need help or a tutorial

[SirGeneralSir]

so i want to create a nebula for a space animation that will react to a ship passing thru it, i was told that im looking for a particle volume render.

its used to create clouds, smoke and fog but i was told that it should also work for making a nebula as its all more or less the same thing.

could any one tell/show me what to do or give me a link to a tutorial. i really want to learn how to do this.

[SirGeneralSir]

so no tutorial on how to make a cloud, fog, nebula type effect?

im told that using ICE would be required ....... am i in the wrong section?

[SirGeneralSir]

does any one know what im even talking about?

[chrisg]

Hi SirGeneralSir,

Sorry for the late reply, thinking about your question. I can kind of see what you're trying to do, but it's going to be more difficult than a simple answer.

To begin, in ICE you could add in your surface, use a Surface Force set to repel, then turn on the Cutoff Distance. This begins to have your geometry interact with your ICE particles, but as I said, it's going to be more detailed than this. Let me know if you have any questions, but this is going to have to be exporation on your own, since each type of effect is going to be unique.

[SirGeneralSir]

hello and thanks, if it helps you to understand more, i have a space ship that ive been working on for some time now, im almost getting ready to use it for an animation.

part of the animation, that would be the intro segment of my ship, would be it emerging from a nebula, but having a cheezy object that just sits there and doesnt move or react to some thing moving thru it just doesnt work for me.

are there any tutorials that would show in part, what it is that im trying to do?

ive actually noticed this, that cool things like this that would be really amazing to learn, like how to create a laser etc are not showed.

any ways, not asking for a full step by step as that would probably take too much time, could you tell me what things that i would have to create to make the nebula like this.

[chrisg]

I've created a sample scene here (http://rapidshare.com/files/420446043/nebula.zip).

If you can't open it, here is a picture of my ICE tree.

5617

The cube is the size/shape of the nebula, and is a simple polygon cube.

The cylinder is your ship animated through the nebula/cube. I've set it to attract with a force that is animated on and off. I hope this will at least get you started.

[SirGeneralSir]

sadly i could not open it, i have version 7.5, thou i am seeing a bit of what needs to be done, just not enough to get me there, ive only played with ice two or three times.

are there any tutorials that you know of that might in part help with some of this?

ones creating fog, smoke, clouds or some thing simular, or even the effect of particels reacting to an object moving thru it

[chrisg]

Well, our Getting Started with ICE in Softimage (http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=103&pid=339) tutorial will give you an understanding of ICE.

[SirGeneralSir]

ok, one general question thou.

ive looked on the site a few times and i may have just not seen it, but alot of the tutorials look to be generic "HOW TO" tutorials, why not try and make them more interesting or some thing?

like with lighting effects, how would some one make a laser, both beam and pulse.

[stwert]

Au contraire... I've found most of the tutorials (at least the courses) to be project based, and therefore interesting and extendable to your own projects. Though just browsing through the ICE tutorials, you're right it seems many of them are tool/process based.

[SirGeneralSir]

i also have ADHD, for me that means watching, listening to or reading a tutorial thats just telling you what things do and how they work, dont really help me, i need to learn hands on by doing more or less, the very thing im trying to do, it keeps me focused on whats going on and it helps me to remember what it is that i did, otherwise i have to re learn it like 50 times for it to sink in, that frustrates not only me but who ever it is thats trying to teach me whats going on.