Importing and modifying Effects Assets

Import Effects Assets

You can import Effect Assets from the Visor window and apply them to objects in your scene. You can then use asset’s published attributes to make most required modifications to your effect.

Note

If the Effects Assets menu item does not appear in the nDynamics menu set, you need to restore the nDynamics menu set the default Maya settings.

Restore the nDynamics menu set to default by doing the following:

From the Status Line, select Customize.
In the Menu Set Editor, under Menu sets, select nDynamics.
Select Edit > Revert nDynamics to Default.

To import an effects asset

In the nDynamics menu set, select Effects Assets > Get Effects Asset.
The Visor appears with the Effects Assets tab selected.

Note
If the Visor window does not display the Effects Assets tab, in the Visor window, select Tabs > Revert to Default Tabs.
Select the icon for the effects asset file you want to use and it into the scene.
Maya imports the effects asset into the scene and the asset object, identified by the assets icon, appears in the Outliner. For an effect that includes Nucleus objects, a Nucleus node is published to the asset. See Effects Assets and collision objects.

Note
Many of the assets contain descriptions of their contents in the Notes sections of their Attribute Editor tabs. These descriptions can help you better understand how the effects are applied.

Some assets can be parented to polygon objects that are outside the asset. You can do this by applying the effect.

To apply an effect

Select the object you want to interact with the effect.
From the nDynamics menu set, select Effects Assets > Apply Effect.
The effects asset is now parented to the selected object.

Note
You can import or reference a file containing an effects asset and use it in your scene. After the effect is in the scene, you can apply it to objects like other effects assets.

Modify an applied effect

Each effect asset has a number of published attributes that you can use to modify the effect’s behavior.

In the Outliner, select the effects asset.
In the asset Attribute Editor, in the Published Attributes section, expand channels.
The effect's published attributes are displayed.

Note
You can access the attributes of the asset's internal nodes by expanding the asset in the Outliner, then selecting the individual nodes. Be aware that adjusting the internal node attributes may affect the way the Published Attributes control your effect.