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.
NoteIf the
nCloth menu
set appears in the Maya interface do not use it. You must use the
nDynamics menu
set to create and control nCloth. See
nCloth menu set appears in Maya for
information about removing the nCloth menu set from Maya.
- 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.
NoteIf you want to adjust
your nCloth’s internal tesselation, 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 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 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%).
NoteWhen 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.
NoteMany 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.