This tutorial demonstrates how to generate a volumetric ground explosion that is software rendered with cloud particles. Through the use of emitters, particles, fields, collisions, instancing, expressions, cloud shading, lighting, rendering and compositing, the effect is generated from scratch.
Chapter One: Emission, Instancer, Expressions
In chapter one, we start by setting up the intial burst emission of debris. The particle instancer is then used, in conjunction with several expressions, to replicate, randomize and animate the debris geometry. All steps and settings are explained in detail, including how to remove collision jitter and control instanced behavior via particle speed.

Chapter Two: Smoketrail, Cloud Shader Set-Up
In chapter two, we focus on the smoketrail, incandescence and glow. The debris particles emit our smoketrail using per-point emission rates, driven by the speed of the debris with expressions. Using PP attributes, the particleSamperInfo utility and the particle Cloud material, we then begin the initial set-up of the shader.

Chapter Three: Volume Surface Shading, Blob Map
In chapter three, we finalize the look of the smoketrail and complete the effect. Surface shading is used to give our smoke a more volumetric appearance, allowing it to interact more accurately with scene lighting. We also compare the built-in noise to the use of animated procedural blob maps. As the last step, the explosion is rendered and composited with an optical post-filter and sound effects.

Homepage: http://gnomonology.com/group/7