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[Calvin]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to build a stormy ocean in MAYA using deformers and softbodies. I'm trying to figure out 2 things:

1) How can I get 2 waves to crash into each other

and

2) How can I get some sea spray to emit right at the point and time of impact?

Can that even be done with deformers and softbodies? Or should I look up another avenue? Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

[kbrown]

For #1 i can't figure out anything else than Maya 4.5 fluids.

As for the #2 I'd like to know how and what deformers did you use?

(I may have some ideas, but for sure I don't know )

[Calvin]

I made a nurbs plane and used about 3 animated wave deformers with different amplitudes and wavelengths. I tried making it into a softbody then and adjusting the weifghts to get some small randomized swirls and such, but for some reason what I see during playback and single frame renders are different from what comes out during a batch render. I found a script that should help with that, but it's the crashing of waves and spray emission I'd like to do.

If I take the fluid effects route, do you know a place I can find tutorials on that?

[kbrown]

I don't know any tut's on the fluids other than what's on the online docs. But with your original setup...I'll do some R&D because this interests me too...

Habib Zargarpour (the particle man who recently switched from ILM to EA) talks about creating the ocean effects for the movie Perfect Storm in the Maya: Secrets of the Pros book but unfortunately he doesn't reveal the details. Don't get the wrong impression. The chapter he wrote is really awesome. It gives you the idea what is involved to create the final look. It really isn't that simple . After I read that chapter I went and rented the movie

[Calvin]

Yeah, that's an awesome book. Though I really don't think I have to go make 80 different ocean simulations just yet.

Haven't learned anything new about that partice chching question you had, though.