If
you want to use the cMuscleDisplace node as a deformation feature,
you can create a displace node and connect it to a Muscle deformed
object.
After creating or connecting
a cMuscleDisplace node, you may want to adjust its attributes to
get the desired effect. See
cMuscleDisplace node for
descriptions of the attributes. Since Displacement nodes are distance-based
(that is, they falloff or have more effect as they approach or move
away from the surface) there are no weights to paint.
To set up a displace node for deformation
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Create Muscle Displace from
the main menu bar.
A new cMuscleDisplace
node is created and selected. By default, this node is a planar-style
displace node. This displace setup not only includes the group node
and cMuscleDisplace locator shape, but also a file input for selecting
the file texture. You can see this by graphing the selected displace node
in the Hypershade or Hypergraph.
- Select the file node going into the cMuscleDisplace
shape and select an image file to use as the texture. Typically,
you select the node, go to the Attribute Editor,
and click the folder icon next to the Image Name field
to browse for an image file to use.
NoteAdvanced users can
also create any traditional Maya 2D texture and connect the shader’s outColor into
the displace node dispData.shader attribute instead
of using a file texture node.
The image should be black
where you want no effect, and white where you want the displacement
to push out or occur.
- Change the attributes of your cMuscleDisplace
node as needed and connect it to a Muscle deformer.
For example, you can
change the cMuscleDisplace node from Planar mode to Cylindrical,
or set other options.
To connect a cMuscleDisplace node
- Select one or more cMuscleDisplace node
objects, then select one or more Muscle deformed objects (objects
with the Muscle skin deformer applied). (The order of selection
does not matter.)
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Connect selected Muscle Displace nodes.
The nodes are now connected.
- Select the Muscle deformed object and
find the cMuscleSystem deformer node in the Channel
Box or in the Attribute Editor.
- Set the Enable Displace attribute
to on.
You can now see the displacement
effect. You may need to move, scale or change other settings on
the cMuscleDisplace node to see the effect.
When you no longer want
to use a displacement node, you can disconnect it from the cMuscleSystem
deformer.
To disconnect a displace node
- Select one or more cMuscleDisplace nodes
and one or more Muscle deformed objects. (The order of selection
does not matter.)
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Disconnect selected Muscle Displace nodes from
the main menu bar.
The item is disconnected,
and no longer affects the mesh.
Connect a NURBS Curve to
a cMuscleDisplace node
When
the cMuscleDisplace mode is set to Curves, the
position and image map on the displace node no longer matter, and
instead NURBS curves that are connected to the node are used to
do the displacement. As the curves approach the surface, they move
the points out.
NoteThis feature works
for deformation-based displacement, and Maya shader displacement,
but is not supported with the mental ray version of the shader.
In order to use this
feature, you must connect NURBS curves into the cMuscleDisplace
node. You can select one or more curves, but the radius/falloff
of them will be the same and is set from the cMuscleDisplace node
it is connected to. If you want to use different radius/falloffs,
you must use multiple cMuscleDisplace nodes.
To connect a curve
- Draw a NURBS curve or curves using standard
Maya curve tools.
- Create a cMuscleDisplace node as described
in
Set up Displacement deformation.
- Select one or more curves and a cMuscleDisplace
node.
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Connect NURBS Curve to Muscle Displace from the
main menu bar.
The curves are now connected.
The displacement node itself should be connected to the Muscle deformer,
or as part of a shading network. See
Create Maya cMuscleShader network.
- Switch the cMuscleDisplace mode to Curves.
The curves are now used to deform the surface.
To disconnect a curve from a cMuscleDisplace
node:
- Select the NURBS curve(s) and the cMuscleDisplace
node.
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Disconnect NURBS Curve from Muscle Displace.
The curve is disconnected
and no longer affects the deformation even if the node is in Curves mode.
Create Maya cMuscleShader
network
The
cMuscleDisplace feature can operate as a shader as well as a deformation tool.
To do this, a special cMuscleShader node for Maya is created that
does displacement and handles a connection from a cMuscleDisplace
node. This shader is then connected to the material for your object.
The cMuscleShader is a shader designed for the internal Maya renderer.
To set up a node for Maya-based cMuscleDisplace
shading
- Create a basic material and apply it
to your mesh.
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Create Maya Muscle Shader Network from
the main menu bar.
A new cMuscleShader and
a new cMuscleDisplace node are created and selected.
- Open the Hypershade and
graph the selected objects.
- Select the file node going into the shader
and select an image file to use for the displacement. The image
should be black where you want no effect, and white where you want
it to displace the geometry.
- Select the cMuscleDisplace shader node
and your main Maya material and graph them in the Hypershade.
- Drag the cMuscleShader onto the Shading
Group for the material and select “other” from the menu that appears.
The Maya Connection
Editor appears.
- From the shader on the left, select Displacement and
connect it to the Displacement Shader on the
right side.
- Close the Connection Editor.
Now you can see the connection
from the shader into the shading group.
- Use the Maya renderer to see the effect.
You can use typical Maya adjustments to increase the displacement
quality. For example, you can select the mesh and increase the number
of Initial and Extra displacement samples in the Displacement
Map section of the Attribute Editor for
your mesh.
Create a mental ray mib_cMuscleShader
network
The cMuscleDisplace feature can operate as a
shader as well as a deformation tool. For mental ray rendering,
a special mib_cMuscleShader node is created that does displacement
and handles a connection from a cMuscleDisplace node. This shader
is then connected to the material for your object.
To set up a node for mental ray-based
cMuscleDisplace shading
- Create a basic material and apply it
to your mesh.
- Select
Muscle > Displace > Create Mental Ray mib_cMuscleShader Network from
the main menu bar.
A new mib_cMuscleShader
and a new cMuscleDisplace node are created and selected.
- Open the Hypershade and
graph the selected objects.
- Select the mentalray_Texture node going
into the shader and select an image file to use for the displacement
with the Attribute Editor. The image should
be black where you want no effect, and white where you want it to
displace the geometry.
- Select the cMuscleDisplace shader node
and your main Maya material and graph them in the Hypershade.
- Drag the cMuscleShader onto the Shading
Group for the material and select “other” from the menu that appears.
The Maya Connection
Editor appears.
- From the shader on the left, select Displacement and
connect it to the Displacement Shader on the right.
- Close the Connection Editor.
Now you can see the connection
from the shader into the shading group.
- Render the scene with the mental ray
renderer to see the effect. You may want to use typical Maya mental
ray adjustments to make higher quality displacement.
For example, in the Options tab
of the Render Settings window, you
can expand the Tessellation section. In that
section, you can click the texture icon beside Displace
Approx to create a new mentalrayDisplaceApprox node for
rendering this scene. To do this, you must first select mental ray as
the renderer. In the Attribute Editor you can then
set this to a Spatial approximation method, Fine approximation
style, and increase the Max Subdivisions as
desired.