combustion tutorials 3dsmax elements

7/22/2019 Combustion Tutorials 3dsmax Elements

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Using 3ds max Render Elementscombustionweb tutorial

Note: 3ds max4 and combustionv1.011 are required for this lesson.

Render a scene to elements in 3ds maxand

generate a combustionworkspace. Then,

apply and animate effects to layers of the

composite in the combustionworkspace.

There is a layer for each image file from the

3ds maxrender.


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Using 3ds max Render Elements

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OverviewThere are three ways that combustionv1.011 and 3ds max4 can be used together: Use a combustionworkspace as a material map, a displacement map or an environment map in 3ds max; import 3dsmaxscenes rendered in rich pixel file (RPF or RLA) format into combustion; render 3ds maxscene

elements, such as Refraction and Shadows, as individual image files in a composite and generate acombustionworkspace.

This lesson shows how to render a 3ds maxscene to elements and generate a combustionworkspacefile, and how to modify and animate the combustioncomposite by adding operators to the renderelement layers to create a main title type of animation.

Note: Although 3ds maxruns only on Windows systems, once a combustionworkspace has beengenerated from 3ds max, the workspace can be used on a Macintosh system.

In this lesson:

Examine and render a 3ds maxscene to elements and generate a combustionworkspace file

Examine the render element layers in combustion

Use a discreet Color Corrector operator to match the Diffuse render element layer to the background

Animate the opacity of the Self-Illumination layer

Add a Paint operator to the Refraction layer

Import and key additional fire footage

Time to complete the lesson: 90 minutes.

Note:The screenshots in this lesson are fromcombustionand 3ds maxon a PC running the Windows2000 operating system. On a Macintosh, the combustionuser interface is the same as on Windows.Also, the monitors were set to 1280 x 1024. Monitor resolution affects the size of the clips in theviewports, so some screenshots may not match your screen.

Play the Result MovieIf you want to preview the result movie of this lesson prior to starting the lesson, open the Lavafolderand play the Lava.movfile using Microsoft Windows MediaPlayer or Apple Quicktime.


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View the 3ds max SceneView the animation and the material parameters of an object in the Lava scene.

1. Start 3ds max.

2. Choose File | Open, or press CTRL+O,navigate to the Lavafolder, and open the Lava.maxscene.

The Lava scene is displayed in the four viewports.

3. Set up the Camera viewport:

a) Click the Camera viewport to make it active.

b) Press Wto maximize the Camera viewport.

c) Right-click the Camera label and ensure Smooth + Highlights is enabled.


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4. Play the animation by doing one of the following:

Scrub the Time Slider.

In the Time Controls, click Play Animation.

The text rotates and the bubbles rise from the lava surface.

5. Press HOMEto return to the first frame.

Examine the Material Parameters of a BubbleView the material parameters of one of the bubbles in the Lavascene.

1. In the Main Toolbar, click Select by Name or press Hto open the Select Objects dialog.

2. Select Bubble4 from the objects list and click Select.

A Transform Gizmo icon appears in the viewport around Bubble4, indicating Bubble4 is selected.

3. Choose Rendering | Material Editor, or press Mto open the Material Editor dialog.

The material sample slot with solid white triangle corners is the material assigned to the currentlyselected object, Bubble4.

Note:The corners of a material sample slot that have an outlined white triangle indicate thematerial is used in the scene.

4. Click the material sample slot assigned to Bubble4.

The Bubble4 material rollouts are available.

Bubble4 materialsample slot


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5. Expand the Blinn Basic Parameters rollout.

Notice that Self-Illumination is set to 85 and the Self-Illumination Color is disabled. When the Self-Illumination Color is disabled, the material uses the diffuse color for self-illumination. Also, in theSpecular Highlights group, Specular Level is set to 25, Glossiness is set to 75, and Softness is set to0.1 (default). Specular Highlights add shiny highlights to the object, enhancing the bubble effect.The highlight increases as the Specular Level increases and it gets smaller and more focused asGlossiness increases.

6. Collapse the Blinn Basic Parameters and expand the Maps rollout.

Notice the object has a Reflect/Refract map applied to the Diffuse Color and Reflectioncomponents.


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7. Choose Rendering | Render or press SHIFT+Ror F10.

8. In the Render Scene dialog, in the Render Output group, enable Virtual Frame Buffer and clickClose.

This enables the image to be rendered to appear in a display window.

9. On the Main Toolbar, click Quick Render, or press either SHIFT+Eor F9to render a single frame ofthe animation.

The current settings in the Render Scene dialog are used and the frame begins to renderimmediately. The rendered frame appears in a virtual frame buffer.

Self-Illumination makes Bubble4 appear lit from within. TheReflect/Refract map causes the object to reflect the scene.


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Render the 3ds max SceneRender the 3ds maxscene using the Render Elements feature. Select the render elements to berendered as separate image files and enable output of a combustionworkspace file that references therendered elements.

1. Choose Rendering | Render, or press either SHIFT+Ror F10to set the rendering options.

2. In the Render Scene dialog, expand the Common Parameters rollout.

3. In the Time Output group, select Range and set the frame range from 0 to 29.

4. In the Output Size group, select NTSC D-1 (video) from the Output Size list, and click 720x486.

The following rendering settings are displayed in the Render Scene Common Parameters group.


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5. Set up the path and filename for the render output:

a) In the Render Output group, click Files.

The Render Output File dialog appears.

b) Create a folder called Lava Render.

c) Select and open the Lava Renderfolder.

d) In the File Name field, type Lava and in the Save As Type field, select Targa Image File from thelist.

e) Click Setup if it is available. If Setup is not available, click Save.

The Targa Image Control dialog appears.

f) Select 32 Bits-Per-Pixel in the Image Attributes group and click OK.

This sets 3ds maxto create 32-bit image files. Both the RGB color channels and the alpha channelinformation will be included in the rendered files. Also, in Render Scene dialog, Render Outputgroup, Save File is automatically enabled since a file name, path and format have been set. WhenSave File is enabled, 3ds maxrenders the complete scene.

6. In the Render Scene dialog, disable Save File in the Common Parameters Render Output group.

Disabling Save File disables the render of the complete scene, but retains the file name and path setin the Render Output. The Render Elements feature uses this file name as the basis for the names ofthe rendered element image files. This feature eliminates the need to individually name the files.

Note: Although a complete scene rendering is not required for this exercise, you can choose toleave Save File enabled and render the complete scene. The render element files and the completescene are generated in the same render pass, so render time is not increased.


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Set the Render ElementsUse the Render Elements feature to render scene elements as separate image files and generate acombustionworkspace.

1. In the Render Scene dialog, collapse the Common Parameters rollout and expand the RenderElements rollout.

2. In the Render Elements rollout, click Add.

The Render Elements dialog appears.

Note:The Render Elements feature is only available with Production or Draft rendering mode.When Draft rendering is set to other than the Default Scanline Renderer, or ActiveShade is enabled,the Render Elements rollout is not displayed.

3. Select Alpha and click OK, or double-click Alpha.

The Alpha element is enabled and a file name is set automatically. The Render Elements feature usesthe file name and path assigned to the files in step 5 in the Render the 3ds max Scene section.

The Alpha render element generates a grayscale representation of the transparency of the scene.


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4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the following elements:

Background (background of the scene)

Diffuse (color of the objects in direct lighting)

Reflection (scene reflected onto the surface of the object) Refraction (scene mapped onto the surface of the object in a way that looks like you are seeing it

through the surface, rather than reflected off of it)

Self-Illumination (an object appears to glow from within; the object is not affected by lights in thescene and does not receive shadows)

Shadow (shadows cast by lights in the scene; saves only black and white shadow information)

Specular (color of shiny highlights)

The selected render elements are listed and the file name and path of each render element is set inthe Selected Element Parameters group. The three elements not rendered in this lesson aredescribed in the Additional Render Elements info box.

Note: Any element in the Render Elements list can be enabled or disabled using the Enable optionin the Selected Element Parameters group.


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5. In the Render Elements group, ensure Elements Active and Display Elements are enabled.

Elements Active must be enabled for the elements in the list to be rendered. When Elements Activeis disabled, all of the selected Render Elements are off. Although not required, enabling DisplayElements displays each rendered element in its own virtual frame buffer for previewing.

6. Enable Output to combustionand click Files.

The *.cws dialog appears. Notice the file type is already set to Combustion Files.

7. Open the Lava Renderfolder, type Lava in the File Name field, and click Save.

8. In the Render Scene dialog, click Render.

The Rendering dialog displays the render status of the scene, and the virtual frame buffer for thescene builds. After the 30 frames are rendered, the individual render element frame buffers appearon top of each other.

9. Choose File | Save, or CTRL+S, to save the rendered elements from the 3ds maxscene, and exit3ds max.

Additional Render ElementsThe following describes the Atmosphere, Blend and Z Depth render elements.

Note:The Blend and Z Depth elements display an additional Parameters rollout.

Render Element DescriptionAtmosphere The atmospheric effects in the rendering, such as fog and fire.

Blend A custom combination of render elements.

Z Depth A grayscale representation of the depth within the view of objects withinthe scene.


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Preview the Result combustion CompositeIf you want to preview the result combustionworkspace file for this lesson, download the additionalRender_Elements_Result.zipfile and open the Lava_result.cwsworkspace file in the Lava Resultfolder.

Note: Although 3ds maxruns only on Windows systems, a combustionworkspace and render elementimage files generated from 3ds maxcan be used on a Macintosh system.

1. Start combustion.

2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O(Macintosh),and select the Lava Resultfolder in the folder list and then click Lava_result.cwsto open theworkspace file.

3. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the result.

Note: If you do not have enough RAM to view the entire clip in real time, minimize combustionandreview the Lava.mov.

The clip features an animation with bubbles rising out of molten lava and simple 3D text animation.Notice the colors and textures on the lava, bubbles and text.

4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / +W).


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Examine the Lava CompositeSet the combustionpreferences, open the Lava combustionworkspace file rendered from 3ds maxand examine the ordering of the rendered elements.

1. Choose File | Preferences (CTRL+P / +P) to open the Preferences dialog and set the followingcombustionpreferences:

Display Time As: Frames (From 1)

Default Keyframe Interpolation: Bezier

Default Still Image Duration: 30

Note: Setting these preferences ensures the software behavior matches the steps in this lesson.

2. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) and open the Lava.cwsfile.

The composite of the 3ds maxelements is displayed in the viewport. The resolution and durationof the composite is the resolution and duration set in the 3ds maxrender.


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The composite contains a layer for each render element image sequence, a default light and thedefault camera.

Together with the transfer modes, the stacking order of the layers makes the render elementscombine correctly in the composite.

Note:The Alpha layer is turned off because it is not required in this composite, but is very useful forcompositing additional layers. The Z Depth and Blend render elements are also not required for acomposite, so the layers are turned off in the combustioncomposite when these elements arerendered in 3ds max.


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3. View the transfer mode of the Background layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), click the Background layer.

b) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Surface.

The Background layer uses the Normal transfer mode. The Background layer is not trimmedagainst the other layers (meaning, it has no alpha channel), so it must be composited under theother layers. Therefore, it is at the bottom of the layer stack.

4. In the Workspace panel, click the Diffuse layer to view its transfer mode.

Notice the Diffuse layer is directly above the Background layer. Since the Diffuse layer uses an alphachannel, it is composited using the Normal transfer mode. That is, the Background layer is visiblebeneath the Diffuse layer.

5. Click the Specular layer to view its transfer mode.

The Specular layer is composited using the Add transfer mode. The Self-Illumination, Refraction,and Reflection render element layers are also composited using the Add transfer mode, which isindependent of the stacking order.

6. In the Workspace panel, select the Refraction layer and drag the layer above the Self-Illuminationlayer.

By changing the order of these two layers, the composite is not affected because both layers use the

Add transfer mode.

Note: If this lessons composite had an Atmosphere layer, the layer would appear above the Self-Illumination layer. The Atmosphere layer must be composited over all the other layers that are

turned on (see Note in step 2 for details about layers that are off). The Atmosphere layer uses theNormal transfer mode.


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7. Examine the Shadow layer to understand the importance of its stacking order, alpha channel, andtransfer mode:

a) Select the Shadow layer.

b) In the Composite Controls panel, click Transform and set the Y Position to 100.

The shadows are clearly visible on the background image. The Shadow layer is composited abovethe Specular layer to dim color in the shadowed areas.

c) In the Composite Controls panel, click Surface and set the transfer mode to Add.

By default, the Shadow layer uses Normal transfer mode because its alpha channel controls howmuch the black and white shadows dim the Specular and Diffuse layers beneath it in the stackingorder. When the transfer mode is set to Add, the shadows cannot be seen.

Note: For the composite to match the 3ds maxscene, the Shadow layer must stay below the

Reflection, Refraction, and Self-Illumination layers. Otherwise, these three layers would also bedimmed.

d) Press CTRL+Z / +Ztwice to undo the changes in steps b and c.


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8. (Optional) View the alpha channel of the Shadow layer:

a) In the Workspace panel, double-click the Shadow layer.

The Shadow layer is displayed in Layer view. The viewport becomes black.

b) In the viewport, right-click (Windows) or CTRL-click (Macintosh) and choose View Mode |Alpha.

As explained in step 7, this alpha channel controls how the shadows dim the layers beneath it in thestacking order.

c) Right-click / CTRL-click and choose View Mode | Normal to return to Normal view mode.

The viewport still displays the Shadow layer because the Shadow layer is in Layer view.

d)In the Workspace panel, double-click the 3dsmax - Render Elements composite to make it thecurrent operator.


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Modify and Animate the Lava CompositeTo fine tune the lava scene, color correct the Diffuse layer and animate the opacity of the Self-Illumination layer. Add text and composite additional footage into the lava scene.

Color Correct the Diffuse LayerApply a discreet Color Corrector operator to the Diffuse layer and use color matching to betterintegrate the Diffuse layer with the background of the composite.

1. Right-click / CTRL-click the Diffuse layer and choose Color Correction | discreet Color Corrector.

A discreet Color Corrector operator is applied to the Diffuse layer and the Color CorrectionControls panel appears.

2. In the Color Correction Controls panel (F7), click Basics and click Master to adjust the entire imageuniformly.


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3. In the Master controls, click the Source color picker and click on a light red spot in the lava.

The values of the source pixels appear in the Source and Result patches.

Source color picker


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4. Click the Back color picker, and click on the yellow-orange color just below the text in theBackground layer.

The values of the back pixels appear in the Back patch.

Note:To sample an average of a source color area,CTRL-drag / COMMAND-drag over a portion of theimage.

5. In the Master controls, under Color Match, click Match All.

An average of the Source and Back colors appears in the Result patch. The overall tonal range of theDiffuse layer is now better matched to the Background layer.


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6. In the Color Correction Controls panel, click Histogram.

The yellow line in the histogram Output represents the Source color sampled in step 3 and the blueline in the histogram Output represents the Back color sampled in step 4.

7. In the histogram, drag the minimum input slider slightly to the right, until the value isapproximately 22, so the gray input slider moves toward the position of the blue line in thehistogram Output.

A new average of the Source and Back colors appears in the Result patch. The colors in the Diffuselayer to the left of the slider are remapped to black. As a result, the Diffuse layer becomes darker and

is further matched to the Background layer.

8. Disable the Back color picker.

yellow lineblue line

Minimum input slider

Maximum input slider


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Animate the Self-Illumination LayerAnimate the opacity of the Self-Illumination layer so the bubble in the lava appears to cool as it risesand moves away from the lava.

1. Select two-viewport layout.

With the two-viewport layout, you can view the composite in one viewport and the selected layerin the other viewport.

2. Click the right viewport to make it active.

3. In the Workspace panel, double-click the Self-Illumination layer to view the Self-Illumination layerin Layer view in the right viewport.

4. Go to the first frame (HOME).

5. In the Composite Controls panel, click Surface.

Notice that the Opacity for the Self-Illumination layer is set to 100 percent.


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6. Go to frame 30 (END)and enable Animate.

When Animate is enabled, keyframes are automatically set when you change values at differentframes in the composite.

7. In the Composite Controls panel, set Opacity to 10 percent.

In the composite, the bubble rising from the lava appears less luminous than at the beginning of theclip, when it was closer to the lava.

Add Text to the Refraction LayerAdd a Paint operator to the Refraction layer and add text to the composite.

1. Go to the first frame (HOME)and disable Animate.

2. In the Workspace panel, double-click the Refraction layer to show it in Layer view.

3. In the Workspace panel, right-click / CTRL-click the Refraction layer and choose Paint.

A Paint operator is applied to the Refraction layer and the Paint Controls panel appears.


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4. Click Settings and set the Default Object Duration to All Frames.

By default, paint objects only appear in the frame at which they were drawn. Setting All Framesextends the duration of paint objects to the length of the Refraction footage operator.

Note: You can also choose Objects | Auto Durations to extend the duration of an object. Objectscreated after Auto Durations is enabled are automatically extended to subsequent frames as youadvance through the clip.

5. Set the text options:

a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Text tool.

b) From the Font list, select a font.

c) Enable left-aligned justification.

d) Set the font size to 100.

e) In the Paint Controls panel, enable Anti-Alias to smooth the edges of the text .

f) Click Reset to ensure the Paint draw mode and Solid source are used for the text object.


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6. Click the right viewport, and type lava.

The word lava appears on the layer.

Note: Changes to the text such as font, alignment, kerning or leading can only be made beforeexiting the text tool. To change the size of the text after exiting, scale the text with the Arrow toolor use the Transform controls.

7. Click the Arrow tool or press ESCto exit the Text tool.

A bounding box appears around the text object.

8. Click on the rotation handle of the bounding box, press SHIFT, and rotate the text object 90 degrees.


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Note:To constrain the rotation to multiples of 45 degrees, press SHIFTwhile dragging.

9. Click in the center of the bounding box and drag the text object over the third bubble from the rightof the viewport.

10.With the text object still selected, click Modes in the Paint Controls panel.

11.Select Overlay from the Draw Mode list.

The Overlay draw mode combines the colors of the Refraction layer with the white text object tocreate new tints. The text appears in the bubbles and looks somewhat distorted due to the shape andrefraction of the bubbles.

Import a Fire ClipImport a fire clip into the composite. Use the Add transfer mode to affect the interaction of the fire clipwith the composite.

1. In the Workspace panel (F3), right-click / CTRL-click the 3dsmax Render Elements composite andchoose Import Footage.

2. In the Import Footage dialog, navigate to the Lavafolder and open the Firefolder.

3. Select the Fire.[####].jpgimage sequence and click OK.

In the Workspace panel, the Fire.0001 layer appears as the top layer.


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4. Key the Fire.0001 layer:

a) Click the right viewport and in the Workspace panel, double-click the Fire.0001 layer.

b) Right-click / CTRL-click the Fire.0001 layer in the Workspace panel, and choose Keying | discreet

Keyer.

A discreet Keyer operator is added to the Fire.0001 layer and the Keyer Controls panel appears. Thedefault Keyer Mode is RGB.

c) Select Luma from the Keyer Mode list.

The Luma Keyer mode builds the key according to the luminance values of the fire clip.

Note:The Luma Keyer mode is useful for clips with high contrast or filmed against a blackbackground.

d) In the Keyer Controls panel, click Matte.

The Matte controls appear.

e) In the Output options, click Matte to monitor the transparency for the key.

The matte is visible in both viewports because the output of the Keyer operator is set to Matte andbecause the Fire.0001 layer is at the top of the composite.

f) In the histogram, drag the maximum input slider to the left (until the value is approximately 187)to remap alpha values.

The distribution of luminance values is adjusted, and some of the gray is removed from the whiteareas of the matte.

g) In the Output options, click Result.

The fire is keyed over the Background layer of the composite.


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Brighten the Fire ClipBrighten the fire by setting the transfer mode of the Fire.001 layer to Add.

1. Click the left viewport and select single-viewport layout.

2. In the Workspace panel, select the Fire.001 layer to display the Composite Controls panel.

3. In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Surface.

4. Select Add from the Transfer Mode list.

The fire clip appears brighter in the composite.

5. Save the Lava workspace (CTRL+S / +S).

Preview the Result

1. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the result.

The clip plays slowly the first time while it caches to RAM and then plays in real time.

2. (Optional) Render the clip as a QuickTime movie.


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Things to Remember Create a combustionworkspace using the Render Elements feature in 3ds max. The render elements

created in 3ds maxare the layers which comprise the combustioncomposite.

Double-clicking a layer in the Workspace panel shows the layer in Layer view. Use Match All in the discreet Color Corrector to color match RGB values, match gamma, gain and

offset, and match shadows, midtones and highlights from a source layer to a back layer.

Use the discreet Color Corrector histogram to reset the black point and white point in an image.

Animating Surface properties of a render element layer in combustioncan be easier than animatingmaterial properties in 3ds max.

Use a Paint operator to add text and adjust the draw mode to change the look of the text on the layer.

Set All Frames in the Paint Controls panel to extend the duration of paint objects to the length of theoperator.

Key clips with high contrast or clips filmed against a black background using the Luma Keyer modein the discreet Keyer.

Clean up a matte generated in the discreet Keyer by adjusting the minimum and maximum inputvalues for the matte with the histogram in the Matte controls.


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Copyright 2001 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved

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Title: combustion Web TutorialsVersion 1.Date: April 2001

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