Create or remove nCloth

Create nCloth

Note

You can only create nCloth objects from polygon meshes.
Higher resolution polygon meshes create nCloth objects with higher quality collisions.
Do not use polygon meshes with long skinny triangles for nCloth.
Do not change the topology of nCloth objects while simulating. Changing the topology (modifications to the mesh surface that change vertices) of nCloth objects may result in collision failures.

To make a mesh nCloth

In the scene view, select the polygon mesh you want to make nCloth.
In the nDynamics menu set, select nMesh > Create nCloth > .
The Create nCloth Options window appears.
Turn on Local Space Output or World Space Output.
If you select Local Space Output, the input and output meshes of the nCloth you want to create will both be affected by the Maya^® Nucleus^™ solver and they will share the same transform node. Also, the nCloth’s input mesh will always move with and follow its output mesh. Local Space Output produces the most predictable and desirable nCloth behavior.

If you select World Space Output, only the output mesh of the nCloth you want to create is affected by the Maya Nucleus solver and the nCloth’s input and output meshes will each have their own transform nodes. Also, the nCloth’s input mesh will not move with and follow its output mesh. World Space Output is the most useful if you plan to export the cache of the nCloth you want to create.
If you want to attach the nCloth you are creating to an existing Maya Nucleus solver, select the solver from the Solver drop-down list.
If you want to create a new Maya Nucleus solver for the nCloth your are creating, select Create New Solver from the Solver drop-down list.
Click Create Cloth.
The nCloth object and its Maya Nucleus solver are created. The nCloth is a tessellated (internally) duplicate of the polygon mesh you selected that is driven by the Maya Nucleus solver. The nCloth node contains all the nCloth’s properties and various Maya Nucleus solver overrides. The nucleus node contains all the Maya Nucleus internal forces that drive the nCloth.

The original polygon mesh is hidden and made the nCloth’s input mesh (original mesh’s Shape node). You can model the input mesh to change your nCloth’s topology.

The nCloth visible in the scene view is the nCloth’s output mesh (outputCloth). If you want animate (non-dynamically) your nCloth object, you should keyframe the output mesh.

Note

If you want to adjust your nCloth’s internal tessellation, you can do so with Quad Split drop-down list in the Mesh Controls section of the outputCloth node.

Assign nCloth or passive object to a new or existing solver

Once you’ve created nCloth objects or passive objects, you can assign them to a new solver, or a different existing solver within your scene. Because nCloth objects and passive objects can only interact with each other when sharing the same Maya Nucleus solver, you may want to move objects from one solver to another or separate objects to their own solver.

To assign your nCloth or passive object to a new or existing solver

In the scene view, select the nCloth or passive object that you want to assign to a new solver.
In the nDynamics menu set, select nSolver > Assign Solver.
A list of solvers appears.
From the solver list, select New Solver, or an existing solver.
If you select New Solver, Maya creates a new Maya Nucleus Solver, which appears in the Attribute Editor, and assigns the selected object(s) to it.

If you select an existing solver, Maya assigns the selected object(s) to it.

To set nCloth properties

In the scene view, select the nCloth object whose properties you want to edit.
In the Attribute Editor, select the nCloth object’s nClothShape tab.
Edit the Collisions property values to adjust the basic behavior of your nCloth.
- Adjust Collide Strength to increase or decrease the force generated by nCloth collision.
- Adjust Bounce to increase or decrease the nCloth’s bounciness or its amount of deflection on collision.
- Adjust Friction to increase or decrease the amount the nCloth resists relative motion on collision.
- Adjust Stickiness to increase or decrease the tendency of the nCloth to stick to other objects on collision.
Edit the Dynamic Properties values to override your nCloth’s Maya Nucleus or internal forces settings.
- Adjust Stretch Resistance to increase or decrease the amount the nCloth’s links resist stretching when under tension.
- Adjust Bend Resistance to increase or decrease the amount the nCloth’s edges resist bending when under strain.
- Adjust Compression Resistance to increase or decrease the amount the nCloth’s links resist compression when under pressure.
- Adjust Mass to increase or decrease the weight of the nCloth when under the influence of Gravity greater than zero.
- Adjust Lift to increase or decrease the amount of lift applied to the nCloth.
- Adjust Drag to increase or decrease the amount of air resistance applied to the nCloth.
In the Attribute Editor, select the nCloth object’s nucleus tab.
Edit the Maya Nucleus Gravity and Wind values to change the settings of the nCloth’s internal forces.
- Adjust the Gravity to increase or decrease the amount of Gravity applied to the nCloth.
- Adjust the Wind Speed to increase or decrease the speed and force of the dynamic wind affecting the nCloth.
For more information on nClothShape and nucleus node properties, see nClothShape and nucleus.

Working with large-sized nCloth objects

Gravity interprets Maya’s units as meters. When the working units of your nCloth’s scene is not set to meters (such as Maya’s default centimeter working unit), you may need to adjust the Space Scale of your nCloth’s Maya Nucleus solver. Otherwise, the large-sized nCloth objects in your scene may not behave as desired. For example, when Space Scale is 1.0 (default), Gravity treats a 100 centimeter wide nCloth object like it is 100 meters wide. To improve the behavior of your large-sized nCloth objects, reduce the Space Scale value.

To work with large-sized nCloth objects

Select the large nCloth.
In the Attribute Editor, select the nucleus tab.
In the Scale Attributes section, reduce the Space Scale value until your large-size nCloth behaves as desired.

Use nCloth examples and attribute presets

To apply nCloth attribute presets to an nCloth object

Select the nCloth object to which you want to apply attribute presets.
In the Attribute Editor, select the nClothShape tab.
Click-hold the Presets button.
The nCloth Attribute Presets pop-up menu appears.
Select the attribute preset you want to apply to the selected nCloth object.
- If you want to replace the nCloth object’s current attribute settings with those of a preset, select AttributePreset > Replace.
- If you want to replace more than one nCloth object’s current attribute settings with those of a preset, select AttributePreset > Replace All Selected.
- If you want to blend the nCloth object’s current attribute settings with those of a preset, select AttributePreset > Blend%. For example, if you select chiffon > Blend 25%, then the nCloth object’s attribute settings would become a blend of its current settings (75%) and those of the chiffon preset (25%).
  Note
  When you apply an attribute preset to an nCloth object, a description of the preset’s effect appears in the Notes section of the object’s nClothShape tab. This description can help you better understand how the preset’s attribute settings effect your nCloth’s behavior. For a list of the attribute settings used to create the nCloth presets, see nCloth attribute presets.

To save custom nCloth attribute presets

Select the nCloth object whose current attribute settings you want to save as a custom nCloth attribute preset.
In the Attribute Editor, select the nClothShape tab.
Click-hold the Presets button.
The nCloth Attribute Presets pop-up menu appears.
Select Save nCloth Preset.
The Save Attribute Preset window appears.
In the Preset name field type the name of the custom attribute preset you want to create, and then click Save Attribute Preset.

To delete custom nCloth attribute presets

Select the nCloth object for which you want to delete a custom nCloth attribute preset.
In the Attribute Editor, select the nClothShape tab.
Click-hold the Presets button.
The nCloth Attribute Presets pop-up menu appears.
Select Edit Presets.
The Edit nCloth Presets window appears.
Select the name of the custom attribute preset you want to delete, and then click Delete.

To use nCloth example files

In the nDynamics menu set, select nMesh > Get nCloth Example.
The Visor appears with the nCloth Examples tab selected.
Select the icon for the nCloth example file you want to use and -drag it to your scene view.
The nCloth example opens in Maya.

You can now use the example file as a starting point for your own nCloth project.

Note
Many of the nCloth example files contain descriptions of their contents, located in the Notes sections of their Attribute Editor tabs. These descriptions can help you better understand how the effects in the example files were achieved.

Remove nCloth

To make an nCloth object a polygon mesh

Select the nCloth object you want to convert to a regular polygon mesh.
Select nMesh > Remove nCloth.
The nCloth object becomes a non-dynamic polygon mesh with the topology and state of the nCloth’s input mesh.

To delete nCloth construction history

Select the nCloth object for which you would like to delete its construction history.
Select nMesh > Delete History > .
The Delete nCloth History Options window appears.
Do one of the following:
- Turn on All History to delete all upstream construction history for the selected nCloth.
- Turn on Non-deformer history to delete all upstream history except deformers for the selected nCloth.
Click Delete.