Short, precise, and most importantly inspiring. Jesse’s tutorials helped me understand how to setup simulations in an organized way but also how to bring my work to the next level.

– Andreas Mass, VFX Artist

• Gain complete understanding of every Phoenix FD fire & smoke simulation parameter
• Learn from a Phoenix FD Certified Trainer
• Master the software used on shows such as Game of Thrones
• Understand the difference between temperature-based and fuel-based burning
• Emit smoke from your tyFlow Destruction Setups
• Control the look, movement, and scale through massive vorticity and other settings
• Setup variety of effects from small scale to mid-scale to massive
• Use particles to drive smoke and fire emission
• Combine liquid and fire simulations together for unique visuals (pouring gasoline on fire)
• Create a realistic fire shader using the Volumetric Rendering Settings
• Use the Voxel Tuner to only emit smoke based on certain conditions
• Use helpers such as Wind, Plain force, Turbulence, Body Force, Vortex force and others to influence the simulation
• Use textures for gradual burning effects
• Use the  Vray Distance Texture to emit smoke based on proximity to other objects
• Use Vertex Paint for selective burning effects
• Learn through 40 exciting project-based lessons

Hello & Introduction to The Fire Course

Introduction to Phoenix FD for Absolute Beginners

How to Use the (Actually Really Good) Presets

Fire Source Settings / Outgoing Velocity / Smoke / Temperature / Motion Velocity

Dynamics Settings / Time Scale / Cooling / Buoyancy / Dissipation / Vorticity / Conservation / SPF

Dry Ice / Statue Heavy Smoke / Plain Force / Walking Character Emitting Smoke

Multicolor Smoke Path Follow / RGB Mixing

Morphing Objects Out of Smoke / Body Force and Turbulence Helpers

Large Smoke Shockwave / Particle Flow Emission / Motion Velocity

Powder Color Explosion

Nuclear Shockwave

Clouds

Starship Smoke Wave

Cigarette Smoke

Drift Burnout

Tank Firing + Ground Dust Shockwave

Realistic Small Scale Fire – Skull on Fire Ghost Rider Style

Selective Burning

Explosions!

Rendering Optimization for Explosions and Smoke

Compositing Fire and Smoke

Wavelet Turbulence

Advanced RGB Dirt Explosion using Particles

Fire Tornado

Fire Shockwave

Missile Trail

Large Scale Volcano Smoke

Flamethrower

Car Burning

Liquid on Fire

Osprey Engine Fire

tyFlow Destruction Building Collapse + Phoenix Smoke

Color by Speed

Frozen Smoke

Smoke Color based on Image

Render Smoke as Mesh (Underwater Oxygen FX)

Voxel Tuner / e.g. Increase Temperature if a Condition is Met

Retiming / Slow Down Your Sims for Bullet-time Effects

Distance Texture / Burn Objects Based on Proximity to Other Objects

Wetmap / Burn Objects Based on Where Liquid Touches Them

Animated Procedural Burning Path

Thank You & What’s Next?

Jesse Pitela is a Certified Phoenix FD Instructor, a Los Angeles-based CGI studio owner & award-winning VFX artist. His work has been showcased by every major computer-graphics website in the world, including CGSociety and Autodesk. He has extensive experience working with established VFX studios such as Resistance VFX, Chariotdrive & Riotmaker & his studio has created visuals for global clientele including Cristiano Ronaldo’s ROC, Western Digital, Shutterstock, and many others.

Bonus Lessons

1: Wetmap Burning

With this technique, you can spray burning gasoline onto your objects and set them on fire based on where the liquid hits.

2: Smoke Emission Based on Distance

Emit smoke based on how far an object is from another object (for example helicopter above ground etc.)

3: Gradual Path Burning

A much requested tutorial, this quick tip will teach you how to make a fire spread down a pre-defined path.

4: Displace Frozen Smoke

Popularized on Instagram, start your simulation with smoke already present & ready for an object to go through it

5: Mesh Smoke as Geometry

This is perfect for underwater bubbles and lots of very cool abstract effects. It turns voxel sims into actual geometry.

6: Smoke Color based on Image

Emit smoke from a textured object and have it inherit the colors. Infinite possibilities.

The visual effects industry is expanding at an exponential rate. The old days of a few big studios offering all the jobs are long gone. Hundreds of new opportunities come up every day of smaller studios, agencies, filmmakers, production houses and streaming giants like Netflix looking for armies of VFX artist to do an unthinkable amount of shots for all of their shows, commercials, promos, trailers and on and on. It’s hard to see just how much opportunity there is for people with skills until you become one of them and you’re too booked to take on every opportunity that comes your way. I know this because I’ve been there, and I want the same results for you.