3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [482]
When the Explosion check box is selected, the fire is set to explode. The Start and End Times for the explosion are set in the Setup Explosion Phase Curve dialog box that opens when the Setup Explosion button is clicked. If the Smoke option is checked, then the fire colors change to the smoke color for Phase values between 100 and 200. The Fury value varies the churning of the flames. Values greater than 1.0 cause faster churning, and values lower than 1.0 cause slower churning.
Tutorial: Creating the sun
You can use the Fire effect to create a realistic sun. The modeling part is easy—all it requires is a simple sphere—but the real effects come from the materials and the Fire effect.
To create a sun, follow these steps:
1. Open the Sun.max file from the Chap 46 directory on the CD.
This file contains a simple sphere with a bright yellow material applied to it.
2. Select Create⇒Helpers⇒Atmospherics⇒Sphere Gizmo, and drag a sphere in the Front viewport that encompasses the “sun” sphere.
3. With the SphereGizmo still selected, open the Modify panel and click the Add button in the Atmospheres & Effects rollout or you can use the Add button located in the Atmosphere rollout in the Environment and Effects dialog box, which is opened using the Rendering⇒Environment menu command or by pressing the 8 key. Select Fire Effect from the Add Atmosphere dialog box, and click OK. Then select the Fire effect, and click the Setup button.
The Environment and Effects dialog box opens.
4. In the Fire Effects Parameters rollout, leave the default colors as they are—Inner Color yellow, Outer Color red, and Smoke Color black. For the Flame Type, select Tendril with Stretch and Regularity values of 1. Set the Flame Size to 30, the Density to 15, the Flame Detail to 10, and the Samples to 15.
Figure 46.9 shows the resulting sun after it's been rendered.
FIGURE 46.9
A sun image created with a simple sphere, a material with a Noise Bump map, and the Fire effect
Tutorial: Creating clouds
Sky images are fairly easy to find, or you can just take your camera outside and capture your own. The trick comes when you are trying to weave an object in and out of clouds. Although you can do this with a Shadow/Matte mask, it would be easier if the clouds were actual 3D objects. In this tutorial, you'll create some simple clouds using the Fire effect.
To create some clouds for a sky backdrop, follow these steps:
1. Open the Clouds.max file from the Chap 46 directory on the CD.
This file includes several hemispherical-shaped Atmospheric Apparatus gizmos.
2. Choose Rendering⇒Environment (or press the 8 key) to open the Environment and Effects dialog box. Click the Background Color swatch, and select a light blue color. In the Atmosphere section, click the Add button, select Fire Effect from the Add Atmospheric Effect list, and click OK.
3. Name the effect Clouds, click the Pick Gizmo button, select each of the Sphere Gizmo objects in the viewports, and then click on each of the color swatches. Change the Inner Color to a dark gray, the Outer Color to a light gray, and the Smoke Color to white. Set the Shape to Fireball with a Stretch of 1 and a Regularity of 0.2. Set the Flame Size to 35, the Flame Detail to 3, the Density to 15, and the Samples to 15.
Tip
If you want to add some motion to the clouds, click the Animate button, drag the Time Slider to the last frame, and change the Phase value to 45 and the Drift value to 30. The clouds slowly drift through the sky. Disable the Animate button when you're finished. •
4. In the Fire Effect Parameters rollout, click the Pick Gizmo button and then click one of the gizmos in the viewports. Repeat this step until you've selected all the gizmos.
Figure 46.10 shows the resulting sky backdrop. By altering the Fire parameters,