Dynamation was a

3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

particle generator program sold by Wavefront to run on SGI's

IRIX IRIX ( ) is a discontinued operating system developed by Silicon Graphics (SGI) to run on the company's proprietary MIPS workstations and servers. It is based on UNIX System V with BSD extensions. In IRIX, SGI originated the XFS file system and ...

operating system as part of The Advanced Visualizer. The core software was originally developed by Jim Hourihan while at Santa Barbara Studios, a visual effects company owned by effects pioneer

John Grower John Grower is a special effects pioneer who was the post-production art director on '' Tron'' for Walt Disney Pictures. Later, he was the supervisor of special effects at Robert Abel and Associates, and director of production at Wavefront Techno ...

. The software was licensed to Wavefront Technologies in 1992, and passed through to the merged company Alias/Wavefront. It was introduced as a product at

SIGGRAPH SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) is an annual conference on computer graphics (CG) organized by the ACM SIGGRAPH, starting in 1974. The main conference is held in North America; SIGGRAPH Asia ...

in 1993. In 1996, Jim Hourihan received a Scientific and Engineering Award for the primary design and development of Dynamation. Dynamation could create behavioral particle systems that responded to gravity, air resistance, and other real world physics. It gave users an interactive environment to create and modify dynamic events such as water, clouds, rain, fire and dust. The interactive aspect of this software was revolutionary at the time. Users were able to change parameters and the particle system updated in real time. The software was used to create visual effects in movies such as '' Twister'', '' Last Action Hero'', '' Balto'', '' Crimson Tide'', ''

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'', '' Michael'', ''

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

'', '' Anaconda'', '' Godzilla'', '' Stuart Little'', and ''

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''. It was also utilized in the opening credits of '' Star Trek: Voyager'' to create an intricate interaction of the starship traveling through cosmic dust. Dynamation's interactive particle engine has been integrated into the 3D computer graphics package Maya and is no longer sold as a separate product.

References

{{graphics-software-stub 3D graphics software Animation software