Nebulae. Great word. This was by far the most challenging shot as fluid dynamics were something I was not that experienced with - specifically Turbulence FD (I had some previous experience with Maya's Fluid Effects). This shot was originally intended to be a matte painting, however I wanted to create something new instead of an already existing nebula, so instead opted for fluid effects. Not only was generating the Nebula a challenge, but compositing the shot was too difficult.

Now, before we get started, I am fully aware that if you were this close/inside a nebula you would not be able to see that you were inside one - but that's no fun, and I can change that with a computer! Alright, lets have a look at how this was done.

Above are the Cinema 4D scene files - in the top one you can see some of the settings I used. One of the most important settings for generating a nebula like simulation was the density dissipation. This meant the fluid would stay in dense clumps throughout the sim in certain areas based on a noise map that the fluid was emitted from. By using one light with soft shadows to save on render times, i was able to set it up in such a location that dark shadows would appear in the densest areas, emulating the effects seen in many emission nebulae, but more commonly in dark nebulae.

After colouring the nebula with a gradient in the density render settings, I was able to pick out dense areas and colour them differently, specifically darker alluding to their density. These image sequences were then sent into After Effects for post.

Both compositions had many adjustment layers and effects applied to them to tie the whole image together (The 'shy' button is your best friend in compositions like this!). For both compositions I rendered out a noise layer which was applied to a plane positioned within the nebula in 3D space. This plane was then screened onto the composition below and had its opacity reduced. This created the wispy plumes of dust/smoke seen around nebula - they rarely suddenly fall off straight into space - nor is the space directly behind them always pure black. To create a contrast from the rest of the film which features quite a similar colour palette, I wanted the film to go out with a super colourful image to surprise the audience. I was aiming for a similar effect with the close ups of the stars seen previously in the film a this point. (Remember to click the images above for a more detailed view!).

Above are two screenshots from the finished shot, and as usual, the final version will be available for viewing once the film is finished, and these images are subject to change!