Text > Melt > Liquid > To Hand

# 1 19-11-2002 , 05:21 AM

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I've been asked by my company to create something, and I need some help with it. I would have posted this in the newbie forum, but, heh, I don't think it would fit there.

Ok, I know how to create text, and how to animate it, so no problem there. But what I don't know is how to melt the text into a liquid, a puddle, and then from out of that liquid have a Hand come out. The hand is formed with the liquid.

So, what they want me to do is take the Text, melt it, or turn it into a liquid, mercury, and then have it turn into a puddle. Then, from out of that puddle, create a hand that comes out. You know, like in Terminator 2, in the end of the movie.

Please help me, point me in the right direction, or if you know of any tutorials, or if you yourself have ever done this, I would be very grateful for any help. Thanks a lot.

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# 2 19-11-2002 , 06:14 AM

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Sounds like something you'd need to fudge with to 'fake it' so to speak. Might want to consider using some compositing in such a shot, too.

My best guess would be to animate text melting using blend shapes or lattices (or both), animate a puddle mesh forming to cover the text mesh, then animate a hand mesh coming from the puddle. If all could have the same shader, it would help sell it, otherwise, you might want to use compositing to help blend the three different models together.

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 3 19-11-2002 , 06:26 AM

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Perhaps you could use different models for every frame, and hide the rest with "visibly" turned on or off. Then, with the multiple copy's of your text, each appears on a different frame, delete chronologically some details..

Just a quick though...

Best Regards

Markuz

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# 4 19-11-2002 , 07:10 AM

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That was working for a while, but the problem is, i made the Text 3D with the Bevel and Planner tools, and when i move them with a lattice, i get all kinds of holes and gaps in between the lettering and where i filled in the sides with the planner tool.

I'm sure there is a way around this, i've only been working with maya for 14 hours, hehe.

And Yes, it's all going to have the same shader, a type of mercury if i can find it.

Oh, and humm.... what's compositing?

Ohhh!!! You know what i just realized, haha, i just figured out what you ment by the puddle mesh, as the letters go in, the puddle gets larger, right? So i don't need to really do the letters much, i just cover them with this puddle, would look good if i could do it right.

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# 5 19-11-2002 , 07:52 AM

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Ok, so it's been about 3 more hours, but I'm not having any more luck, the problem is, it doesn't look ANYTHING like "melting" liquid. lol, think of butter melting in heat, i need that look.

Ugh, this is hard, how do you guys learn all this stuff? hehe.

Don't worry, that was a rhetorical question.

Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics, even if you win your still retarded.

Last edited by Tolkien; 19-11-2002 at 10:38 AM.

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# 6 20-11-2002 , 02:38 AM

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visit https://www.morpher.de and click on tuts. You will see a short animation of the navigation falling down and getting fluid on the ground. If u mean something like this I can write a tutorial for u next weekend.

CU morpher

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# 7 20-11-2002 , 08:54 PM

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I remembered a great tutorial that I think can really help! It is available at the Alias|Wavefront website. You may have to sign up to become a member but it's free.

Dynamic Tutorials - Alias|Wavefront

Then under "Soft Bodies" click on "How to Animate a Melting Object". That should help a ton in making it melt nicely.

I've attach one that I made:

mahalo,

Myk

<a href="https://www.metic.net" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="giveMeEllipsisa" target="_blank">www.metic.net</a><br />

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# 8 20-11-2002 , 09:03 PM

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This is the same tutorial I was speaking of when I talked to you, Tolkien. Give it a shot. user added image

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 9 20-11-2002 , 09:07 PM

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I know that same tutorial. That solves the melting part, but as for the hand coming out the liquid, I don't have a clue how you would do that.

Steven C.

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# 10 20-11-2002 , 09:21 PM

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Blend shape I would surmise.

-Mike
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# 11 21-11-2002 , 02:29 AM

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I would model the hand and let it melt like in the tutorial and also the text melt and render both sequences. Then I would composite them in AfterEffects or something simillar. Then just reverse the hand melting sequence in AfterEffects.

CU morpher

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# 12 21-11-2002 , 02:59 AM

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Originally posted by .:morpher:.
I would model the hand and let it melt like in the tutorial and also the text melt and render both sequences. Then I would composite them in AfterEffects or something simillar. Then just reverse the hand melting sequence in AfterEffects.

Originally Posted by

Hmm, This would be an excellent approach.
excellently thought off .:morpher:.!

adldesigner
Caracas, Venezuela
Hell .. not gone perse, but with a certainly lower post count per day.

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# 13 21-11-2002 , 03:06 AM

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Mike and morpher got it right.
Blends for the hand part.

My idea for the text/liquid issue is: (see attached video, and Maya 4.5 scene file)

Excuse the playblast. I just used point particles instead of blobbys to make my point user added image

(no pun intended)

Make your text and make it a goal for lots of blobby particles.

Run the sim till they adhere to the text surface.

Then, set initial state for selected particles.

Then, add a gravity, turbulence, and drag to taste, and attach it to your particles.

Turn off visibility for your text, or shade it with 100% transparency.

Add a collision "Floor" surface, and make the particles collide with the floor.

Run the sim again, and you should be able to tweak it to look, and act like liquid sliding off the text object, and forming into a puddle on the floor.

Then fade from that puddle, to the blend shot of the hand like Mike said user added image

Use a standard chrome shader on your blobbys as a start user added image

See file below as an idea for reference.

Israel "Izzy" Long
Motion and Title Design for Broadcast-Film-DS
izzylong.com

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# 14 21-11-2002 , 07:18 AM

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Wow, thanks a lot guys. I'll show you the final project when I'm done :-D

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# 15 01-12-2002 , 10:26 PM

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MKess007...i'm following A|W's 'how to animate a melting object' tutorial to the letter and i keep getting error message's when i create the code into the Expression Editor (step seven).

This message appears in the Command Feedback bar:

Error: Attribute not found or variable missing '$': ffd1LatticeParticleShape.thickness

any solutions?

Last edited by doodle; 01-12-2002 at 11:06 PM.

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