Hasta La Motion!

i have always used particle illusion for making explosions and meteors and light beams and (the effects that appear in dragonball movies) those kinda of effects but now that i’m becoming better i began feeling they are unrealstic and not as good as those effects in movies so made some searches and found that the best in these effects is afterburn BUT i only have maya and afterburn is for 3d max so any alternative ?
i dnt wanna something so complex just more realstic and would be better if a stndalone software !!

plz respond………….thx in advance