Cosmos (1979)

Cosmos (1980)

 

First particle system computer animation

cosmos a personal voyage
Original DVD cover art

Video

Trivia:

1) Cosmos: A Personal Voyage - TV series by Carl Sagan shot in 1979,. released in 1980.

2) Jim Blinn.had worked with imaging techniques at Utah, and developed them into a system for NASA's visualization tasks. He worked with Carl Sagan, creating animations included a visualization of interacting galaxies (CGI particles ).

3) A particle system is a technique in game physics, motion graphics, and computer graphics that uses a large number of very small sprites, 3D models, or other graphic objects to simulate certain kinds of "fuzzy" phenomena, which are otherwise very hard to reproduce with conventional rendering techniques - usually highly chaotic systems, natural phenomena, or processes caused by chemical reactions.

4) The series featured the most extensive use of special effects ever conducted for a documentary at the time. In one notable episode, special (non CGI) effects were used to make it seem as if host Sagan was walking through a model recreation of the Library of Alexandria.

5) Aired on TV in 1980.