ENDA Episode 143→ The time when ENDA expands a Star Wars set (Part 5)

Now it’s time to tackle two of the most crucial elements in the shot: heat distortion and smoke.

1️⃣ Heat Distortion

At first glance, it seems tough to pull off. But with a customized noise pattern and an alpha mask, you can transfer that info to the UV channels and drive an iDistort to simulate heat shimmer.

Of course, it rarely works on the first try. Getting the right scale and frequency takes multiple iterations. You also need to factor in the fire’s behavior in the original plate. 

Like in this case, where wind pushed the flames rightward, meaning our distortion had to shift with it. Add to that a proper falloff so the distortion blends smoothly into the background, and suddenly it’s not just a cool trick, it’s a proper integration step.

2️⃣ Smoke

It sounds deceptively simple: drop some stock footage, lower the opacity, and call it done. I wish...

In reality, smoke is notoriously tricky to composite. Motion often doesn't match the plate, so retiming is step one. Then comes hunting for the perfect frame range. And that's just to extract the alpha.

Why extract the alpha? Because the baked-in neutral color in stock smoke rarely fits the plate. By isolating the alpha and copying it onto a Constant, you unlock full control: color grading, noise overlays, and ramp treatments to properly embed the smoke in your lighting environment. 

Only then do you merge it with a Screen operation, and even after that, fine-tuning Mix or adding a Multiply node for extra control becomes essential.

The result? Heat shimmer and smoke that blend naturally into the plate. Seamless even when comparing A/B with the original plate.

The final breakdown is within reach. But before that, there’s one last step to ensure everything holds up under scrutiny.

That, of course, is for another episode.

The journey continues…