Despite the apparent variety, most 4k intros rely on a single effect, maybe two. There isn't enough space for more. The only things that change are the parameters.
Interestingly, the technique used here is signed distance field raymarching. A technique that is used by maybe 90% of all 4k intros today.
So basically, write the code in GLSL instead of C, add music, play a bit with the parameters, use a good exe packer like crinkler and you have a nice 4k intro.
The effects make the difference, besides artistic direction, so materials, blur (bokeh), the sdf geometries (often just mere balls and cubes, but perhaps a twister or a nice water surface or a fractal) just for starters. Just from my outside perspective.
That's really cool, in part because it's comforting to hear. :-) Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about how much variety can be had from abusing a single distance function + various texture maps, camera angles and focal settings, environment colors, etc.
The signed distance function also finds application in real physics simulations of fluids, where it goes under the name of "level set method". Ron Fedkiw, who's worked a lot on it, is one of very computational physicists who also holds an Academy Award. His homepage is very interesting:
Despite the apparent variety, most 4k intros rely on a single effect, maybe two. There isn't enough space for more. The only things that change are the parameters.
Interestingly, the technique used here is signed distance field raymarching. A technique that is used by maybe 90% of all 4k intros today.
So basically, write the code in GLSL instead of C, add music, play a bit with the parameters, use a good exe packer like crinkler and you have a nice 4k intro.