I'm faster than lightning!

Introduction to Maya - Modeling Fundamentals Vol 2

This course will look in the fundamentals of modeling in Maya with an emphasis on creating good topology. It's aimed at people that have some modeling experience in Maya but are having trouble with complex objects.

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# 1 19-08-2005 , 10:28 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2005

Posts: 9

Ignore that cheesy line from Virtua Fighter, because actually I need help with maya lightning. I have this high poly insect character that has two antennae on it's head. I want to have a lightning bolt go across them, but since the antennae are attached to the mesh and thus are the same object, I can't add a lightning bolt. How can I solve my problem?

I tried adding two seperate cubes and then adding the effect, but I wanted them to follow along with my model when I animate it. However if I tried to group or combine the blocks with the model, the lightning detached from one block but stayed on the other, obviously needing to connect.

Is there anyway I can have one mesh and have the lightning possibly be connected to different faces, edges, or vertices on that same mesh?

Please help.

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# 2 20-08-2005 , 05:59 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Sep 2004

Location: Waianae, HI

Posts: 1,275

No, it needs to be two separate objects. Recommend using a work-around... create locators where you want the terminators of the lightning to be. Parent the locators to the antennae. Create the lightning between the two locators.

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