From the Workbench: Plasma Smoke Preview

Wanted to do a teaser of an upcoming barrel smoke effect I'm working on.  Something that seems straightforward but can be a challenge to get right with the composition.

Here, I'm using wire as an armature that I will sculpt the smoke onto.

For this effect to look right with the motion of the figure, it will really help us to set the armature in place first.  

I took time to create an interesting shape from several angles.  See how it has a wispy quality from both the side and the top?  I took care to make sure my bends were nice and smooth so when we sculpt the smoke, we'll only be enhancing the structure and not fighting against it.  The main curve needs a little work, but once I add a little volume, it should be okay.

In this scene, the gun barrel is pointed too low to be actively shooting, so we can assume he's either raising it up for a shot or lowering it down after a shot.  His stance is that of someone who just finished running and with his gaze still forward, I want this to look like he just just fired and is slowly lowering his gun.  I wanted some hot air to still be expelled from the barrel,  pushing the smoke stream forward slightly while it meanders upwards and back up the gun.  This will be a good opportunity for some OSL or object source lighting, letting the light source of the coils glow up into the smoke.

Perhaps I should pile up some rocks at the front of his foot to simulate a bit of a slide forward as he plants his foot down?

Painted in the right light the smoke can be a great device to help lead the viewer around the model.  I want to follow its path out of the gun and it leads me forward and sparks my imagination (what did he just shoot?) and then it travels back around to our main subject.  

Hope this helps spark some inspiration.  

Happy Sunday, everyone!

-Val