Chapter 14. Pyrotechnics: Heat, Fire, Explosions

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My nature is to be on set, blowing things up.

—Ken Ralston (winner of five Academy Awards for visual effects)

It may not be the true majority, but plenty of people—guys mostly—first become interested in a visual effects career as borderline pyromaniacs or even gun nuts. You have to follow your passion in life, I suppose. Creating a conflagration on the computer isn’t quite as much fun as simply blowing shit up, but maybe it keeps these people off of our streets.

The truth is that many types of explosions are still best done through a combination of practical and virtual simulations. There are, ...

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