DS9 Wormhole opening effect. Help?

[Venardhi]

I have been trying to no avail to figure out a way to do an effect like the one used on DS9 for the opening wormhole. Nothing online I can find to study comes close.

Here is my best attempt so far, but it is severely lacking:

Don't mind the lighting, I didn't have the wormhole set as a light source for this test render.

Any resources, tutorials, etc. Would be mighty appreciated. (I use lightwave 9 BTW)

 

[therealfoxbat]

This looks pretty good. If your goal was a snapshot of the wormhole about halfway through its opening sequence, it looks damn good.

 

[FalTorPan]

I seem to remember an article in an issue of Cinefantastique that described the making of the wormhole visual effect. I imagine it consists of multiple elements -- the blue outer fringe, the inner yellow core, the opening "fingers," etc.

 

[stupidname]

I think you've captured it very well. The wormhole's opening was all about movement, so to attempt to create a still image of it is certainly a challenge. And one you have dealt with very well.

To my eye, however, it could perhaps do with being a little bluer, and possibly have its outer edge be less defined.

 

[Venardhi]

Yeah. this only involves a few layers plus the volumetric lights in the center (which need to be more yellowy, rather than white and blue). I've been playing with some particles to give it more dimension but so far no dice.

Ultimately, I'd like to be able to replicate the animation of it opening, but for now I just want to aim for a still shot of it open. The actual animation of the opening and closing doesn't look that complicated other than the very center with the swirling 'fingers' which may be using a custom procedural that I don't have available. The wormhole itself basically just gets bigger and then smaller really quickly (with flashy lights to hide the simplicity).

 

[Ptrope]

Depending how complex you wish to get, and if you are using a 3D program to construct it, one of the major things I've noticed about the wormhole effect is that it appears to be 'unrolling itself' in place, as if the event horizon of the wormhole is like the open end of a condom . I would probably base the general shape on multiple torii, each mapped around its minor circumference with a texture that consists of parallel strips at about a 30° angle, so that one can see them curving around the torii and, even in a still, get an impression of the motion of the wormhole opening.

 

[Venardhi]

That is essentially what I have. Though the outer edge doesn't seem to be rounded off, so I have it flatten out towards the edge. Right how I have 3 layers. But I think one layer with particles might look more like the effect if I can get the particles right. Still doesn't solve my problem of the actual opening, but I can worry about that once I get the 'idle' look right.