Gnomon School of Visual Effects

Shockwaves, Smoke, Fire, Sparks, Galaxies and More

One of Maya's core assests is it's functionality as an effects animation tool. With a dynamics engine which has been used in production for over 15 years, there is little that can not be accomplished. From the pod race in Episode One, to the myriad effects of Final Fantasy or Lord of the Rings, hundreds of studios rely on Maya's flexibility and power every day.

Dynamic Effects 1 and 2 take an extremely intensive look at the dynamics engine in Maya. While learning the technical methods involved in producing high-quality effects, it is important to move well beyond basic knowledge of button and tool definitions. The goal of these courses is to prepare artists for employment as effects riggers/animators by teaching students how to problem solve their way through real-world tasks and shots.

This first-level course looks at how to produce rendered particle-based effects which display natural behavior and appearance. When designing particle effects, the first issue which arises is how the particles are born into the scene.

Several weeks are spent thoroughly analyzing Maya's toolchest for particle emission which includes point, particle/particle, curve and surface emitters. While discussing emission, we also look at how to control particle motion and behavior through the use of fields, collisions and expressions. Several lectures are also spent discussing and demonstrating how to control particle appearance when rendered and integrated into a shot. We look at hardware rendering techniques, as well as how to composite these renders into CG or live-action work.

Examples demonstrated in this course include mist, steam, shockwaves, smoke, fire, sparks, dust, nebula, stars, galaxies, pixiedust and many more commonly used effects.

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