FX Tools - Dynamics Tool for Maya

The latest release has just had an edit to where the help guide can be found. I will have time soon update the tool soon - iron out a few of the bugs!

Latest version of the tool

I have uploaded the latest version of the tool - 03/10/13. I will eventually make a dedicated site so it is easier to bug track and fix.

ICM Studios FX Tools 0.3.3. it is not completely done but it works :)
This build includes a fix for the bug that stopped the tool working if there was already a locator named locator1.

Previous build

• ICM Studios FX Tools 0.3.2.
• ICM Studios FX Tools 0.3.1.
• ICM Studios FX Tools 0.3.
• ICM Studios FX Tools 0.2.

Right click and save this file. then put it in your scripts directory. This file is for the latest version 0.3 userSetup.mel

How to install FX Tools

Below is a quick video tutorial showing you how to install FX Tools :)

I also got a chance to make some updates to the tool, here is a video of some of these updates in action:

It is free to download and use - all we ask is that you credit ICM Studios if you use the tool. All you need to do is add a userSetup.mel file in the maya scripts directory and source the FX_Tools_EffectsMenu.mel I will update this blog every time there is a new release of the tool. I hope you enjoy it :)

ICM Studios Demolishes Building!

I hope you enjoy our latest addition to the library of destruction! Yet again, we have used Fracture-FX to simulate the demolition. I can't recommend a better plug-in for Maya to fracture and destroy your assets. you can get the software at http://www.fracture-fx.com/. The shot was rendered with Mental Ray and comped in Nuke. I used motion vectors to add the motion blur as well as adding a little depth of filed using Mental Ray's depth pass. A little bit of colour correction and lens distortion was added too.

New ICM Studios Idents coming soon!

I have started working with Jonathan Hearn on some new ideas for some Idents for ICM Studios. We are in the early stages of production but we should have something in the next couple of weeks :)

Below is a previous test Ident I created using Maya, Fracture-FX and Renderman Studio.

It should be fun :)

Bubbles Generation using nParticles

FX Tools, Maya Particles

Latest update on Destruction Project

Latest version of the project - I have added the impact of the metorite. Also a little bit more animation has been done - a lot more tweaking is needed. A render will follow in the next couple of weeks (hopefully)!

Custom Renderman Shaders & Realflow

I been writing a custom Renderman shader - it still needs work but here is the current code and examples as to what it looks like!

Video Examples:

Bob | Realfow Simulation | Custom Renderman Shader | Iskander Mellakh from iskander mellakh on Vimeo.

Custom Renderman Shader | Iskander Mellakh from iskander mellakh on Vimeo.

Here is the code:

1. surface im_mottleNoise(
2.           uniform color myColor = color(0,1,0);
3.           uniform float myOc = 0.1;
4.           uniform float roughness = 0.1;
5.           float Km = 1.0;
6.           float face = 1.0;
7.           float mag = 0.0;
8.           uniform float freqency = 1.0;
9. )
10. {
11.           float size = 1.0,
12.           magnitude = 0.0,
13.           i;
14.           point P2;
15.           P2 = transform ("shader", P);
16.           for (i = 0; i <6.0; i+= 1.0){
17.                    magnitude += abs (.5 - noise (P2 * size) * freqency) / size;
18.           }
19. 
    
20.           P2 = P - normalize (N) *(magnitude * magnitude * magnitude) *Km * mag;
21.           N = calculatenormal(P2);
22.           normal Nn = normalize (N);
23.           vector In = normalize(-I);
24.           normal Nf = faceforward(Nn,-I);
25.           normal Nb = faceforward(Nn,I);
26.           //Oi = myOc * diffuse(Nf * -face);
27.           //Oi = myOc * face + specular(Nf, In, roughness);
28.           Oi = myOc;
29.           Ci = myColor *Oi * diffuse(Nb) + specular(Nf, In, roughness);
30. }