Recreating the Iron Man Jericho Missile Scene: A VFX Tutorial

In this excellent first tutorial from ErikDoesVFX, he breaks down the process of recreating the iconic Jericho missile scene from Iron Man, using a budget of just $20 and Houdini.

I. Planning & Filming:

• Location Scouting: Find a location resembling a desert environment with flat ground and hills in the background.
• Efficient Filming: Instead of recreating the scene shot-for-shot, capture three key shots: missile launch, mid-air missile split, and the main explosion shot. This minimizes VFX workload.

II. VFX Breakdown (Houdini):

A. The Main Explosion (Shot 3):

• Houdini Explosions: Avoid the default explosion button. Build from scratch for more control.
• Fire Simulation: Remember the fire triangle: Fuel, Heat (Temperature in Houdini), and Oxygen (always present in Houdini). Combine these elements in your simulation.
• Creating the Explosion: Simulate outward-moving particles, then convert them to fuel and heat. This rapid ignition creates the explosion effect.
• Refinement: Tweak simulation parameters for the desired look.
• Multiple Explosions: Replicate the initial explosion 24 times, randomizing size, speed, direction, and force for variation.

B. Missile Trails & Shockwave:

• Missile Trails: Draw curves from explosion points, add noise, and animate missiles along these paths using a carve node. Add simple thruster fire using similar techniques as the explosion.
• Smoke Simulation: Create smoke trails for missiles. Consider splitting simulations to manage computational load.
• Shockwave: Use a growth solver timed with the reference footage. Emit particles from the growth edge, convert to smoke, and simulate. Iterate and adjust simulation values for the desired effect. Optimize by splitting the shockwave simulation into sections based on camera proximity.

C. Mid-Air Missile Split (Shot 2):

• 3D Tracking: Track the aerial shot.
• Missile Simulation: Simulate the missile movement instead of animating for realism. Disable gravity initially, then enable it for the falling effect.
• Missile Breakdown: Cut holes in the main missile, fill with smaller missiles, and simulate the surface blowing off with added air resistance.
• Smaller Missile Launch: Simulate smaller missiles shooting out, using a custom force for propulsion in their facing direction. Activate thrusters simultaneously.
• Smoke Trails: Add smoke trails to all missiles.

D. Missile Launch (Shot 1):

• 3D Model: Use a pre-made missile launcher model.
• Animation & Simulation: Animate a missile launch and simulate the smoke.
• Texture Enhancement: Improve model textures using roughness maps for detail.
• Environment Integration: Create grass for blending and shadow catching.

III. Compositing:

• Explosion Layers: Split the explosion render into separate layers (fire, smoke).
• Color & Glow: Adjust fire color to a reddish hue and add glow. Brighten smoke and use noise to introduce color variation.
• Missile Adjustments: Tweak missile and trail appearance. Duplicate and reposition missiles if needed.
• Dust Explosions: Incorporate purchased dust explosion assets for realism and variation.
• Lighting: Simulate sunlight by darkening the left side and adding light from explosions.
• Large Dirt Blasts: Create large dirt explosions using scaled-up assets.
• Black Levels: Adjust black levels for proper integration with the footage.
• Shockwave Enhancement: Increase shockwave visibility as it approaches the camera. Use a shockwave asset to fully cover the camera at the end. Add a dark, ash-like appearance to the shockwave.
• Camera Shake: Track and apply camera shake from the original footage.
• Final Touches: Add roto, lens dirt, grain, and camera shake.
• Remaining Shots: Composite the other two shots using similar techniques.

IV. Finalizing:

• Color Grading: Use DaVinci Resolve for final color grading to enhance the VFX.

This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to recreating the Iron Man Jericho missile scene using Houdini and compositing techniques. Remember to adapt and experiment with the parameters to achieve your desired look.