Expert: Keanu - 3/19/2003

Question
Hi there.  My name is Noe and I am a 3d animation student. I was wondering if you new how to create a space shockwave in 3ds max 4, or if you can at least point me in the right direction.  I've tried many of the online tutorials but they all seam too plane.  I would appreciate any help.  Thanks.

Answer
Firs of all you can look for tutorials on Internet that works for any 3D software, not only for MAX, because what you need is the main concept of the construction, the techniques applied. Then depends on you to translate these steps into MAX.
Now, go back to the shockwave...
You can experiment making the clasic ring and mapping it with a shockwave texture.  This is what you can find in any tutorial you can find.  The trick is:  make the map yourself, try that the border of the blast won't be perfect.  Think that in a big explotion, like a space shockwave, the part that go first, the border as you can see, can't be perfect: littles an bigs pieces of rock, dust, fire, explotions take place in all over the wave.  Then you need to represent it in the map. Exeriment whit it, is the best way, because in that way you can arrive at the perfection level that you want.
Don't forget the initial explotion, where you also must make imperfections.
Don't use Combustion, but videopost lightFX (glow, flares, etc.)
If you use peaces of rocks, make them smallers, remember: the blast is BIG, the biggest rocks that you can find there are sand in the shockwave dimension.
So... hope you can blow the screen...
Good lock...