3D Voxel Fireworks Animation Tutorial

This guide walks you through how to generate a looping 3D voxel animation of fireworks using SpatialStudio. The script creates spectacular fireworks that burst, sparkle, and fade inside a cubic 3D space, then saves the animation to a .splv file.

What this script does

Creates a 3D scene of size 128×128×128
Spawns multiple fireworks, each with:
- A bright explosive burst pattern
- Colorful particles that spread outward
- Sparkling trails that fade over time
- Glowing core effects
Animates them exploding and fading for 10 seconds at 30 FPS
Outputs the file fireworks.splv that you can play in your viewer

How it works (simplified)

Voxel volume Each frame is a 3D grid filled with RGBA values (SIZE × SIZE × SIZE × 4).
Firework lifecycle Each firework has launch, burst, expansion, and fade phases with realistic timing.
Particle system Hundreds of particles spread outward from burst points with gravity and air resistance.
Trail effects Particles leave glowing trails that gradually fade, creating streaking light effects.
Color palettes Different fireworks use distinct color schemes (red/gold, blue/white, green/yellow, etc.).
Animation loop A normalized time variable t cycles from 0 → 2π, with staggered firework timing for continuous action.
Encoding Frames are passed into splv.Encoder, which writes them into the .splv video file.

Try it yourself

Install requirements first:

pip install spatialstudio numpy tqdm

Then copy this script into fireworks.py and run:

python fireworks.py

Full Script

import numpy as np
from spatialstudio import splv
from tqdm import tqdm

# Scene setup
SIZE, FPS, SECONDS = 128, 30, 10
FRAMES = FPS * SECONDS
CENTER_X = CENTER_Y = CENTER_Z = SIZE // 2
OUT_PATH = "../outputs/fireworks.splv"

# Fireworks settings
FIREWORK_COUNT = 6
PARTICLE_COUNT = 150
BURST_SPEED = 0.8
GRAVITY = 0.02
FADE_SPEED = 0.95

class Firework:
    def __init__(self, x, y, z, color_palette, start_time):
        self.center = np.array([x, y, z])
        self.colors = color_palette
        self.start_time = start_time
        self.particles = []
        self.burst_created = False
        
    def create_burst(self):
        self.particles = []
        for _ in range(PARTICLE_COUNT):
            # Random spherical distribution
            theta = np.random.uniform(0, 2*np.pi)
            phi = np.random.uniform(0, np.pi)
            speed = np.random.uniform(0.5, BURST_SPEED)
            
            velocity = np.array([
                speed * np.sin(phi) * np.cos(theta),
                speed * np.sin(phi) * np.sin(theta),
                speed * np.cos(phi)
            ])
            
            color = self.colors[np.random.randint(len(self.colors))]
            self.particles.append({
                'pos': self.center.copy(),
                'vel': velocity,
                'color': color,
                'life': 1.0,
                'trail': []
            })
        self.burst_created = True

def add_voxel(volume, x, y, z, color, alpha=255):
    x, y, z = int(x), int(y), int(z)
    if 0 <= x < SIZE and 0 <= y < SIZE and 0 <= z < SIZE:
        volume[x, y, z, :3] = color
        volume[x, y, z, 3] = alpha

def update_firework(firework, dt):
    if not firework.burst_created:
        firework.create_burst()
        return
    
    for particle in firework.particles:
        if particle['life'] > 0:
            # Add current position to trail
            particle['trail'].append(particle['pos'].copy())
            if len(particle['trail']) > 8:  # Limit trail length
                particle['trail'].pop(0)
            
            # Update physics
            particle['pos'] += particle['vel']
            particle['vel'][1] -= GRAVITY  # Apply gravity (downward)
            particle['vel'] *= 0.98  # Air resistance
            particle['life'] *= FADE_SPEED

def render_firework(volume, firework):
    for particle in firework.particles:
        if particle['life'] > 0.01:
            # Render particle
            brightness = particle['life']
            color = tuple(int(c * brightness) for c in particle['color'])
            alpha = int(255 * brightness)
            
            x, y, z = particle['pos']
            add_voxel(volume, x, y, z, color, alpha)
            
            # Render glowing core (brighter center)
            if brightness > 0.5:
                core_color = tuple(min(255, int(c * 1.3)) for c in color)
                add_voxel(volume, x, y, z, core_color, 255)
            
            # Render trail
            for i, trail_pos in enumerate(particle['trail']):
                trail_brightness = brightness * (i + 1) / len(particle['trail']) * 0.3
                if trail_brightness > 0.05:
                    trail_color = tuple(int(c * trail_brightness) for c in particle['color'])
                    trail_alpha = int(255 * trail_brightness)
                    tx, ty, tz = trail_pos
                    add_voxel(volume, tx, ty, tz, trail_color, trail_alpha)

def generate_sparkles(volume, t):
    # Add random sparkles in the air
    sparkle_count = int(20 + 10 * np.sin(t * 2))
    for _ in range(sparkle_count):
        x = np.random.randint(SIZE)
        y = np.random.randint(SIZE)
        z = np.random.randint(SIZE)
        if np.random.random() < 0.1:  # 10% chance for each position
            color = (255, 255, 200)  # Golden sparkle
            add_voxel(volume, x, y, z, color, 150)

def generate_scene(volume, t):
    # Color palettes for different fireworks
    color_palettes = [
        [(255, 50, 50), (255, 150, 50), (255, 255, 100)],    # Red/Orange/Yellow
        [(50, 100, 255), (150, 200, 255), (255, 255, 255)], # Blue/White
        [(50, 255, 50), (150, 255, 100), (255, 255, 150)],  # Green/Yellow
        [(255, 50, 255), (200, 100, 255), (255, 150, 255)], # Purple/Magenta
        [(255, 100, 50), (255, 200, 100), (255, 255, 200)], # Orange/Gold
        [(100, 255, 255), (200, 255, 255), (255, 255, 255)] # Cyan/White
    ]
    
    # Create fireworks at different times and positions
    fireworks = []
    for i in range(FIREWORK_COUNT):
        start_time = (i * 2.0) % 6.0  # Stagger start times
        current_time = (t / (2*np.pi)) * 6.0
        
        if current_time >= start_time and (current_time - start_time) < 3.0:
            # Position fireworks around the scene
            angle = (i / FIREWORK_COUNT) * 2*np.pi
            radius = 20 + 15*np.sin(i * 0.7)
            fx = CENTER_X + int(radius * np.cos(angle))
            fy = CENTER_Y + int(10 * np.sin(t*0.5 + i))
            fz = CENTER_Z + int(radius * np.sin(angle))
            
            firework = Firework(fx, fy, fz, color_palettes[i], start_time)
            dt = current_time - start_time
            
            # Update firework multiple times to catch up
            for _ in range(int(dt * 10)):
                update_firework(firework, 0.1)
            
            render_firework(volume, firework)
    
    # Add ambient sparkles
    generate_sparkles(volume, t)

# Initialize encoder
enc = splv.Encoder(SIZE, SIZE, SIZE, framerate=FPS, outputPath=OUT_PATH, motionVectors="off")

# Generate animation frames
for frame in tqdm(range(FRAMES), desc="Generating fireworks"):
    volume = np.zeros((SIZE, SIZE, SIZE, 4), dtype=np.uint8)
    t = (frame / FRAMES) * 2*np.pi
    generate_scene(volume, t)
    enc.encode(splv.Frame(volume, lrAxis="x", udAxis="y", fbAxis="z"))

enc.finish()
print(f"Created {OUT_PATH}")

Customization options

More fireworks: Increase FIREWORK_COUNT for a busier sky
Bigger explosions: Increase PARTICLE_COUNT for denser bursts
Custom colors: Edit color_palettes to create your own color schemes
Timing: Adjust stagger timing in the loop for different pacing
Physics: Modify GRAVITY and BURST_SPEED for different effects
Scene size: Change SIZE for larger or smaller viewing area

Next steps

Try adding ground-level launching effects
Experiment with different particle shapes (stars, hearts, etc.)
Add sound synchronization timing markers
Create themed color palettes (patriotic, Christmas, etc.)
Implement different burst patterns (ring, heart, smiley face)

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