How to build a Liquid Shader (like in RF vid)

[Zokonaden]

I was watching the realflow to maya tutorial at http://www.digitaltutors.com/digital_tutors/video.php?v=709 and i was wondering how i would be able to create the same shader for my mesh in XSI.

It's hard to come across any information on how to build shader, or know where to even start.

I'm sure the people at DT have a too busy schedule to create a similar video for XSI, and i can see that a similar question has gone unanswered that was posted over a year ago. I'd appreciate some help, even some simple information on which shaders, nodes in xsi i need to connect together in the render tree.

Best regards

[Emilio]

Well I tried to watch the video but it is gone from the old site. If you can refer which lesson is, I will take a look.

In my experience liquids are very tricky, specially when they are inside a vessel. Just yesterday our studio needed to model and render for a Tequila tv commercial two small glasses with tequila. The problem was that the originals where shot against a white background and the final comp for TV was against a black background. You can imagine that the client was very upset because the tequila as it has some gold tint, changes a lot when it is shot against one background or another. Not to mention the reflections of the crystal.

Here is a pic of the final result within softimage.


http://www.thewirestudio.com/archivos/Emilio/botella%20con%20caballitos01.jpg

I tried some render nodes. Tried some SSS but at the end both the glass and the liquid are architectural. The trick is the final gathering, global illumination and the lights.

We have made other liquids like gatorade inside the plastic bottle. And for that one we used the skim milk SSS. But everything is experience, trial and mistake. Reset the scene move the lights and watching the liquid physically and how it behaves in a real environment.

I always tell the people here at the studio something I learned a long time ago from my teacher when I took my photographer diploma. LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT!!!

And always remember that when you start at first your scene is out in the middle of nothing. There is no light, no nothing to cast or reflect.

Try a studio like setup with your keylight, fill, and back light. Rember the light sources not always are the lights by themslelves. It can be like a poroflex. I mimic this putting a grid with a constant value. Often boost the white beyond the value of 1. This way with final gathering or global illumination or both you can achieve a realistic studio setup.

But there will be nice to have some videos from DT on this liquid matter inside Softimage.