Visual Effect 2: Maya Fluids

Here is the playblast and render of my assignment for my Maya Fluids project. For this, we simply had to make a fluid container in Maya and adjust the attributes to fit our reference. We were required to do some sort of fire, so I chose to do a fireplace. Overall, I am fairly happy with the result. It could definitely be a lot better, though.

Here is the plan that I wrote out before starting. As always, it's best to have a plan before doing anything.

          For this assignment, I plan on making a fluid fireplace scene. To start off, I want to model simple props for the scene. These will include a fireplace mantle, a grate, and a large log for the fluid to be emitted from. These models will be simple and quick because more time should be spent on learning the dynamics of fluids then modeling. Once all of the assets are placed in the scene, I will create a fluid container to fit the size of the fireplace cut out by changing the size and resolution in the Container Properties tab. This way I can make sure that the fluids are contained to the specific area of where a real fire would take place. Also, having the fluid container match the direct size of the fire will cut down on simulation time.

From here, I plan to turn the log model into a fluid emitter. Once the log is emitting fluids, I will start by adjusting the density. The fire needs to stay someone transparent, but if it is too transparent then it will appear as smoke. Raising the density should fix this. I will not adjust the heat very much, if any, because I don’t want the fire to rise very much. The same will be said for fuel. Because this is not an explosion, I do not want to add fuel to the fluid dynamics.

Next, I will go into the fluidShape tab and adjust the motion and shape. Here, I will adjust the Boundary in order for the simulation to not cap off at the sides. I will also pay attention to the Dynamic Simulation. I will adjust the Simulation Rate Scale, in order for the simulation to play faster. This will help to speed up the flames. Continuing on with the finer details of the motion, I will move to the Content Details. Under this tab I will raise the Dissipation to shorten the lifespan, slightly adjust the Diffusion, and raise the Density Tension so that parts of the flame can flicker and break off. I will also try the Swirl option under velocity. Still, this is an option that will only be slightly adjusted, because the fire, for the most part, will stay stationary. Ultimately, this section will take a lot of tweaking for me to find a shape and motion that best matches the reference. Most of my time will be spent on this section.

Once the motion follows the reference as closely as possible, then I will move into the shading of the fire. Under the Shading tab, I will change the Color to black and adjust the Incandescence color ramp, because fire is self-illuminating. I will also make sure that I add a small amount of Glow to the shading. Because fireplace flames are thinner at the bottom than at the top, I will adjust the Opacity ramp in order to match the reference. Once I am finished adjusting the shading attributes, and I notice any pixilation issues, then I will slightly raise the Shading Quality. After all of the fluid dynamics are finished, the only thing left to do is to add an illuminating point light, texture the props in the scene with a lambert, and then finally render.