smallarrows.GIF
titlebar_image

Particles and Dynamics
Water Fountain Tutorial

water3b.gif

Set up your Maya options for animation
Use Windows->Settings/Preferences->Preferences
     Choose the Time Slider section
          Set Framerate: 30 fps
          Set Playback start/end between 1 and 300.
          Set Animation start/end between 1 and 300.
          Set Playback speed:  Play every frame
          Click Save


timeslider.jpg
Make sure the maximum playback on the time slider to 300, over to the right on the time slider.



Emitter
Switch over to the FX section, choose from upper left, status line.
fx_module

Choose nParticles->Create Emitter

In the Channel Box, Set Translate Y to 2 for the emitter.

Hit the Play Arrow on the Time Slider, you should see omni-directional particles.  timesliderplay

Rewind to the beginning of the Time Slider, Select the emitter.
Use the Channel Box to change:   (These can also be done in the Attribute Editor.)
Each time you make a change hit the play arrow and note the difference.
        Emitter Type  Directional
        Rate 300   (Number of particles per second emitted.)
        Direction X 0
        Direction Y 1
        Direction Z 0
        Spread .2
        Speed 7



Add Shading Attributes to the Particles
Open Windows->Attribute Editor for the selected particles.   (Shortcut Control a)
Under nParticleShape1 tab
    Under Particle Size
           Radius  .3
       Under Shading
           Select Particle Render Type: Blobby Surface (s/w)  
               (Renders with software renderer only.)
           Input Threshold .3   (Coagulation like metaballs)
          



Add a Collision Surface
Create a Poly plane and scale it up a bit.

Select nCloth->Create Passive Collider

Play the animation.

Experiment by adjusting Poly Plane rotation or adding other Passive Colliders.

nCloth can collide with nParticles



StandardSurface Shader
nCloth particles work with Maya Shaders, Maya Render, Arnold Renderer and Arnold shaders.
hypershade Hypershade
Under Create

     Select Maya and Surface    
          Click on the Standard Surface icon
Select the particles
     Hold right mouse over the StandardSurface material
     Click Assign Material to Selection

In the Attribute Editor
     Change the Shader to Type   Ai Standard Surface

     Press the Presets* button select a liquid preset you would like to try.
     Change the Shader back to Type   Standard Surface  (This will give you an icon)


Add Lights
Arnold->Lights->Skydome Light

     In the Attribute Editor
          Change the Intensity value to .3
          Uncheck Cast Shadows 
          Uncheck Cast Volumetric Shadow 
          Change the Camera value to 0   (This turns off the background color.)

Arnold->Lights->Area Light

In the Channel Box
     Translate X  -10, Y  15 and Z  10
     Rotate X -45,  Y -45
     Scale X .2, Y .2, Z .2    TThis will give you sharper shadows.)
In the Attribute Editor 
    Change Exposure to 10
    
Under the Shadows section change Shadow Color to a dark gray



Render Settings
Render Settings icon upper right  srender_settings  (Windows->Rendering Editors->Render Settings...)

Change Render Using to Arnold Renderer    (Arnold is the default)
Presets-> Import Render Settings->Default Settings   (This resets all settings)
Under the Common
tab:
     Choose Image format: tif
     Uncheck Dither
     Change Frame/Animation ext: to name.#..ext
     Input the Start frame and End frame range

Faster settings, with transparency
Under the Arnold Renderer tab:
Under the Sampling arrow:
     Set Camera (AA) to 3      (default 3)
     Set Diffuse to 1      (default 2)
     Set Specular to 1      (default 2)
     Set Transmission to 2      (default 2)
     Set SSS to 0      (default 2)
     Set Volume Indirect to 0      (default 2)

Under the Ray Depth arrow
     Set Total to 2      (default 10)
     Set Diffuse to 1      (default 1)
     Set Specular to 1      (default 1)
     Set Transmisssion to 2      (default 8)
     Set Volume to 0      (default 0)
     Set Transparency Depth to 2      (default 10)



Render an image to the Render View
Click the Render View icon upper right render_view to open the window

Click the Start IPR icon  arnold_render_arrow



Save a Geometry Cache of your ncloth and particles
You will need to do this for the schools Deadline render farm.
Select your
nParticle1 and any nCloths if you have any

Select
nCache->Create New nCache->nObject->option
     Select the folder icon folder
          Make a new folder named cache, or something descriptive
          I prefer to save this folder to my scenes folder


Check the cache by changing the time on the Timeline, you will see your animation update.

If you use the Deadline Render Farm, you will need to put all the cache files in the Cloud Remote scenes directory at the same level as the scenes file and the texture files. (No sub-directories.)


Save your file.


See Deadline course notes



Convert nParticles to Poly
Modify->Convert->nParticle to Poly  (You might not like the result.)



smallarrows.GIF

© 1988-2024 36 years