Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!udel!udccvax1!cygnus
From: cygnus@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Marc Cygnus)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Nuclear burst simulation; ideas, anyone?
Message-ID: <4295@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>
Date: 3 Sep 89 02:56:07 GMT
Reply-To: cygnus@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Marc Cygnus)
Followup-To: comp.graphics
Distribution: na
Organization: The Lab Rats
Lines: 36
Keywords: nuclear, explosion, simulation

I'm working on an animation sequence (part of) which involves a nuclear 
groundburst. I don't want just a `mushroom cloud' -- I need to animate the
entire burst from initial fireball through the characteristic `mushroom'.
I don't need to include receeding clouds, though it would add a nice touch.

Has anyone attempted modelling such physical events? My requirements are fairly
lax; after all, the animation is not a scientific visualisation of burst 
mechanics, but rather a playful `let's-see-what-the-machine-can-do' project
laced with humour. I _do_ want the thing to look as realistic as is feasible,
though.

The hardware involved is an HP Turbo SRX (350, I believe). Also, since the
animation will be frame-edited to a VTR, the algorithm(s) may consume any
reasonable amount of time. Anything up to 400-450 CPU hours will be fine
(assuming 60 - 80 seconds of video).

I had originally planned to obtain some footage of groundbursts and digitise
burst outlines, using the 2D outline as the cross-sectional basis of a spline
surface. To give the burst a more realistic appearance, some sort of repeatable
bump-mapping scheme could be applied to the surface, or the actual surface
control points could be perturbed in a repeatable, controlled fashion. And, of
course, lighting would have to be manipulated appropriately (but that's not the
big problem).

If anyone has a better suggestion, or (*much* better yet) has actually gone
and _done_ something similar, please email me (and many thanks in advance!).
If anything brilliant or extremely elegant passes my way (and if readers wish)
I will summarise.

					-marcus-

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