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
