Ember & Ash
Feature — fire & destruction
Overview
How we approach fx simulation
Simulation is physics, but a shot is storytelling. We start every FX task by agreeing what the effect needs to communicate — scale, danger, wonder — and then build the simulation to serve that idea.
Our FX artists work in Houdini with a shared library of tools for pyro, destruction and fluids. Low-resolution previews are reviewed for timing and shape before the heavy simulation runs, so creative notes never cost a week of render time.
Final passes are delivered with the AOVs and holdouts compositors need to integrate them into the plate.
Capabilities
What the team covers
Typical deliverables
- Rendered FX passes and holdouts
- Cached simulations for client pipelines
- Element libraries for reuse across a show
- 01Pyro — fire, smoke and explosions
- 02Rigid-body destruction
- 03Water, ocean and splash simulation
- 04Particles, debris and atmospherics
- 05Magic and stylised effects
- 06Crowd and instancing setups
Workflow
From first sketch to final pixel
Fixed review points at every stage, so you always know where each shot stands.
- 01
Breakdown
We read the script, bid every shot and agree budget and schedule up front.
- 02
Previs
Sequences are blocked in 3D so camera, lenses and timing are solved early.
- 03
On-set supervision
Our supervisors capture HDRIs, lidar and reference so post runs smoothly.
- 04
Build & comp
Assets, FX and comps move through weekly dailies with your team.
- 05
Delivery
Final EXRs in ACES, conformed and QC'd to studio and streamer specs.
Can you combine simulation with practical elements?
Often that is the best result. We shoot or source practical elements where they help and extend them with simulation.
How do you keep simulations art-directable?
We block timing and shapes with fast low-resolution passes for approval before running high-resolution simulation.
Start a project
Need fx simulation on your next show?
Send us your script, storyboard or rough cut. We reply within one working day with questions or a first bid.