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Creating a liquid simulation with nParticles

Creating a liquid simulation with nParticles

Lesson 1: Creating a Water style nParticle object

 

Learning Resources > Tutorials > Getting Started with Maya Unlimited > nParticles > Creating a liquid simulation with nParticles > 

Introduction

A common use of particles systems is to create a particle system that emulates flowing materials ranging from thick viscus fluids such as oil to fast moving liquids such as water. Using Liquid Simulation attributes, you can add properties to your nParticle objects to make them look and behave like a flowing liquid. Liquid Simulation attributes allow you to create simulations, such as flowing lava, droplets of liquids, and splashes of water.

When creating a liquid simulation, it is often best to start with a small nParticle system (small particle count) and set the attributes that control the behavior of the particle flow. You can then increase the density of the particle system and edit the attributes that give the nParticles the appearance of water.

Throughout these lessons, you will experiment with Liquid Simulation attributes to create an nParticle system with the characteristics of water, including the following:

• Volume: Water fills a given space uniformly.
• Fluidity: Water flows and moves as a single continuous substance, often exhibiting surface tension.
• Shading: Water is a transparent substance that can reflect light.

In this tutorial you learn how to:

• Use Fill Object to create a Water style nParticle system.
• Adjust nParticle Liquid Simulation attributes to create a particle system that looks and behaves like water.
• Cache your nParticles simulation.
• Convert a liquid simulation to an nParticle output mesh.
• Save nParticle attributes as a custom nParticle preset.