Playable FX Sandbox

Tests worth taking apart.

Small scenes, game experiments, simulations, and project files made to be explored, modified, and learned from.

Experiment index

Small projects with their wiring exposed.

These educational projects are shared under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 — you are encouraged to adapt and build upon them.

CG scene

Locked-On

This short CG scene features a 3D model of a rocket in flight. It highlights how simple bezier curves can be used to create realistic flight paths set against a high resolution HDRI sky. To achieve efficient smoke effects, the volumetric clouds used took advantage of Blender's Eevee render engine, significantly reducing render times compared to Blender Cycles. Finishing touches include a noise modifier applied to the camera, creating a dramatic shake effect that enhances the sense of motion and excitement.

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Blender Eevee v2.92
CG Scene

3DGS Scene

Apollo-Soyuz 3D Gaussian Splats

Two ready-to-edit 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) reconstructions of NASA’s Apollo 16 and Roscosmos' Soyuz MS-18 missions. 3DGS is a real-time 3D scene-reconstruction and rendering technique that represents an environment as a cloud of small, colored, semi-transparent “Gaussian” primitives. It can be used to turn photographs or video into immersive, freely viewable scenes—useful for virtual cinematography, visualization, interactive/VR exhibits, and experimental 3D storytelling. Included are pre-prepared .ply files for each splat, ready to inspect, modify, and animate in a compatible editor e.g. SuperSplat.

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SuperSplat v2.32.3
3DGS Scene

CG Scene

Animated Blocktoy

This Blender sandbox shot pairs a stylized block-character animation rig with simple keyframed movement, using the rig controls to stage a walk-and-reach interaction in a fictional toy store. It uses glossy, color-blocked materials and warm overhead lighting to help the CG character sit within the scene’s bright retail palette. The store itself is a fast 2.5D background plate setup—an image plane framed for the active camera—so the shot can focus modeling and animation effort on the character rather than a full environment build.

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Blender Cycles v2.92
CG Scene

Game Demo

Holodeck Target Practice

A playable Unity 3D recreation of a target practice scene loosely inspired by Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 2, Episode 8, A Matter of Honor. It showcases typical game-development techniques, including underlying C# code to dynamically instantiate and modify game objects in real-time, creation of intuitive user interface elements, and implementation of immersive audiovisual elements, including 3D positional sound, particle FX, lighting, and animation that contribute to the gaming experience. Additional 3D modeling was performed in Blender to create the simple base platform.

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Unity 3D v 5.5.1f1
Game Demo
Non-commercial fan work

Simulation

Solar System Simulation

This demo presents a simplified, not-to-scale model of the solar system, featuring the Sun and the inner planets from Mercury to Jupiter. Created in the Unity 3D game engine, this project demonstrates key 3D rendering and game development elements, including texture mapping and lighting to bring the celestial bodies to life within a dynamic environment. The experience is further enhanced by 3D positional sound, adding an immersive audio dimension. Basic movement mechanics allow users to navigate the system set against a skybox that simulates the vast expanse of space. While not astronomically accurate, the mock-up highlights how game engines like Unity can be used to create compelling simulations.

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Unity 3D v 5.5.1f1
Simulation