A Windy Day

3D Model

Here’s a visualization of global winds and precipitations on September 1st, 2019 (when Hurricane Dorian was hovering over the Bahamas, off the coast of Florida).

• Created in Python (using Matplotlib, NetCDF4, Scipy and Numpy modules)
• Public wind and precipitation data from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis
• Wind particles colored according to speed (using Matplotlib “inferno” colormap)
• Rain particles scattered according to the precipitation rate

The seamless-loop effect was achieved by periodically spawning the particles at their initial location on a time range greater than the animation, and subsampling this time range before export. This effect was further enhanced by fading each particle’s color to black at their birth and death, and using the “Additive” opacity in Sketchfab material settings to hide black points.

PS: for Python enthusiasts, I’ve uploaded a script to preview point cloud animations locally !