Before/After Runtime Expressions
For a pretty long time differences between runtimeBeforeDynamics and runtimeAfterDynamics particle expressions were pretty vague for me. Well, their names seem to explain everything – first ones are executed before dynamics and second ones – afterwards… But what the hell does this mean and what do I need it for in practice, how could I make use of them?! 🙂
I’ll try to answer that question and as an example to make a setup of particle that formally collides with a surface – returning time, coordinates and other info about a collision – but keeps moving as if nothing had happened, as if it hadn’t collided at all (e.g. bullet goes through an object leaving holes at entry and exit points).
In: FX · Tagged with: acceleration, collision, emit, expression, field, goal, maya, particle attribute, particles, runtimeAfterDynamics, runtimeBeforeDynamics, uniform
External Values in Particle Expressions
As a first post in this blog I’ll describe optimization methods of pretty common task in particle expressions – using external values in them.
A simple example: do something with a particle based on it’s distance from specific object, let’s say, change color close to animated locator:
Particles are colored based on distance from locator
In: FX · Tagged with: expression, maya, particle attribute, particles, perfomance, pointMatrixMult, pointPosition, runtimeBeforeDynamics, worldPosition
seamExpander – Texture seams suppresion
Type: Photoshop Java Script (jsx) Name: seamExpander Version: 1.0 Released: 2007.01.05 Download
Target of this script is to create a quick automatic expansion of texture contours in order to eliminate problems with seams. For example, zBrush can create a texture with artifacts on seams (mainly at skewed mapping border edges) and there will be black pixels after rendering (actually, that’s the main purpose I’ve created this script to deal with).
In: Texturing · Tagged with: photoshop, script, seam, seamExpander, texture, tool, utility
multiMap Shading Network
This is an old article from the end of 2006. Since I’m closing the site it was on ’till today, I’ve decided to add it as a backdated post here.
Chapter I. Basics description
Chapter II. Example of assigning color maps
Chapter III. Example of assigning displacement maps
Chapter IV. Final notes
In: Render · Tagged with: alpha, displacement, float point, layeredShader, layeredTexture, mapping, maya, mentalray, mudbox, multiDisplacement, multiMap, script, shading, texture, uv, zBrush
Label/Tag & Coverage passes – LabelExtractor
This is an old article from the end of 2006. It’s partially outdated, but still contains interesting info. More than that, there’re a lot of links to it from other places, so, since I’m closing the site it was on ’till today, I’ve decided to add it as a backdated post here.
Chapter I. Basic methods of getting color masks
Chapter II. Basic methods of color masks usage
Chapter III. Label/tag & coverage passes in mentalray
Chapter IV. Usage of Label/tag & coverage passes
Chapter V. Macro LabelExtractor
– Download macro LabelExtractor –
In: Render · Tagged with: aliasing, alpha, anti-aliasing, Compositing, coverage, ctrl_buffers, expression, framebuffer, labelExtractor, m2mr, macro, mask, maya, mentalray, miLabel, p_constant, p_megaTK, p_shaders, pass, script, shading, shake, st, surfaceShader, tag, tt, zt
Basic usage of p_megaTk
Videotutorial from the end of 2005. It explains general methods of p_megaTk and p_megaTk_pass shaders usage for setting up render passes. Also it describes the creation of mentalray nodes network for bump (at that particular moment to get proper bump via maya nodes you needed to enable ‘Export with Shading Engine’ that led to alpha disappearing 🙂 and this method served as an alternative solution).
In: Render · Tagged with: alpha, bump, m2mr, maya, mentalray, mib_texture_lookup, mib_texture_remap, mib_texture_vector, p_megaTK, p_megaTK_pass, p_spotTK, pass, shading, shake, texture
MultiPass Rendering Skin Layers
Videotutorial from the end of 2005. It explains breaking misss_fast_skin shader into passes via ctrl_buffers, optimization of render time by replacing it with base shaders it actually consists of, and compositing of the resulted passes.
In: Compositing, Render · Tagged with: ctrl_buffers, maya, mentalray, misss_fast_shader, misss_fast_skin, misss_lambert_gamma, misss_set_normal, misss_skin_specular, pass, perfomance, shading, shake
Elizabeth – Facial Rigging
This is my ancient topic made in mid of 2005 on http://www.3dcenter.ru/ board.
Some things are outdated, but some others are relevant still. I’m creating this backdated post and a couple more, because I’m closing the site they we at ’till today – just not to waste them, for history, nostalgia and this sort of things 🙂
Sorry, it’s in russian only and I neither plan nor see any point in translating it into english.
In: Rigging · Tagged with: aim, cluster, constraint, deformation order, deformer, drivenKeys, maya, motionPath, rivet, script, sculpt, skinning, weightMap, weights, wire