RnD and Sparks

So recently I've been doing a bit of RnD whilst finishing off the sparks project. I've been trying to get better acquainted with Maya Fluid Effects. I've used FumeFX before so I have experience with fluid simulations but I've been trying to get used to Maya as I've found it less taxing on my computer and quicker to iterate on. So this is just a quick simulation to get better with it, but I want to get better with it so that I can actually use it for RnD for FX for creating better and more realistic flipbooks. 

Another thing I was working on is using distortion for shockwaves in my effects. It's one of those things that I've found really lacking in my work, I didn't really know a good method for it. From left to right; using a black and white texture in the distortion, using a normal map in the distortion, using a panning texture with a sphere mesh, using a panning texture on a ring mesh. I feel that the one on the far left, using just a black and white texture in the distortion, is the strongest visual impact. A method I will employ in future work, especially with effects that have a strong impact or shockwave like explosions.

This is the final render for the downed wire project I was working on. I created the animation for the wire in Maya, though it's not a procedural animation so it might not be the most effective approach. I then attached the emitter and animated it in matinee.