The real world remains the best fluid simulation
Why simulate when you can film?
Fluid simulations are now commonly used, with software like Realflow, the industry standard in this field.
These digital simulations have many advantages: no need for a shoot, fully 3D, perfect control over physics and motion dynamics, multiple low-cost tests, etc. But there’s one major disadvantage — the huge computation times required to achieve realistic results, not to mention the render times needed to produce a photorealistic image, and the compositing that follows.
Just like in 3D, high-speed cameras have made incredible progress in recent years. The Phantom HD Gold can shoot in full HD at 1000 frames per second, with the look of 35mm film. Perfect for creating beautiful slow-motion shots, with no need for interpolation.
Spike — a robotic arm with motion control. Fast.
Capturing a slow-motion shot of a water bottle explosion is, in principle, quite simple. You set up the camera in front of the bottle and trigger the recording at just the right time (not too early — at thousands of HD frames per second, disks fill up fast… in 8 seconds, the Phantom fills its 32GB memory). But when you want to move the camera around that explosion, things get much more complicated. The move must be executed extremely quickly, and even the best steadicam operator would struggle.
That’s where Spike comes in. It’s a robotic arm whose movements are fully computer-controlled. Motion control isn’t new, but the speed and precision of this arm’s movements are truly impressive!
In short, it allows you to do what Sure Target does in After Effects — but for real!
All the shots you’ll see in the video below were filmed. No 3D — just real footage, captured using Spike and the Phantom:
The Marmalade
We owe this robot to the German studio The Marmalade, specialized in producing high-end visual effects for advertising. They have their own 200-square-meter studio, fully equipped with everything needed to design and shoot the scenes their clients request.
Below, you’ll find two videos: their impressive showreel, and a behind-the-scenes look at their workflow and creative process.
It’s truly mind-blowing, and I highly recommend visiting their portfolio to discover their full productions.
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About the author
I am the Founder of Mattrunks. I work as Creative Director and Motion Designer in my studio. I also create video tutorials to share my passion of motion.