Grinder Sparks

Grinder Sparks is the shower of sparks thrown off an angle grinder biting into steel, filmed in slow motion. The grinder itself is never drawn: you see only the fan of glowing arcs, sparks bursting into little stars, the ones that bounce and skid across the floor, and their reflections in it.

How it works

Each spark is a burning grain of steel flung off the edge of the wheel. Air drag slows it (small grains stop sooner), gravity bends its path and the floor bounces it. While it burns it stays near white-yellow; once it burns out it cools through orange to cherry red and fades. Carbon in the steel makes some sparks burst into forks of brighter sparklets, the same pattern metalworkers use to tell steels apart.

Settings

• Spark Rate, Wheel Speed and Spray Angle: how many sparks, how fast they fly and how wide the fan opens.
• Carbon: how often sparks burst into stars.
• Temperature: how hot the sparks start, in kelvin.
• Exposure: how long cooling sparks stay visible.
• Floor Reflect: from a matte floor to a strong reflection.
• Color and Ember Color: the hottest and the coolest sparks.

The cursor can move the grinder, swing the spray toward it, or sweep air through the sparks so they swirl and flare.

Use it for

Industrial, automotive and manufacturing scenes, cinematic intros and anything about making things. Pair it with a metal material or see more particles.