what would be the best way to make good looking explosions, i made some with particles but people tell me they look way too fake, so i was wondering how to make a realistic explosion... any ideas?

Notes and sample from SIGGRAPH''99
http://reality.sgi.com/blythe/sig99/

If you want extreme realism: map a video sequence of an explosion to a quad

To get sequences: www.marlinstudios.com look at the fire-CD

Or to do your own: Digimation''s Phoenix (www.digimation.com, search for Phoenix). The results you get are unbelievable, the realism of fire and explosions is breathtaking. The price is quite high though, but it''s worth every cent.