I have another project I’m working on for which I need to create steam rising out of sewer grates ( like what you see in the reference jpg attached). It has to rise up and create a shape like wings, or at subtly.
The problem for me right now is the quality/type of the steam. It’s kinda in between the more cigarette smoke type of structure, and the puffy/billowy effect like that of the thick smoke tutorial.
So far the tests I’ve done with facing particles (based on Allan McKay’s sample files from Max 2011) are sort of okay, but it’s not giving me the right misty quality - too regular and puffy. It’s possible to try it with the thick smoke tutorial approach, but that’s not quite the right feel either.
What would you guys recommend as the most appropriate and efficient approach? Just do it with KT and mucho many particles?
Res would be something like 3-4K high and dynamics are less important than “realism”. It’s just for a print execution so it can be “sculpted” a bit.
What we have done previously to achieve such quality in a relatively static image is to MODEL the steam shape as a mesh, then convert to particles using PRT Volume, apply some KCMs to “eat away” particles based on a Noise Function and or Map based on their SignedDistance channel and render as Voxels. The result is a cloud-looking structure that is absolutely controllable in shape and can be fine-tweaked with the KCMs and maps.
I would love to give it a try. I will read up on the KCM pages of the manual - something I haven’t really looked into at all yet. The images is for marketing of a new upcoming TV show, and I have a bit of time to figure it out I think, but I would definitely be interested in the help with the setup (and am very likely to need it ). However, first I’ll do some more reading and see where I get.
That being said, the cloud setup is not necessarily obvious, so we will provide you with a sample scene to play with.
You can then try to transfer the setup to your actual scene.
That looks awesome - it should work perfectly! So you are using KCM’s to create the more organic edge and cloudiness? Looks killer.
I have been trying to make some headway with the links you gave, but you are right: I think a scene will help a lot I’m not a dumb guy, but it’s totally out of my realm and looks way over my head right now.
When you create a PRT Volume, a special data channel is created automatically and populated with the distance to the mesh’s surface. Based on that, we can use a Noise function to change the density of particles within the top band below the surface, this adding the edge cloudiness. We can also layer multiple effects like this - the blue clouds used one major noise effect and a secondary one based on Cellular map output to create spherical micro structures.
The “Smoke” example uses a single KCM with the Noise approach and is lit by two lights - one spot outside and one behind the cloud creating the bright area in the middle. Also used some Emission to make it brighter. Since it works with ANY somewhat closed mesh, it is the ultimate volumetric gizmo approach - anything from a character to a car to a space ship could be turned into a cloud quite easily.
I will prepare an example tomorrow and send it your way.
would you like to share a copy of this setup again? I’d like to study this technology
If you are not convenience ,would u mind simmsimaging sharing it ?
We intend to post the demo and some workflow notes (possibly in the form of a tutorial) in the Examples area of the forum.
I just have to find the time to set up the files since it is a relatively complex KCM.
I don’t mind, but what I am preparing (half of the tutorial is already written) will explain much better how it works and how to use it in general.
But feel free to play with the scene until I have the full tutorial posted…
There are several reasons for the difference.
That mesh was significantly larger and thus contained a lot more particles, allowing for more detail. It was modeled after a reference photograph using metaballs, so the mesh itself was significantly more interesting.
The density was also a bit higher,producing the shadows you noticed.
And there was a second KCM on top of the first which used a cellular map instead of a noise operator to add some spherical detail. I have left that for part two or an extension to be posted soon.
In addition, I used two lights to make it look nicer…
Most of this is a matter of artistic experimentation- see what you can get with some creative freedom.
The update showing the use of a cellular map is online - same page, last section.
Note that you can change the density, lighting, shader settings and the settings of the two KCMs to achieve various looks similar to the large clouds posted initially - the technique is the same, the rest is artistic work to make it look the way you want it. You can also stack multiple maps with various sizes and settings, or multiple KCMs of the second kind with a different map in each.
The sky is the limit, pun intended
This tutorial is super helpful - thanks for putting it together.
I’m just working through the first part and ran into an odd problem - see attached, but I’m getting big black areas in the cloud. I restarted max but it didn’t help. I am not sure what parameter set this off as I had been putzing with them all quite a bit. Any idea what I have messed up here?
Found it: the exponent is the culprit. I was lowering that value and it causes artifacts at anything but even numbers (1,2 etc.) Integers the correct way to phrase that?
). However, first I’ll do some more reading and see where I get.
