A lot of the stuff you can do with 3D graphics is pretty impressive, but most of it is pretty much in grasp, such pro tools are used to create those cool effects, for some apps some of the effects are more simple, like landscapes and the rendering there. Others make use of dynamics/physics and water physics, which is pretty much affordable, Cinema 4D, XSI, Max, Maya can be integrated with real flow and use the water effects within their own physics. But it does take a lot of training/practice to get some of the cool stuff we see around the place.