Using the Fireworks Effect In MikuMikuDance

How do you use the Fireworks effect in MMD? Where do you get the Fireworks effect for MikuMikuDance? LearnMMD MME Tutorials. What kind of fireworks do you get with the Fireworks effect in MMDirectx?

Give Your MMD Animations a Little More BANG with the Fireworks Effect.

The Fireworks effect is a fun effect. As you can guess from the name it creates the illusion of fireworks in the distance. The effect is no different than any other effect I have written about in that you have to have MMEffects properly loaded up in MikuMikuDance (See Noko2’s article about downloading and installing MME for MikuMikuDance). I should also suggest that effects be the last thing you load in MikuMikuDance. Effects demand so much of the computer’s chip that it could slow down your system.

How to Load the Fireworks Effect.

You can download  the Fireworks effect from Beamman’s site at http://www43.atwiki.jp/beamman/ .  It comes with a series of folders some of them are strictly for making the effect work. Put this in your Effects folder. The files you’ll mostly be working with are numbered 0,1,2,3 and 5 (folder number 4 and two other un-numbered folders are data folders). Each of these contains a different type of firework burst.

This effect is loaded from the Accessory Manipulation Panel (AMP) by clicking load.  Locate your Effects folder and select the Fireworks effect. You’ll find all your files there. I researched the different types of fireworks commonly used. I then renamed each folder so I know which specific Fireworks effect I want to use.

Folder 0 contains Chrysanthemums. These are the spherical ones we normally associate whenever we think of fireworks. They come in Red, Orange, Yellow, and Blue and one more that changes color every time. The Blue Chrysanthemum is displayed in the animated .gif.

Folder 1 has a single Palm Burst. The fireworks look like red/orange palm leaves. In some parts of the world these are referred to as Dahlias and Peonys.

The second folder (2) has an orange Willow Pattern Burst; appropriately named, because as they drop down they look like the leaves and branches of a willow tree. The Palm Burst and this Willow Pattern Burst do not change color.

The third folder (3) has a really pretty Atomic Pattern. This is a pattern that creates three different colored rings resembling the electrons revolving around a nucleus. These rings also alternate in color every turn.

The last folder (5th) contains a barrage of Fountains ending with an array of Glitter. These also alternate colors between turns.

Playing with Pyrotechnics.

I haven’t found a way to control when these fireworks ignite. They fire off the minute they are loaded. Just like the Disco Lighting Effect you have to work around them. So, if you wanted to hide them until a particular frame in your animation you would have to use the disp check box in the AMP. Even then, just when you want them to appear, they could be between cycles.

A unique feature of the Fireworks effect is that unlike most effects in MMD it is designed to appear far away in the distance. This is why it is so tiny when you first load it up. You can always use the AMP to change the size of the burst and the position. This you would do if you want to have your models move around amid a barrage of fireworks. You can also attach dummy bones and position them that that way. There is no .wav file for these fireworks. So you won’t hear any explosions.

A word of warning: The repetitive nature of this effect can leave what I can best call screen burn or residual light traces of the path of each burst. This could affect the end quality of your video. If you’re okay with that, then fire away. This isn’t always the case, however it is something you should be aware of.

I had a chance to channel my inner 10-year-old and enlarged and loaded all the fireworks. It’s uploaded to our LearnMMD YouTube Channel: http://youtu.be/ggvbVJj-SSg So if you missed out on using the Fireworks effect for the calendar New Year; there’s always Chinese New Year.

In Japanese culture it is traditional to yell out “Tamaya!” or “Kagiya!” during a fireworks display to express delight in the spectacle. This is in reference to The Tamaya Fireworks Company and its spin-off rival company Kagiya. Feel free to yell out whichever one you wish when you load up your Fireworks effect.

Have fun with this.

TAMAYA!

Sources:
The Fireworks Effect from Beamman.