A Technique for Art Direction of Physically Based Fire Simulation

This thesis presents an innovative way to art direct individual flames in a physically based fire simulation. Fire, due to its warm colors and constant movement, often becomes the main attraction to the viewer\u27s eye in a scene. This technique provides control over this chaotic natural phenomenon at a microscopic level, enabling the artist to add character to flames and create highly stylized visuals. The fire system itself is a fully physics based two gas system with fuel gas and heat, with flames advected along convection currents generated by combustion. The technique is applied to examples of highly stylized flame artwork and rendered results of the art directed simulations are presented. A full description of the implementation and performance of the fire system and the control method is also presented