Integrating 3D models with photography
Interested in integrating your 3D work with the real world? This might help
# 1 26-11-2012 , 04:42 PM
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Sand Timer

I'm relatively new to using maya, and I was wondering if anyone knew how to animate a sandtimer/eggtimer in maya. I'm guessing that you'd need to use particles of some sort, but I don't have a clue where to go from that.

# 2 26-11-2012 , 10:15 PM
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If you want to do it with particles, be aware that this would be a VERY computationally expensive simulation. What kinds of things do you want to do with it? Do you want the sand to be dynamic/animated? Do you want to just fill the timer? Do you want to simply make a still?


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# 3 26-11-2012 , 10:41 PM
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It might be some thing you can do with fluids and a texture but this is some thing for more advanced users.................dave




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# 4 27-11-2012 , 03:45 PM
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If you want to do it with particles, be aware that this would be a VERY computationally expensive simulation. What kinds of things do you want to do with it? Do you want the sand to be dynamic/animated? Do you want to just fill the timer? Do you want to simply make a still?

I want the sand timer to start off with the sand in the top of the timer, and then for all of it to fall down to the bottom and then stop there & I don't need it to turn round or anything.

# 5 27-11-2012 , 04:45 PM
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Ok, so the best way to do this would be to do it with particles, or get crafty with some animated deforming geometry and projected textures.

Taking a nurbs cylinder, dividing it many times along it's height, putting it into a lattice that's deformed to the shape of a sand timer, animating the translation of the "sand" in Y into the lattice, then projecting a sand texture onto the object should get you started. Then, it's the same process for the bottom, where the sand is collecting.


Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Last edited by NextDesign; 27-11-2012 at 05:03 PM.
# 6 27-11-2012 , 05:57 PM
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