Get Allan McKay’s free 15-hour fireball VFX training course

VFX supervisor and 3ds Max guru Allan McKay has released a free 15-hour training course exploring how to create a complete visual effects shot of a fireball ripping through the interior of a plane.

The videos and associated project files are only available until 14 July 2017.

Discover how to create a movie-style explosion using current real-world production techniques
The course, which is divided up into 10 separate videos, covers the entire process of creating a movie-quality VFX shot, including simulation, lighting and shading, and compositing.

Inidividual videos cover the fireball itself, ash and sparks, and flame bursts. McKay also focuses on rigid body dynamics, using the data from the fluid simulation to rip apart the interior of the plane.

Simulation is carried out 3ds Max, FumeFX and thinkingParticles, and compositing in Nuke, Fusion and After Effects, although McKay says that it’s possible to apply the general principles in any software.

McKay describes the course as advanced-level, and the training focuses on techniques used in production, including setting up the environment procedurally, optimising fluid simulations, and choroegraphing shots.

There is also an entire video devoted to scripting production tools.

As well as the videos, McKay is making project files from the shot available to download, including the shaders and compositing scene files; plus the final rendered frames.

Availability
Allan McKay’s fireball training videos are available for free until 14 July 2017 via the link below, after which point, they will be removed from public view.

To gain access to the files, you need to register on McKay’s site, and links will be emailed to you.

Register for the free fireball VFX training course on Allan McKay’s website