Wildfire
Staff Technical Artist
Magic Leap Inc | 2022 | Magic Leap Two Headset
Wildfire simulation demo using the power of AR to transform firefighter training.
I developed an early prototype for the fire map application in which I integrated interactive functionalities and procedural animations to clearly demonstrate its concept, capabilities, and designs for the end-users. I utilized a procedural workflow and coded animations and interactions to ensure that the application could be easily modified and that assets could be reused. In addition to this, I also worked on shader development, VFX, and 3D modeling to ensure that the prototype was visually engaging and effective.
Prototyping
During the production phase, I was given the responsibility of visually representing the spread of wildfires and weather patterns. This involved the development of the art direction for the wildfire, its smoke, and the movement of wind. One of the key aspects of the project was to create a non-destructive pipeline that would allow for changes in the art direction with ease. Additionally, I was tasked with developing VFX and Shader systems that would enable me to control the spread, shape, and other various aspects of the fire, smoke, and wind. Throughout the process, I focused on striking a balance between having a visually stunning representation while also ensuring good optimization for performance.
Wild fire Shader
For this stylized wildfire effect, I created a custom Shader Graph in Unity targeting Magic Leap. I used layered Voronoi and noise textures combined with time-driven UV distortion to mimic rising flames, while a fresnel effect emphasized the glow at the edges. All visual behavior was fully controllable through exposed properties, enabling real-time tuning and smooth integration in the immersive scene.
Wildfire Spread Timelapse
The wildfire shader produces a responsive spread effect that evolves across terrain in real time. Flames grow and recede dynamically, while smoke and heat effects enhance the sense of scale. The system runs efficiently on Magic Leap hardware, showing how complex fire behavior can be achieved within XR constraints.
Firefighters into the heart of the design process
Magic Leap invited wildland firefighters into the heart of our design process to explore how AR might serve those who serve us. Created by Magic Leap for the World Economic Forum, Wildfire is a public sector command and control station demo to showcase how Magic Leap 2 integrates live, intelligent, real-world content for users contextually, within an immersive god’s-eye view of a scenario. Such accurate, in-depth live views of large scenarios, enabled by Magic Leap 2 allow quick, efficient deployment and management of resources.
