Jinx

Jinxbomb


When people think of VFX artists, they think of explosions. Honestly, they're not wrong. What kind of VFX artist would I be if I didn't blow something up? Making explosions is a great way to learn a bunch of important VFX fundamentals. Timings, shapes, colors, you name it. So for this project I just wanted to play around with all those elements and see how cool I could make it, of course with my own little twist. Most of the work was done in Niagara complemented by post-process effects and some blueprint scripting to support the functionality.


Jinxbomb by KangaroOz 3D

Niagara system




Smoke


To create the smoke I pacled four different textures.

  • One of them defines the overall shape of the smoke.

  • The second texture represents the smoke itself, adding depth and interest.

  • The third texture controls the lighting of the smoke.

  • The fourth texture is used to erode the smoke, giving it a more dynamic effect.

Trail


I created a ribbon that I attached to my projectile. To achieve that fiery feel in the overtones, I used a Perlin texture for panning and a Voronoi texture to mask it.


Spikes


To bring the explosion together, I created several different emitters to add more variation to the impact. I also designed a wind impact and a shockwave to give the explosion a greater sense of force.


Burn impact 


To give the explosion a proper finish, I added an impact effect inspired by the game The Finals. To enhance the "Jinx-like" feel, I hand painted a texture featuring her signature icons.

Hello world

Houdini explosion


I simulated the grenade explosion in Houdini to have more control over the effect and to further develop my skills in the software.  


I used a scatter node to break up the grenade before applying velocity to make it explode. Since I was fracturing an FBX, I also had to remap the UVs for the inside faces to ensure proper texturing.



Glitch effect


The glitch effect was created using a post-process effect linked to a custom stencil, ensuring it only applies to the granade while leaving the rest of the scene unaffected. 


Blueprint system 


The core mechanics are handled in a Blueprint, such as determining how the grenade lands and when the Niagara system is triggered. I also adjusted it so that the grenade always faces the camera, ensuring that the sprite cross aligns perfectly with the eye.

Hello world

Conclusions & Takeaway


This project focused on the Niagara system and learning to work efficiently within it. It also gave me the opportunity to express my creativity and experiment with color, form, and timing. The glitch effect allowed me to dive into post-process effects and understand how they work. Even though there are simpler ways of making a bomb explode I decided to go with houdini mostly because I was interested in getting to know the program better and it’s definitely a tool I want to learn more about!

If I had more time


If I had more time, I would have continued working on the wind impact. I love its cartoony look, but I wish I could have played around more with its shape. I also would have experimented further in Houdini to add even more power to the explosion.