This 3D explainer visualizes a ramjet engine and the integration Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE). The animation supported a report on a Texas-based startup, Venus Aerospace, potentially revolutionizing hypersonic flight.

The Brief:

The core of this project was to explain a propulsion system that operates at supersonic speeds with no moving parts. The challenge was to:

1. Illustrate the Ramjet Effect: Show how air is compressed by the vehicle’s speed alone rather than a mechanical fan.
2. Unified Integration: Clearly show how the RDRE sits in front of the Ramjet in one enclosed unit.
3. On Brand: Stay within the limited colors of the SAN brand guidelines.

The Solution:

To make these abstract concepts concrete, I moved beyond 2D illustrations into a full 3D simulation.

• Custom 3D Modeling: I built a simplified cutaway model of the engine housing to allow the viewer to see the internal airflow and combustion chambers.
• Simulated Elements: I used particle simulations to represent air density, heat, and fuel. By color-coding the particles, I made the invisible pressure of the engine visible and intuitive. Then I used motion blur to ensure they felt like they were moving at a high rate of speed.
• Clear Labeling: After the 3D work was finished, I added labels to important pieces to ensure audience understanding.

Challenges:

There were two main challenges with this project – both in 3D:

1. Creating the cut away effect while keeping the smooth geometry. I kept getting shading artifacts while using a Boolean.

Instead of sticking with boolean as a modifier, I did the boolean in geometry nodes. This seemed to help most of the shading errors while cutting away the engine. I still had a few pops which I solved frame by frame – moving the mask slightly, and then re-rendering that frame.

2. To minimize distractions, making sure the only particles seen go through the engine.

I initially thought I would fill the frame with air, and the engine would only use whatever it would grab in the real world. While this worked, it was extremely distracting. Particles were bouncing off the outside of the engine and labels were getting lost in the particles. To remove this distraction, I scaled down the emitter to roughly the size of the intake, and made the proxy collider geometry slightly larger at the intake side – so no particles would escape and all of them would be directed through the engine.