Post Description

In Creating Particle and Fire Effects with Maya, author Aaron F. Ross employs Maya particles and fluids to generate stunning special effects simulations, including exploding fireworks, tumbling snowflakes, and burning flames. Following a project-based approach, the course shows how to emit and render particles, write expressions to control and fine-tune effects, and animate and shade dynamic fluids. Tutorials on batch rendering and compositing in After Effects are also included. Exercise files accompany the course.
Topics include:

    Laying out the scene
    Sketching particles on a Live object
    Connecting particles to Fields such as Gravity
    Emitting particles from particles
    Varying particle shader attributes
    Modeling and shading for the Particle Instancer
    Importing and instancing geometry onto particles
    Randomizing particle rotation with Creation and Runtime Expressions
    Adding Turbulence
    Rendering depth of field with mental ray
    Creating 3D Fluid containers
    Emitting dynamic fluid attributes from an object
    Animating a dynamic fluid
    Using a fluid for atmosphere
    Modulating light intensity with a noise expression