulent, smoke, Fbm fractal, Fbm turbulent) and a couple of HyperSolids specific noise types, plus parameters that allow for total control of noise shape, an infinite variety of noise shapes can be created.