LogIn"I never managed to understand how a camera can survive this explosion."
Built in 1955 as a test site for the atomic bomb, the Nevada desert's "Doom Town" offers a chilling glimpse into the Cold War era. The eerily beautiful footage, capturing various scenarios to study the effects of the explosions in Operation Teapot, remains a source of inspiration for many artists.
FX Houdini Artist Berk Erdag recreated one of the nuclear explosions conducted in this research with Houdini, Karma XPU, and Fusion 360. As he explained, the reference video in the corner was put there because the first fire/burning of the house and the debris getting pulled back toward the explosion at the end felt unusual.
"I learned that the fire occurs because wood and varnish burn because of the heat of the explosion before it reaches the house. But I never managed to understand how a camera could survive this explosion", commented Berk Erdag.
Photography of nuclear tests has been well-documented since 1945, following the world's first nuclear test known as the Trinity test. Cameras used to film atomic explosions had to be positioned at a safe distance or designed to withstand the intense shockwaves and radiation, placed underground and using arrangements of periscopes, or, alternatively, shielded in containers and elevated on a concrete tower.
Take a look at the R&D conducted by Berk Erdag on lighting and shading for this project:
Also, check out his recent FX demo reel and blog, which is mostly focused on VFX art and some technical experiments:
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