Wk 4 Storyboard Presentations

Week_4 demo

Particle Systems

This week we will look at the Particle Generation abilities within 3dsMax.

First is PArray particle system  which can distribute particles on a geometric object. It can be also used in object explosions (see tutorial files within 3dsMax)

When PArray is used to emit particles using a selected geometric object (the cylinder in the demo) as the emitter pattern for the emission, the object is the distribution object.

Particles can be distributed on the edges, Vertices or Faces of a distribution object.

Applying PArray to a scene

1_Open the emitter1.max file from shared  location. Apply a PArray system from the create/ standard primitive/ drop down to particle systems/ PArray and draw out a PArray at the side of the base, size not important. Use the pick button to select the cylinder.

2_Within the modify panel for the  parray first set the percentage of particles=100%.

3_The next set of variations are all within the ‘Particle generation’ rollout. As shown below .

a_use rate (particles born on each frame. Set at 10, try 50, then drop down to suit),

b_speed (particles per second, stops them flying away, set at 10”/sec, try 1”/sec),

c_variation (different speeds, set at 0% try 60 or 70%),

d_divergence (stops them emitting at right angles to the face, set at 10deg try 50 to 70 degree),

 e_timing (range of life of emitter, emit start set to minus 0, emit stop set to animation range), 

f_life ( alters life span, set at 1 try 2 with variation set to 1, it gives a range of 2 + or – 1, which is 3 or 1, try the difference),

g_life variation (some fade off at different rates, try 1)

Test render and should give a reasonable eruptive flow of particles. Picture shows flow with adaptive use of gravity space warp.

Next stage is to control flow via gravity

4_From the space warp  button below  the create tab. Select the gravity space warp and draw out at the side of the PArray (could draw it anywhere!).

5_Do a spacewarp bind (on the main ribbon below the edit and tools dropdown menus) fronm the PArray to the gravity plane. The effect should be immediate in the direction of the ‘P’ flow .

6_Try the gravity at a 10^th or so. Click the gravity square and in modify panel set strength to=0.1 or 0.3

7_You will now see that particles a sometime falling through the floor. A deflector is needed to stop this. A deflector is another space warp. Choose the next from the dropdown after forces. Should be deflectors and choose the POmniFlec because this won’t be budged by particles forces.

8_Draw out a POmniFlec and bit bigger than the floor. Again spacewarp bind from PArray to th POmniFlec. Play the move and particles should be falling before the animation. Set to -3sec and for total length of movie.

9_If some particles continue to fall through then move the deflector down below the floor in the left view.

10_Do a final bit of manoeuvring control  with the bounce and the friction parameters. Drop bounce to about 0.3 and set the friction to about 65%  

The particle flow should look quite good at this point. Add a material to give it a nuclear type glow.

11_Set the particles so you can view clearly when rendered by changing their characteristics in the viewport display on the PArray modify panel as shown below.

Also whilst in the modify panel set the size to not grow but start full size and set the fade to fade for 6 frames. So was grow=0:0:10 and fade=0:0:10, change to grow=0:0:0 and fade=0:0:6 so life fades out after 6 frames.

12_Open the Material editor (compact mode), set 4^th sample slot to bright green, 100% self illuminate, face map=on,  name it 'particle_mat', Mouse right click and within the object properties set 'not' to receive or cast shadows.

13_Drop down to the maps R.O. source the opacity slot, click and load gradient and whilst down there set to ‘radial’

14_RENDER and check whether to alter a few things. Perhaps change number of particles via the ‘use rate’ set = 20 and try increasing the size of the particle to=2” or 3” try variation at=50% - RENDER and quite a pleasing effect should be evident.

15_Try out a special lens effect. In the Mat Editor apply a material I.D  (next along from ‘put to library’ button) set to 1

16_From the rendering menu drop down to effects and the Environment and Effects dialogue box opens, select ‘Add’ and select ‘lens effect’. Under Lens Effect Parameters select glow and via the arrow send to right hand box, with interactive clicked.

17_  In the Glow Element Roll Out select  Options tab set the Material ID which is 1 to be ‘on’  

18_In the Lens Effects Global: set the various Parametre values for size (try = 50 the 5), intensity=30, try other. It should render each time because interactive is activated.

19_In the Glow Element rollout set the radial colour to brightest green then also alter the size=5 then1 and the intensity 80 then 40 .At this point you should be able to achieve a particle emission with an effect that you want

Next Week_Storyboards

Week_3

Next Week_Storyboards

During week 4 (next week's session) I would like each group to give a short and informal presentation which details the groups intentions and progress. You should include the following:

1) As a group you should explain your intentions for delivering the brief and also explain the angle your intend to take in delivering the factorial information surrounding Pearl Harbor.

2) Introduce each group member and tell us what each person is responsible for.(Remember, each group member must complete some kind of modelling AND animation) 

3) Explain how you intend to model and animate the scenes with reference to a completed storyboard.


 Wk_3 Demo. work

Construction of low-polygon count facade from an image
1) The example of the Medieval building was from a 3dsMax tutorial file(2011) under the modeling section. 

2) A very good example can be followed from the following you-tube video
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr0PSxfs2GU&feature=player_embedded

 

Week_2

This week is a look at some of the basic construction techniques in 3dsMax. Covering the loft, spline construction, extended primitives, modifiers and sub-object modeling.


sec:1
Lofting and it's possibilities.

Lofting
1
Draw out 3 splines, a line, a circle and a star.
So they are laid out side by side in the perspective view.
2
Open compound objects from the create menu dropdown, select the line and the loft button activates so you can select shape, (if you have shape you select a path), click on the circle and it lofts along the path.
 3
F3 to examine path and Path parameters.
Enter25, that is 25% along the path from the start of its creation. A yellow marker. Set path at 50% and get star shape. The path now has a circle base and a star top.
4
Move the shapes to show they are separate from the loft, also sit path outside of the lofted object.
5
Open the skin parameters in modify, open the end cap and examine the effect of the adaptive path steps.
6
Separate the circle, star and line so they are clearly viewed, examine the effect of altering the radius of the circle in the modify panel. Examine also the effect of sub-object manipulation on the vertex level of the star shape as it translates to the lofted object. Examine the spline rescaled.
manipulate loft sub objects.
7
Make an alteration on the loft object. Deselect all, select loft object, open the loft in modifier. Select shape and set star to 100% then move the circle shape up to about 60 to give a semi plant like shape.
adding scale deformation
8
We have our shape and so far the only modification is via the circle, star or line alterations. Another alteration is via the scale deformation. Open deformation and scale down the base by lowering the left hand point a bit. (about 65).
 9
Insert two bezier points along the path and set a curve that goes up from zero on the horizontal axis, to a hill curve at about 30% along to a trough at about 70% along the horizontal axis in the deformation panel. Again in the deformation panel at 0, set the point (mouse right click) to a bezier corner and move the handle so it rises steeply, also drop that left most point to zero (this should give a curve base to the lofted object).
 

10
With the caps end remove from the loft object the thickness is just a set of plane polygons. Thickness can be added via the shell modifier. Set the inner amount to 0.1. After the shell examine the shape for its stability. Alter the base to be a bit more of a stable base and perhaps scale down the top of the lofted object.
11
Object now has shell and loft check in the loft the shape steps and the path steps, dropping them down to what is acceptable before the shape begins to look bad.
12
Apply a smooth modifier, by default it is off so apply Auto Smooth. Try to get a smoother base by playing around with the threshold to see where the edges begin to smooth (thresshold probably about 65)
 



Sec:2
Spline manipulation and extended primitives in construction of a bench seat.

Set up unit system (metric/centimeters) and the grid system (right click on snap/home grid/grid spacing=10cm, major lines=10, perspective view grid extends=20)
1_
Keyboard enter a rectangle in perspective view (Pv). Length=100, width=200
2_
Select move and set z=0.5 in Pv. Shift and make a copy about 20cm. Collapse to an editable spline and attach to the original.
3_
In segment level, set the snap grid to vertex and create line from the corner top to corner bottom vertices. Repeat for all corners. Still in segment, shift copy a corner segment to sit just left of centre, Copy that to be just right of centre. Repeat so there are four central support struts.
4_
Apply a sweep modifier. Examine the effect with size reduction. Set to bar and reduce sizes. 
Examine cylinder and drop down radius. Revert to bar profile. 
And base should be as such.

 
5_
In Pv use keyboard creation to create base support for cushions. 
Create a box. L=100, Width=200, Hight=5cm- create and sit on top of the frame.
6_
Create a cushion from the extended primitive section via a chamfer box. Set at length=100, width=100, height=15 and fillet=0.5centimetres
7_
Shift and position to one side .Then Shift click to copy to the other side. Select one of the cushions and isolate and apply a vol. select modifier. This allows info to be passed up and down the stack. 

8_
In the vol. select, set stack selection to vertex and drop down to the gizmo level. Examine the gizmo scaled and moved and with the soft selection ‘on’ and the ‘fall off’ adjusted. With the selection wanted apply a ‘push’ modifier and examine the effect of different push values.
9_
With the required distortion to the cushion delete its vertices at the bottom by applying another vol.select. set at vertex and rotate to see the bottom of the cushion. When the selection suitable apply another modifier.  Apply a modifier ‘DeleteMesh’ and the bottom of the cushion should be removed.

10_
Rotate the cushion to see the top and apply a MeshSelect modifier to override the effect of the stack. 
11_
Add a noise modifier and set the strength to 30,30,30 for x,y,z and decrease the scale to see the various effects. Set to acceptable level. Perhaps strength=5 and scale=20 As seen in the left cushion below.
12_ 
Un-isolate the rest of the bench seat to check the various effects on the manipulated cushion.

Sec:3
Manipulation of the sub object polygon in converting a basic box to a variety of molded object such as a seat to a stool. 

Polygon ModelingDraw out a spline shape for the base and lathe it. Draw out a cylinder as shown at its centre and a chamfered cylinder again as shown, centred and sat as shown. 
 I will drop the file on the shared drive if needed. Look at _stool base.max

1_Open the 3dsmax file: bar_stool base.max
 
2_
Draw out a box in the top view(Tv). Set the segment to 4x4x4. Convert to an editable polygon.
 
3_
Delete the polygons on the  -x side and add a symmetry modifier. Weld seam should be ‘on’.
 
4_
In poly sub object mode ‘show end result’=on and add a turbo smooth modifier and check different iterations.
 
5_
Drop down to the polygon sub object level and with ‘show end result’=off select the two inside top polygons and extrude downwards. Check if extra polygons have been created and delete them. Turn on ’show end result’ and check.

 



6_
Now in top view it is time to round out the seat, using the stool base as a guide. This is clumsy but can be effective. Change to edge mode and begin to move all perimeter edges inward, Using the underlying stool base as a circular guide. This is the methods big draw-back. But working carefully can give a fair approximation of the base. Edge not vertex as shown below.

 
7_
Taper the bottom of the seat after deleting the underneath polygons. Show end result =off examine the base and select the polygons and delete.
Remember to keep using the show end result 'on' and 'off'.
 
8_
Select the bottom edge and loop to select all the edges at the bottom of the seat. Change the reference coordinate system to world and the use coordinate tranform  centre to scale down in the XY axis  


9_
Clean up the vertices at the top edge. Use the various constraints necessary in show end result ‘off’


10_
Add a horizontal loop scale and shape and collect top polygons and tilt via rotate to give the slope to the stool