FIRE SIMULATION

Fire simulation: Audiences feel the heat from realistic fire

Advanced 3D VFX software makes simulating fire and its accompanying smoke, explosions, and other effects more realistic and affordable than ever. Leave viewers mesmerized with fire simulation software.


Image courtesy of Michael Nielsen

A rendering shows two cauldrons, one with an active fire and the other emitting smoke.
Fire simulation software creates realistic effects in modern media.

What is fire simulation?

Fire simulation uses 3D visual effects software to create realistic fire effects that convincingly simulate flame movement, smoke behavior, and the impact of fire on burning objects, enhancing the overall viewing experience.

Who uses fire simulation software?

Fire simulation software is used across the entertainment industry to create realistic effects.

Film and TV

Today’s audiences demand unparalleled realism, so TV and film productions depend on realistic fire simulation software for everything from building fires and explosions to fiery dragon’s breath.

Video games

Fire simulation software like Maya is used widely by game developers to create realistic fire and flame effects that will immerse the player fully in the game world.

Emergency services

Many fire departments use fire dynamics simulators to train firefighters and prepare contingency plans for emergency situations.

Video game mercenaries stand before burning buildings in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Fire simulation software relies on fluid dynamics algorithms to create impressive VFX in video games.

How fire simulation works

There are many components to a real fire—the flames and how they move, the smoke generated, and the destructive impact it has on objects. Fire simulation software re-creates these effects using fluid dynamics algorithms to more accurately simulate how these elements behave in the real world. You can control the fire simulation by adjusting parameters such as the height and intensity of the flames, the amount of smoke generated, and the size of the emission source—it’s possible to portray everything from a house fire to a candle flame.

Guitarist of Tenside shreds in front of a demon made of fire in a still from the "Shadow to Shine" music video.
Fire simulation software was used to create intense visual effects in Tenside’s “Shadow to Shine” music video. Image courtesy of Phil Radford.

Blaze forward with fire simulation software

Fire simulation has changed the game. For many years, the best way for media production companies to capture realistic fire and explosions was to actually incinerate or blow up something on film. Doing so involves time-consuming logistics, expensive and dangerous shoots, and the risk of losing the effort and materials if the take fails. Even after the advent of 3D visual effects software, digital effects that required fluid dynamics—such as water, smoke, and fire simulation—lagged behind other visual effects (VFX) and failed to convince audiences.

Now, software such as Autodesk Maya makes fire simulation more accessible with advances in GPU-accelerated processes and real-time previews. Bifrost, a visual programming environment inside Maya, empowers technical directors and artists to create stunning effects for film, TV, and games. Bifrost Aero (or aerodynamic) fire fluid simulations mimic the movement of gases and can create smoke, mist, and steam effects. Combustion simulations mimic fuel burning and are used for fire and explosion effects.

With Bifrost’s Aero Solver, artists can determine which object emits the fire effect and the lifespan of the particle cloud that creates the fire effect. Many traits can ebb and flow during a fire simulation’s lifespan, such as the fire’s density and intensity (brightness), emission spread angle, particle-cloud radius, flame speed, flame movement direction, and turbulence.

This wealth of creative possibilities with realistic results has made realistic fire simulation a viable alternative to filming real fires and explosions for the visual effects and motion graphics of movies, TV, advertisements, and other video content. Fire simulations also look better in animationvideo gamesvirtual reality (VR), and, to a lesser extent, architectural and interior design visualization. Technological advancements that have made realistic fire simulation possible also apply to other dynamic effects such as smoke, explosions, and foam.

Autodesk software for fire simulation

3D animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software for film, games, and TV


Scale your studio’s rendering and simulation capabilities, while equipping artists with powerful modeling and animation tools


Beyond fire

Fluid dynamics models aren’t limited to fire simulations—other effects can be created using Autodesk software, including:

A video game still shows Viking ships sail on sunlight-dappled water.

Water

From water poured from a glass to stormy oceans, Maya Fluid Effects can create a realistic and believable simulation of water movement that will add depth to your game or film.

An image shows snow simulation created in Bifrost.

Snow

Snow can be applied to a scene or to specific objects, with user-controllable parameters such as color and thickness.

 

A rendering shows a cloud in an empty room.

Clouds and fog

Realistic cloud effects can be used to make skies appear true to nature and to add atmosphere.

 

A rendering shows lava flowing around a rock cylinder.

Lava

Fluid effects can be used to realistically model the flow of lava and other viscous fluids, helping ensure that they look believable.

 

Smoking pot and flaming pot graphics to illustrate the software's abilities.
Autodesk CFD can help designers predict how smoke and fire will move through a designed environment.

Fire dynamics simulator software for professionals

As well as fire simulation for VFX purposes, Autodesk offers solutions to help architects and designers to enhance fire safety. Autodesk CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software goes beyond the visual to more accurately and intelligently predict how smoke and fire will move in a designed environment. This helps them make informed design choices that take these into account.

 

Visual artists putting fire simulation to work

A promotional image shows the character Tony Soprano from the HBO movie <i>The Many Saints of Newark.</i>

BREAK+ENTER

One bad Jersey boy

To help tell the story of a teenage Tony Soprano, BREAK+ENTER simulated the fire and flame effects of a Molotov cocktail, winterized New Jersey with snow from Bifrost, and developed proprietary workflow tools for Maya.

Image courtesy of HBO

A digital rendering shows a massive fleet of ships from <i>Game of Thrones</i> Season 7.

Mackevision

The most destructive Game yet

For the ambitious Game of Thrones season 7, Mackevision’s Maya team created new capabilities to produce a massive naval battle with hundreds of ships; stage CG army battles; and simulate wakes, fire, and smoke.

 

Image courtesy of HBO

An image shows King Kong from <i>Kong: Skull Island</i> gripping his fist.

Industrial Light & Magic

Kong: Skull Island

For a 2017 King Kong movie, the ILM VFX team was challenged to simulate fire realistically, as well as many other natural phenomena, including water, weather, and wild environments of unusual vegetation.

Image courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic, © 2016 Warner Bros. Ent, all rights reserved

Fire simulation resources

Learn to emit fire from an object in Autodesk Maya 3D modelinganimation, and visual effects software.

You can choose many options with Maya’s comprehensive fire simulations, such as the fire’s density, intensity, flame radius, spread angle, speed, turbulence, lifespan, and more.

 

Jesse Pitela speaks to AREA by Autodesk about starting RedefineFX to create high-quality, succinct learning content, mainly for FX simulations like water, fire, destruction, particles, and more.

Bifrost for Maya includes VFX, such as instancing and point clouds, and particle and fluid simulation for phenomena like explosions, sand, snow, smoke, liquids, and fire fluid simulation.

 

This video series will get you started with Bifrost, Autodesk Maya’s visual programming environment.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) on fire simulation software

Can software be used to simulate fire?

Yes. Various fire simulation programs—such as Autodesk Maya—can simulate fire for entertainment media without the cost, labor, risk, and physical damage of filming real fires.

 

The building industry also uses realistic fire simulation software. Architects, safety engineers, and other professionals simulate fire to analyze its impact on buildings and infrastructure. For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s software programs FDS and Smokeview use fire dynamics simulators to help predict fire spread patterns and formulate evacuation plans.

How do you simulate fire in animation?

You can simulate fire in animation with specialized 3D animation software to re-create the behavior of smoke, gases, and fire.

 

For fire simulation, artists input variables such as the flame shape and size, density, intensity, color, flame radius, spread angle, speed, temperature, turbulence, and lifespan. The fire simulation also accounts for the fire’s surroundings, such as the temperature and movement of the surrounding air. Artists can also combine the fire with other corresponding effects like smoke, sparks, and explosive destruction.