Maya Visual Effects - The Innovator's Guide

Introduction xiiChapter 1 Texture Effects 1Create Animated Effects with a Ramp Texture 2Create the Sign Geometry 3Set Up the Neon Shader 5Create an Animation Control for the Sign 8Add a Particle Emitter 13Animate the Effect Using the Custom Rig 16Edit Connections Using the Node Editor 18Further Study 22Use Ambient Occlusion for Holographic Effects 26Animate the Glowing Line Effect 32Render the Effect Using a Render Layer 35Further Study 39Generate Creative Text Effects 40Create the Text 41Create an Animated Texture from the Text 44Apply the Animated Text Sequence to the Sign Geometry 47Animate the Reverse Disintegration of the Sign 49Create the Dynamic Effects 52Further Study 57Chapter 2 Particle Effects 61Orchestrate a Flowering Tree with nParticles 62Emit nParticles from the Tree Branches 62Edit the nParticle Settings 66Create the Collision Event 69Use Particle Instancing to Add the Blossom Geometry 72Create the Blossom Animation Using Expressions 77Further Study 81Create a Beard of Bees Using a Force Field 81Create the Beard Geometry 81Add Dynamics to the Beard Surface Using nCloth 84Add the Bee nParticles 87Further Study 90Choreograph a School of Fish by Layering Particles 91Create the Bait Particle Goal 92Add the Fish nParticles 94Add an Agitator nParticle 97Instance Geometry to the Fish nParticles 100Create an Expression to Control the Cycle Speed 103Create an Asset to Control the Fish 106Further Study 111Chapter 3 Joint Rigging for Effects 113Animate a Growing Bacterial Colony Using Joints 114Create the Joint Chain 115Animate the Joints 117Create the Emitters 118Edit the nParticle Behavior to Simulate Bacteria 121Create a Shelf Button for the Emitter Script 124Further Study 125Use Joints to Jiggle Geometry 125Add Joints to the Model 126Bind the Tentacle Surface to the Geometry 128Create the Jiggle Motion Using a Fractal Texture 129Create a Script to Add the Fractal Textures to Each of the 80 Joints 132Edit the Weights of the Joints 135Create a Soft Body 137Further Study 138Animate a Magic Curling Brick Road Using Joints 138Create the Orange Brick Path 139Create the Joint Chain 141Create the Animation Rig 142Run the Script 146Bind the Brick Geometry to the Joints 148Deform the Animated Brick Road 150Further Study 152Chapter 4 Creative Blend Shape Techniques 155Create an Interactive Blend Shape Rig 156Create the Blend Shapes 156Create the Blend Shape Trigger 160Create the Master Control 162Duplicate the Rigs 163Amp Up the Animation Using the Graph Editor 165Further Study 167Combine Blend Shapes and Other Deformers to Create Swimming Plankton 167Use a Lattice to Create an Undulating Motion 168Create the Animated Blend Shape 172Animate a Plankton Model Using a Sine Deformer 175Animate a Plankton Model Using a Wave Deformer 178Animate a Plankton Using a Twist Deformer 180Further Study 181Automate Blend Shape Sequences Using MEL 182Creating a Blend Shape Sequence 182Create a Blend Shape Sequence Importer Script 186Raw Scan Data 189Further Study 191Chapter 5 Paint Effects 193Create Bursts of Electric Energy 194Select a Paint Effects Preset 194Edit the Stroke Settings 197Instance Strokes to nParticles 202Edit the Look of the Energy 205Render the Effect 206Further Study 209Animate a Blood Vessel Growing on an Eyeball 209Create a Texture Guide 210Create the Vein Brush Stroke 212Create a Control Curve 214Edit Stroke Settings 215Animate the Growth of the Veins 217Render an Animated Texture 218Add the Vein Sequence to the Eyeball Shader Network 221Further Study 224Use Paint Effects Modifiers to Deform Geometry 224Attach Paint Effects Strokes to Curves 226Convert the Strokes to Polygons 228Edit the Brush Settings 229Add Twisted Tubes Around the Main Tube 231Create the Pumping Effect Using Modifiers 234Create an Animation Loop 235Further Study 237Chapter 6 nCloth Techniques 239Use nCloth to Melt a Complex Gun Model 240Create a Wrap Deformer for the Gun 240Create the nCloth Simulation 243Create an nCache 247Adjust the Wrap Deformer 248Create a Geometry Cache 249Further Study 250Trap 3D Text in a Spider Web with nConstraints 251Create the Polygon Web Surface 252Add Dynamic Motion with nCloth 255Create the Threads of the Spider Web 256Connect the Title Text to the Web 259Further Study 263Use nCloth to Animate a Drop of Water 263Rig the Grass Blade for Animation 263Create the Water Drop 269Animate the Motion of the Grass Blade 271Convert the Grass to nCloth 273Adjust the nCloth Settings 276Adjust the Speed of the Animation Using Scene Time Warp 278Further Study 281Chapter 7 Fluid Effects 283Create Shockwaves for a Futuristic Spaceship 284Create the Fluid Container and Emitter 285Edit the Fluid Emitter Settings 287Edit the Fluid Settings 288Create the Container Array 293Create a Shockwave Fluid Preset 295Align the Fluid Containers Along a Motion Path 297Attach the Emitter to the Spaceship 300Tweak the Effect 301Further Study 303Propel a Rocket Using Fluids 306Create the Fluid Container 306Use an nParticle as an Emitter 307Add Collisions to the nParticle 310Add the Mouse and Rocket Geometry 313Refine the Smoke Trail 315Further Study 317Use a Fluid Mesh to Build a Head 318Create the Fluid Container and Emitter 319Create an Emitter from Particles 322Use the Head as a Collision Surface 326Convert the Fluid to a Mesh 329Further Study 331Chapter 8 nHair and Fur Effects 333Create an Animated Jellyfish with nHair 334Create the Profile Curves for the Jellyfish Bell 334Create the Surface for the Jellyfish Bell 336Edit the Dynamics of the Profile Curve 340Create Tentacles Using a Second Hair System 341Animate the Jellyfish 344Create Geometry for the Tentacles 344Further Study 347Create a Dynamic Rig for Medusa's Snakes 347Create the IK Spline Handles 348Convert the IK Spline Curves into Dynamic nHairs 350Add the Bats 355Add the Bat Instances and Adjust the Snake Motion 357Further Study 362Animate Crop Circles Using Fur 364Create the Animated Crop Circle Design Sequence 365Render the Sequence 366Create the Wheat Field Using Fur 368Create the Crop Circle Design Using the Texture Sequence 369Render the Final Sequence 373Further Study 374Index 375... 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