Rendering Lines

# 1 20-11-2013 , 02:34 PM

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Join Date: Oct 2011

Posts: 53

Hi Folks,

I´m working with Maya since a few years now and did mostly work with Modeling / Texturing / Rigid- and IK Animation.

Now I´d like to explore a more graphical way of animating Content. I created some interface graphics with Illustrator and recognised that I had no clue how to set them up in Maya that they will look similar to the picture. Maybe anybody could give a hint or link to a nice tutorial (I didn´t found one :-)

The picture is from Ash Thorp - great Visual Artist

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# 2 21-11-2013 , 08:23 AM

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Join Date: Nov 2011

Posts: 10

You can build a simple model, and apply some sort of "profile" shader to render the wireframe look in black and white, and then composite in After Effects (or something else) application to look as you wish.

Otherwise (but I'm not completely sure about this) you can import your (very very very simple) model in NUKE and work there.
(actually this is something that should be done even in After Effects with the Elements plugin or in CC version with Cinema 4D integration.. all you need in both cases is an OBJ version of your model)

To do this stuff only with Maya, I think the outline-shader should be fine, but a lot of compositing is the key, I guess.

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# 3 21-11-2013 , 12:42 PM

EduSciVis-er
Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: Toronto

Posts: 3,374

Try looking into paint effects, it should be able to given you some interesting results.

-stwert

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-->How to Effectively Ask Questions on Forums<--

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# 4 21-11-2013 , 11:57 PM

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Join Date: Oct 2011

Posts: 53

Thanks for your Input guys.

For now I´ve tried the following:

Built a Curve > Paint FX > Attach Brush to Curves

This way is nice for having a quick result. Also you can edit line Thickness, Smoothness and some other nice Attributes comfortable via Brush / Stroke Controller. But whats very bad is that it seems to be not possible to attach one Brush to Multiple Curves (there is a function called "Share one Brush" which sadly doesn´t work with Curves - correct me if I´m wrong :-)

If I built a complex Setup with multiple Curves I´ve to edit each Brush for it´s own ... that´s kind of a no go :-(

Another way to get Lines is to use Surface > Extrude > Tube with a Form Curve and a Profile Curve. I did not test this for long but you can use one Profile Curve with Multiple Form Curves. When you adjust the Size of the Profile Curve all extruded Nurbs / Polys will automatically be updated. It´s a bit nerve-racking because you have to be careful with History-Deletion and the Profile Curve should always stay on the same xyz coordinates because as said extruded Surfaces reacts on transforms.

Any more comfortable alternatives? I read about a Plugin called Arnold. Anyone with experience about it or other Plugins?

btw I´m using Maya 2013

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# 5 22-11-2013 , 12:13 AM

EduSciVis-er
Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: Toronto

Posts: 3,374

I'm a bit rusty here, but you should be able to work on your brush attached to one curve, then when you're happy with it, you can select all your curves and go Paint Effects > Curve Utilities > Attach Brush to Curves. Try looking for some Pfx tuts, because this should be feasible and straightforward, I would think.

-stwert

Website - Blog - YouTube - Vimeo - Facebook - Twitter

-->How to Effectively Ask Questions on Forums<--

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# 6 22-11-2013 , 11:25 AM

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Join Date: Oct 2011

Posts: 53

@stwert Thanks for keeping me stepping deeper into the "Attach Brush to Curves" thing :-D

I´ve done the following:
Created 3 curves (in my example 3 circles) and did Paint FX > Curve Utilities > Attach Brush to Curves on them. Maya is generating for each curve a new Stroke + Brush Node.

For better controlling I simply disconnected brush2 and brush3 from their StrokeShape and instead connected brush1. So I´m able to setup one brush and getting the result on all 3 curves (which are now strokes).

Since now you can delete your curves, brush2 and brush3 and the result will be 3 strokes attached to one brush.

Time to start a project and test it in practice.

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