Learn 3dsmax - 3DS MAX Training Online: material channels

Using Video Post to Animate Lightning - Part 4 of a Free 3DS Max Tutorial

In this lesson you learn how to animate the glow effect. Note that when you create keys for Video Post effects, they do not show up in the Track View editor. They can only be animated and edited from within Video Post. Also, Video Post animation information is saved when you save the entire .max file. If you save from within Video Post, using the Save Sequence icon, the animation information is not saved within the .vpx file.

From the Rendering menu, choose Video Post.
Double-click the Coil and Sphere Sparks entry in the queue.
Select the Setup button.
Select the AutoKey button, located in the lower right corner of the MAX screen, to turn it on.
Drag the Frame Slider to 0/45. This is the first frame of the animation. Note that you don't have to close or minimize Video Post to do this.
In the Lens Effects Glow window, select the Preferences tab.
Type 0 in the Size spinner. This make the effect invisible on frame 0.
Drag the frame slider to frame 5/45.
Type 0 again in the Size spinner. Do this even though the value is already set to 0. You need to create a key on this frame to keep the effect off between frames 0 and 5.
Drag the frame slider to frame 27/45.
Type 20 in the Size spinner. Note that red marks appear around the arrows associated with this spinner. This indicates that you have created a key for this value on this frame.
Drag the frame slider to frame 45/45.
Type 0 in the Size spinner. This returns the effect to its invisible state.
Drag the frame slider to frame 27/45.
Select the Inferno tab.
Type 20 in the Size spinner. This will make the sparks climbing the coil farther apart.
Type 55 in the Base spinner. This will make the sparks brighter over the course of the animation.
Drag the frame slider to frame 45/45.
Type 10 in the Size spinner. This will make the sparks
Type 50 in the Direction spinner. This will make the sparks appear to climb down the coil.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Drag the frame slider to frame 27/45.
Double-Click the Particle Sparks entry in the queue.
Choose the Setup button.
Select the Preferences tab.
Type 12 in the Size spinner.
Drag the frame slider to frame 37/45.
Type 0 in the Size spinner. This will make the effect fade away at this frame.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Select the Auto Key button to turn it off.
Click in a blank area of the Video Post queue.
Select the Add Image Output Event icon.
Select the Files button.
Type 0606.avi, or the name of the animation file you want to create.
Choose Save.
Choose OK.
Select the Execute Sequence icon.
Select the Range radio button to indicate you want to render all the frames.
Choose Render to render the scene.
From the File menu, choose View Image File.
Double-click 0606.avi. or the name of the animation you rendered, from the list of files.
Select the Play icon to play the animation.

You will find our version of the finished scene in 0706d.max. Both files were unpacked from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable.

Using Video Post to Assign Lightning to Materials - Part 3 of a Free 3DSMax Tutorial

In this lesson you learn how to use Video Post to assign special effects to materials with specific Material Effect Channel numbers.

From the Rendering menu, choose Video Post.
Choose the Add Scene Event icon.
Choose OK to add this item to the Video Post queue. You are indicating that, when you render in Video Post, you want MAX to render the scene prior to applying special effects to the elements in the scene.
Select Perspective in the Video Post queue.
Select Add Image Filter Event icon at the top of the Video Post window.
In the Label box, type Coil and Sphere Sparks.
From the list of effects, choose Lens Effects Glow.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to apply a second Image Filter Event using Lens Effects Glow. Name the second effect Particle Sparks.
Double-click Particle Sparks in the Video Post queue.
Choose Setup. Note that if you choose Setup when you first create the event, you will find that you can't preview the scene prior to rendering.
Remove the check from the Object ID check box.
Select the Effects ID check box.
Type 1 in the Effects ID box to specify that you want to apply the glow effect you are about to define to objects that use a material with this Material Effects Channel.
Select the Preferences tab.
Choose the Gradient radio button. This indicates that you want to use a gradient to control the glow color.
Select the Inferno tab.
Select the Red, Green and Blue check boxes.
Drag the frame slider, located under the viewports in the scene, to frame 25/45.
Select the Preview button.
Select the VP Queue button. You will see sparks appear on the particles between the two spherical objects.
Choose OK to exit this window. In the next lesson you will animate this effect.
Double-Click the Coil and Sphere Sparks entry in the Video Post Queue.
Select the Effects ID check box.
Type 2 in the Effects ID box to specify that you want to apply the glow effect you are about to define to objects that use a material with this Material Effects Channel.
Select the Preferences tab.
Choose the Gradient radio button. This indicates that you want to use a gradient to control the glow color.
Select the Inferno tab.
Select the Fiery radio button.
Select the Preview and VP Queue buttons to preview the effect.
Select the Red and Green check boxes. You will see sparks appear on your objects.
Choose OK to exit this window.

You will find our version of the project to this point in 0706c.max unpacked from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable.

This tutorial continues . . .

Making Materials Use Material Channels in 3DS MAX - Part 2 of a Free Tutorial

In this lesson you modify simple materials to make them capable of throwing sparks. To do this, you assign a Material Effects Channel to them. You associate this channel value with an effect in Video Post. This is how MAX knows which objects should have the effect.

Prior to proceeding with this project unpack the source files from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable. To do this transfer the .exe file to a folder on your local hard disk. From the Windows Start menu choose Run. Select the .exe file. Choose OK, then specify where the source files should be places.

Open the 0706a.max file. You will see two ball and coil assembles. If you select the Play Animation icon in the lower right corner of the screen you can watch the two objects, which represent Tesla coils, move toward and away from each other. Between the two objects you will see particle systems that fire particles at one another.
Type M to display the Material Editor.
Select the upper left sample sphere that contains the yellow material.
Select the Material Effects Channel icon, then choose 1. This material has already been assigned to the coils and spheres in the scene.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to assign the Material Effects Channel 2 to the metallic Particle Spark material located in the upper middle sample sphere.
Close the Material Editor.

You will find our version of the model to this point in 0706b.max unpacked from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable.

This add supported tutorial continues . . .

Creating Lightning & Electricity in 3dsmax - a Free Tutorial

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Introduction

In this lesson you learn how to create and animate two kinds of electricity. You will find this project of special interest if you need to be able to create electrical sparks or lightning.

You learn how to:

Create materials that specify which objects throw sparks.
Apply Lens Effects Glow to specific materials.
Use Video Post to Combine Glow effects.
Animate Lens Effects
Render Animations with Video Post

By the time you complete this project you will feel comfortable creating a wide variety of electrical effects.

This ad-supported tutorial continues . . .

Learn 3dsmax - 3DS MAX Training Online

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Using Video Post to Animate Lightning - Part 4 of a Free 3DS Max Tutorial

Using Video Post to Assign Lightning to Materials - Part 3 of a Free 3DSMax Tutorial

Making Materials Use Material Channels in 3DS MAX - Part 2 of a Free Tutorial

Creating Lightning & Electricity in 3dsmax - a Free Tutorial

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