Exercise 16: Smoke, Wind and Fire

[Rodney]

Those who haven't been following the other discussions on smoke effects will want to check out this one:

 

 

 

Its a nasty habit made fun... in Animation:Master.

 

Smoking

[matt_stanford]

Hi Rodney. How do you get the smoke to travel like that? Can you constrain it to a path? Is that a really dumb question??? I tried to download Shaun Freemans tut but it didn't work

[Rodney]

Hi Rodney. How do you get the smoke to travel like that?

 

Well, the way I would do it would be:

 

Download Matt's project file from that Smoking link.

Render

Tweak

Render

Tweak Tweak

Render

Tweak Tweak Tweak

Render

(Repeat as necessary)

 

If you read Matt's description he provides some information about how he created the effect.

Well worth reading, downloading and experimenting.

[matt_stanford]

Sorry Rodney...all I get is the Quicktime video

[Rodney]

I'm sorry. I thought I posted this link:

 

Smoking - Simulating smoke from a cigarette

[matt_stanford]

Legend!!! Thanks a lot! I'll get on that tomorrow.

[Rob_T]

Hmmmm. Another "recipe" lesson. This didn't tell me as much about emitters as I was hoping. It came out ok I guess (there is some kind of artifact flitting around... kind of looks like a fly buzzing the fire). It's a little circular for me to say it looks a lot like fire. I'd rather see the base spread out a bit more but if I stuck some 3D logs through it and put some 3D rocks around it I imagine it would pass the campfire test just fine.

 

Like the materials lesson though. I really feel a little abandoned on this one. The lesson just says "do this, do that and you're done." It doesn't explain why you are doing what you are doing, nor does it say what else could be done. It's a very limited lesson.

 

Anyway, hate to keep sounding like a downer on these. I'm just surprised that some of these lessons are about akin to answering the question "How does a car move from point a to point b?" by saying:

 

1) Get in car

2) Put key in ignition

3) Start car

4) Place car transmission in drive (be sure to apply brake before changing the gear to drive)

5) Depress gas pedal until car reaches acceptable speed

6)upon reaching point b release gas pedal and depress brake pedal slowly.

7) Place car in park

8) You are at point b

 

You will notice I left off shut the engine off.

 

As you can see this may indeed be a perfectly valid way to answer the question... but it doesn't REALLY answer the question. It doesn't explain about the combustion engine, it doesn't explore the other kinds of locomotive engines (Natural gas, propane, steam, biodiesel, electric, hydrogen, solar); it doesn't explain the physics theory involved with bodies in motion and forces acting upon said bodies; it doesn't explore gravity or why the car doesn't go flinging up into space when the gas pedal is pressed; it doesn't even explain how the energy produced by the engine is transferred into torque by the transmission and foot pounds by the rear differential.

 

With this lesson, the volumetrics and the materials I feel like someone keeps handing me more and more complicated chemistry sets and only telling me how to make one item per set. There's just so many possibilities. I'm getting discouraged that I'll ever be able to figure out the things I need to do on my own.

 

Well at least I have you guys to help (right? right?)

 

::sigh::

 

Vid is attached.

lesson16smokewindfire.mov

[robcat2075]

As you can see this may indeed be a perfectly valid way to answer the question... but it doesn't REALLY answer the question. It doesn't explain about the combustion engine...

 

which the person really doesn't need to get from A to B.

 

 

This tut introduces you to the creation and alteration of particle emitters.

 

Now that you know a bit about how they are put together in A:M, you can more knowingly examine sample projects the people post that use particles like a jet engine, or a shower head(check that thread for other cool liquid stuff) or any of the hundred things that JohnL3D has posted. There's a sample project that comes with A:M that shows a particle "explosion"

 

after you've seen some of those you can start to see what type particles are good for certain things and start to imagine ways to use them for your own purposes.

 

Particle effects are a huge topic much like materials. The possibilities will never be completely exhausted and will never be completely described.

 

Know the tool and ask questions when you get stuck.

[Rodney]

As you can see this may indeed be a perfectly valid way to answer the question... but it doesn't REALLY answer the question. It doesn't explain about the combustion engine...

 

Agreed. When driving to the store for a gallon of milk I usually forego the in depth study of how combustion engines allow me to get there, how that green light always seems to turn red just when I approach it and how the cow created that milk.

 

Occasionally I do wonder about that red signal though.

If it happens again I'll know for a fact its a PETA conspiracy.

[NancyGormezano]

Hmmmm. Another "recipe" lesson.

 

...The lesson just says "do this, do that and you're done." It doesn't explain why you are doing what you are doing, nor does it say what else could be done.

 

Rob T - I agree with your observation, and feel the same way - I like to know the more general "why and what", rather than follow a recipe. Your analogy to driving a car was interesting.

 

But these beginner tuts are what they are. They were done a long time ago. And they were intended to get your feet wet, to introduce you to some of the capabilities/possibilities of A:M. I would think that it was assumed that you would also try different things when doing the tuts.

 

To dig for more info - one can do a search on the forum, as there are usually more detailed explanations scattered about (especially in the Tutorials sub-forum), as well as more detailed info in the A:M tech reference (sorry don't know the link offhand - I would have to do a search)

 

With any new feature that has come along in A:M over the years - we have each had to explore and figure it out by ourselves - unless there was some kind soul who decided to write an introductory tut, or donate a project for us to inspect, or answer our specific questions. And even with that - we still have to do our own exploration.

 

I have found the best way to learn what something does in A:M - is to TRY IT (save first, then explore) and note what happens. You seem to do that with these lessons, somewhat. Explore some more later when you want or need. It all takes time. Usually lots of time to fully explore a feature.

 

Best thing is to expand all the property triangles, and the +, change the properties, images, values, etc and see what happens. Learn to use the right click often - which will tell you what functions, operations are possible for the different types of objects. I don't think I've ever finished a tut - as I usually go off the recipe pretty quick and just start to try things...

 

A:M has a beautiful logical, consistent structure, that most of the time lends itself to understanding what a new feature will do - if one explores it systematically. It is a very deep, full featured program - with capabilities that many 10 year veterans have yet to explore. Sometimes the sequence of actions required for a feature might not be so obvious - and usually one can get an explanation. Sometimes it's the property names used that might seem a bit obtuse (to us, but not to the programmer). And sometimes a feature doesn't work like we expected or it was not designed that way. This is a full featured program, unlike most other 3D packages (that cost sooooo much more) from what I understand.

 

Perhaps the expectation that it should be easier is due to the incredibly low price?

 

Eventually you will be the one to write a better tut or newbie intro to TAoA:M.

[Rob_T]

If I may, I'd like to be critical of a lesson without people thinking I'm critical of the program. I LOVE A:M. I can't remember the last time I've felt this engaged by a program.

 

That said, these lessons are frustrating me. I'm not asking for it to be easier. In fact; you might say I'm looking for the lesson to be a lot harder.

 

Take for example the "Fractal Sum." I've used it in two lessons now but I have no idea what it is, how it affects .... well I don't even know what it's affecting let alone how it affects it... or its.

 

The only thing I know about the term fractal sum is what I remember (vaguely) from college math classes (easily my worst subject); that it's some sort of algorithm that is used to either create random somethings or in the reverse is applied to try and find patterns in something.

 

Now if the instructions said something like "Fractal Sum is a randomizing algorithm that, through the use of a mathematical process creates the illusion of a random occurrance of things like particles or colors. Increasing the scale does blah on the corresponding axis. Increasing the amplitude does blah blah blah andincreasing or decreasing the octaves numbers does blah."

 

I might feel like I understood what it does well enough to try and play with it.

 

But it doesn't. It just says:

Right-click the Force icon in

the “Objects” folder and pick

[Add Turbulence] [Fractal

Sum].

Set the X, Y, and Z Scale all to “50%.” Set “Amplitude” to “10%.”

 

And it is just one of fifty different settings the lesson had me change on three different emitter properties. All without any explanation of how any one of those settings might affect the particles. Or if it even affects them at all. And I don't even know enough about fractal sum, the one term I kinda recognized, to create a fake explanation of what it does.

 

I'm not going to lie, the idea of trying to explore this stuff by myself, through other people's project files, without the structure of a manual or lesson is scary to me. It seems like a wild snipe hunt.

 

Agreed. When driving to the store for a gallon of milk I usually forego the in depth study of how combustion engines allow me to get there, how that green light always seems to turn red just when I approach it and how the cow created that milk.

 

Agreed Rodney but if you were busting your ass trying to become a dairy farmer and you open up lesson 1 in your dairy farmer manual and the lesson is called "The Milkman brings milk to you... that's how you get milk" you might not be all that happy with the lesson. Even if the milk is fantastic.

 

You seem to do that with these lessons, somewhat.

 

Thanks for the glowing endorsement LOL.

 

Nancy I do try and go off the beaten path and try different things but with these last few lessons I don't even feel like I gained enough information on the subject to even experiment. All of my ideas for altering this, the Volumetrics lesson and the Materials involved adding stuff from other lessons that I understood better like models or animation. Nothing occurs to me to change about Volumetrics, Materials or Particles because I don't understand how they work well enough to imagine experimenting with them.

 

Ah well. For now I'm going to stop whining and just complete the lesssons. From there I'll just have to see what happens next. Hopefully I'll understand enough about these things that one day I can explain to someone what they do and how they work. But when I read other parts of the forum and see you guys talking about stuff I don't understand a bit of, it makes me doubt it. By lesson 17 I feel like I should have a handle on this. Four lessons left and that's it.

 

blah.

 

When I finish my first movie you guys can quote this post and make fun fo me for being such a wuss about it. Thanks for letting me vent.

[robcat2075]

If I may, I'd like to be critical of a lesson without people thinking I'm critical of the program. I LOVE A:M. I can't remember the last time I've felt this engaged by a program.

That's fine. We're just explaining why things are the way they are.

 

Take for example the "Fractal Sum." I've used it in two lessons now but I have no idea what it is, how it affects .... well I don't even know what it's affecting let alone how it affects it... or its.

 

The only thing I know about the term fractal sum is what I remember (vaguely) from college math classes (easily my worst subject); that it's some sort of algorithm that is used to either create random somethings or in the reverse is applied to try and find patterns in something.

 

I have no idea HOW it works, but observing it in action I learn that it helps make things less perfectly regular.

 

Now if the instructions said something like "Fractal Sum is a randomizing algorithm that, through the use of a mathematical process creates the illusion of a random occurrance of things like particles or colors. Increasing the scale does blah on the corresponding axis. Increasing the amplitude does blah blah blah andincreasing or decreasing the octaves numbers does blah."

 

I might feel like I understood what it does well enough to try and play with it.

 

I would start by adding a turbulence to a simple two-color combiner material like checker or spherical and seeing what varying the settings do. There are different turbulences that get different results.

 

I'll point out again that the point of this lesson was to show you that there are controls and that they have simple number settings you can vary. It's up to you to be brave enough to try changing them. (after you've done it by the book first, of course. )

 

How did the tut writer know what settings to use? he didn't... until he experimented and found something he liked. Materials and particles are all about experimenting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not going to lie, the idea of trying to explore this stuff by myself, through other people's project files, without the structure of a manual or lesson is scary to me. It seems like a wild snipe hunt.

You dont' have to master it all today.

 

 

Nothing occurs to me to change about Volumetrics, Materials or Particles because I don't understand how they work well enough to imagine experimenting with them.

You'll have more ideas when you have a project of your own that might need such a thing. Then you'll have something in your mind to try to work toward.

[Rob_T]

You dont' have to master it all today.

 

No, but I had a schedule in mind which I'm becoming more and more fearful I will not meet.

 

You'll have more ideas when you have a project of your own that might need such a thing. Then you'll have something in your mind to try to work toward.

 

Yeah I guess I see what you mean. Baby steps. Finish the lessons, then start doing what I want to do. When I get stuck ask for help. At least that's the plan right now.

[MJL]

Hi Rob T,

I bought A:M a year ago. I had a loose plan and something I wanted to animate. My past experience with other softwares of various types left me with a certain state of mind that I brought with me into A:M. I breezed through ToaA:M (though I didn't post my projects) and got frustrated because there wasn't any one place to get the tutorials that I wanted to learn. My experience was very much like yours. I finally came to the realization that I would make progress faster if I let go of "my way" and approached A:M "it's way". I began to "lurk" the forum and read every new post that was posted. Some I could understand, many posts were talking a whole other language. It took a couple months to get a handle on the terminology. Then another few months to learn how to pose the questions I needed to ask. This program is so deep and so powerful that you need to approach it with a different mindset than what has worked for you in the past. The A:M "mountain" is too big to go to "Mohammed", "Mohammed" has to make the journey. Do what Robcat tells you to do. He, Rodney, Nancy, and a slew of others have nursed a ton of us newbies through the initial stages. Start with the outer layers and work your way to the Newton core (You'll find Vern there). Your timetable will only slow you down. If you take a little time you will be impressed at every turn. You will learn to love this program as only us "Forum Freaks" have come to love it. Look at how we freak out when the forum goes out for a day.

 

Sorry for the long post. I just had to respond to the frustration I could read in your responses.

Happy Splinin',

Myron

[Rob_T]

Hi Rob T,

I bought A:M a year ago. I had a loose plan and something I wanted to animate. My past experience with other softwares of various types left me with a certain state of mind that I brought with me into A:M. I breezed through ToaA:M (though I didn't post my projects) and got frustrated because there wasn't any one place to get the tutorials that I wanted to learn. My experience was very much like yours. I finally came to the realization that I would make progress faster if I let go of "my way" and approached A:M "it's way". I began to "lurk" the forum and read every new post that was posted. Some I could understand, many posts were talking a whole other language. It took a couple months to get a handle on the terminology. Then another few months to learn how to pose the questions I needed to ask. This program is so deep and so powerful that you need to approach it with a different mindset than what has worked for you in the past. The A:M "mountain" is too big to go to "Mohammed", "Mohammed" has to make the journey. Do what Robcat tells you to do. He, Rodney, Nancy, and a slew of others have nursed a ton of us newbies through the initial stages. Start with the outer layers and work your way to the Newton core (You'll find Vern there). Your timetable will only slow you down. If you take a little time you will be impressed at every turn. You will learn to love this program as only us "Forum Freaks" have come to love it. Look at how we freak out when the forum goes out for a day.

 

Sorry for the long post. I just had to respond to the frustration I could read in your responses.

Happy Splinin',

Myron

 

Thanks I appreciate the encouragement.

[Timekiller]

Exercise 16

completed 14 Feb 10

Fire_render.mov