3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [481]
FIGURE 46.4
The Environment and Effects dialog box lets you select atmospheric effects.
You can delete an effect from the current Effects list in the Environment and Effects dialog box by selecting the effect and clicking the Delete button. The effects are applied in the order in which they are listed, so the effects at the bottom of the list are layered on top of all other effects. To the right of the Effects pane are the Move Up and Move Down buttons, used to position the effects in the list. Below the Effects pane is a Name field where you can type a new name for any effect in this field. This enables you to use the same effect multiple times. The Merge button opens the Merge Atmospheric Effects dialog box, where you can select a separate Max file. You can then select and load any render effects from the other file.
Using the Fire Effect
To add the Fire effect to the scene, select the Rendering⇒Environment (8) menu command and open the Environment panel; then click the Add button and select the Fire Effect selection. This opens the Fire Effect Parameters rollout, shown in Figure 46.5. At the top of the Fire Effect Parameters rollout is the Pick Gizmo button; clicking this button lets you select a gizmo in the scene. The selected gizmo appears in the drop-down list to the right. You can select multiple gizmos. To remove a gizmo from the list, select it and click the Remove Gizmo button.
FIGURE 46.5
The Fire Effect Parameters rollout lets you define the look of the effect.
Note
The Fire effect renders only in nonorthographic views such as Perspective or a camera view. •
The three color swatches define the color of the fire effect and include an Inner Color, an Outer Color, and a Smoke Color. The Smoke Color is used only when the Explosion option is set. The default red and yellow colors make fairly realistic fire.
The Shape section includes two Flame Type options: Tendril and Fireball. The Tendril shape produces veins of flames, and the Fireball shape is rounder and puffier. Figure 46.6 shows four fire effects. The left two have the Tendril shape, and the two on the right are set to Fireball. The difference is in the Density and Flame Detail settings.
FIGURE 46.6
The Fire atmospheric effect can be either Tendril or Fireball shaped.
The Stretch value elongates the individual flames along the gizmo's Z-axis. Figure 46.7 shows the results of using the Stretch value. The Stretch values for these gizmos, from left to right, are 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 50.
FIGURE 46.7
The Stretch value can elongate flames.
The Regularity value determines how much of the Atmospheric Apparatus is filled. The spherical gizmos in the previous figures were all set to 0.2, so the entire sphere shape wasn't filled. A setting of 1.0 adds a spherical look to the Fire effect because the entire gizmo is filled. For a more random shape, use a small Regularity value.
The Flame Size value affects the overall size of each individual flame (though this is dependent on the gizmo size as well). The Flame Detail value controls the edge sharpness of each flame and can range from 1 to 10. Lower values produce fuzzy, smooth flames, but higher values result in sharper, more distinct flames.
The Density value determines the thickness of each flame in its center; higher Density values result in flames that are brighter at the center, while lower values produce thinner, wispy flames. Figure 46.8 shows the difference caused by Density values of, from left to right, 10, 20, 50, and 100.
FIGURE 46.8
The Fire effect brightness is tied closely to the flame's Density value.
The Samples value sets the rate at which the effect is sampled. Higher sample values are required for more detail, but they increase the render time.
The Motion section includes options for setting the Phase and Drift of a fire effect. The Phase value determines how wildly the fire