This article explains the process we used to create a huge volcano that appeared in Tokyo in the last sequence of the movie "Dragon Head." * The movie "Dragon Head" began to be shown on August 30, 2003 at first-run movie theaters all over Japan. The first question raised was how big the volcano should be and where it should appear. The volcano was referred to as a huge volcano as big as Mt. Fuji, but no definite location was mentioned in the original manga. So we made a reverse calculation based on the location where the hero of the manga stood in the story by simulation using an actual map of Tokyo. The hero saw the volcano appear when he stood on top of Dogenzaka slope in Shibuya, Tokyo. We set up a simulated camera on the position, and looked for a place where we could show a volcano of a height around 3,000 meters in the camera frame. According to the calculation, we decided to make the top of the volcano around Shin-koiwa, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo. The next problem we faced was how to describe the upthrust of the volcano. Usually, we use a process based on the reality in our world to achieve an expression with high realism. Initially, we produced the scene in which discharged lava was piled up, but it seemed to be a cliche, because the scene was too short. Considering the length of the scene created during the offline editing, the volcano would have to be uplifted to the height of 3,000 meters in around 6 seconds. The speed exceeds the speed of sound, which is not realistic. So, we reduced the expression of the rapid change, and described the volcano which was uplifted from the base. To create a more realistic scene, we applied different uplifting speeds for several parts, and added an expression like a small amount of lava sliding from the center to the outside. We decided to use 3ds maxTM to create the volcano with a displacement map. We used COREL BRYCER to create the basic shape of the volcano, and the geographical map created during the process was used as the material to create the displacement map. Animation of the upthrust of the volcano was created with animation of the material, because a displacement map was used for creating its shape. We made time differences between upthrusts of parts of the volcano by changing the degree of changes by using mask material as well as changing the strength of the map. Another important factor as well as the volcano itself was the expression of clouds. It means the expression of the clouds changed into a round shape by being pushed away by the volcanic eruption. We used Maya Fluid EffectsTM to create the thick, flowing clouds. We performed certain postprocessing by using time different map effects of Adobe® AfterEffects® for the process of their changing into a round shape, because it takes a very long time to do such a simulation. The lava flowing from a crater was created by using meta particles of 3ds max. The movements of the lava flowing in grooves were simulated by using dynamics calculation. It was rendered separately from the volcano itself, and the material of the lava was combined with the volcano later. We used various kinds of smoke and lava materials for the sequence of the volcano, and INFERNO was used for the final combination as well as for the matte painting of the town. The scene was completed after color matching with other cuts and adding camera shake. PDF Download：DragonHead_making_E.pdf click to download Acrobat Reader for this PDF files. Dec/2003 ･2003 Links DigiWorks Inc. All rights reserved Other brand names and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.