3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [315]
Another benefit of the Mesher object is that you can apply several complex modifiers to a single Mesher object and load it to a particle system rather than applying the modifiers to all the pieces that make up a particle system.
The Parameters rollout of the Mesher object includes a Pick Object button. Click this button, and select an object in the viewport to make the selected object an instance of the Mesher object. This action does not delete the original object, and the Mesher instance is oriented to the Mesher object's coordinate system. The object name then appears on the button. You can change the object by clicking the button again and selecting a new object.
Caution
Do not delete the original object, or the Mesher instance also disappears. If you want to render only the Mesher instance, then select the original object and hide it using the Tools⇒Display Floater command. •
The Time Offset is the number of the frames ahead (values can be negative) or behind the original object that the animation should progress. If the Build Only at Render Time option is set, then the Mesher instance is not visible in the viewports but shows up in the final rendered image. You can use the Update button to manually force an update of the Mesher instance after the settings for the original object have been modified.
FIGURE 27.9
A Terrain island created with the Terrain compound object
When you use the Mesher object to create an instance of a particle system, the bounding box of the particle system as it streams the particles becomes long and thin over time. This long, thin bounding box can potentially cause problems with certain modifiers. You can prevent these problems by selecting an alternative bounding box that doesn't change over time. To select a new bounding box, select the Custom Bounding Box option, click the Pick Bounding Box button, and click an object in the viewport. You can select the original object as the new bounding box. With the Mesher object selected, the bounding box is shown in orange wherever it is located. The corner coordinates of the custom bounding box are displayed under the Pick Bounding Box button. Mesher objects can also be used as Particle Flow events, using the Add and Remove buttons at the bottom of the Parameters rollout.
Cross-Reference
Chapter 41, “Creating Particles and Particle Flow,” provides more information on working with particle systems. •
Working with BlobMesh Objects
BlobMesh objects are simple spheres. If you have only one of them, they aren't interesting at all, but if you get them together, they run into each other much like the metal mercury. This makes them an ideal choice for modeling flowing liquids and soft organic shapes.
BlobMesh objects are used as sets of objects rather than as individual objects. If you click the BlobMesh button in the Compound Objects subcategory and then create a BlobMesh in the viewports, it appears as a sphere with the radius set using the Size parameter. The real benefit comes from clicking the Pick or Add buttons below the Blob Objects list and selecting an object in the scene.
Note
The Pick, Add, and Remove buttons become enabled only in the Modify panel. •
The object that is picked is added to the Blob Objects list, and each vertex of the object gets a BlobMesh added to it. If the BlobMesh objects are large enough to overlap, then the entire object is covered with these objects, and they run together to form a flowing mass of particles.
Setting BlobMesh parameters
The Size value sets the radius of the BlobMesh object. Larger sizes result in more overlapping of surrounding objects. For particle systems, the Size is discounted, and the size of the particles determines the size of the BlobMesh objects. The Tension value sets how loose or tight the surface of the BlobMesh object is. Small tension values result in looser objects that more readily flow together.
The Evaluation Coarseness value sets how dense the BlobMesh objects will be. By enabling the Relative Coarseness option, the density of the objects changes