March 02nd 2022 08:00:06am

Liquid SOPs is a 4 session class focused on building art directable liquid FX without actually using any simulation solvers.

The goal is to generate the look and movement of liquid, but without the overhead and complexity of actual simulation calculations.

So this means no flip particle simulations, no volume advection, not even vellum will be used in this class. Just good old fashioned ingenuity, procedural animation, noises, curves, VOPs, and of course some VEX to make it all work together.

This class should get you to think about the mechanics of liquids, which will allow you think differently in breaking down that information into simpler ways that can be built with just geometry.

Classes are taught live and recorded for on-demand access after class is complete.

Class Syllabus

Blood:

Session 1
Blood Trails
This session will take a simple curve shape and turn it into a replicated pattern that will drive the design of a surface, and the blood flow itself. Techniques will involve adding small details like faking liquid surface movement, handling intersecting geometry surfaces, and shaping the blood flow over the traveling path.
• Curve design and manipulation
• Shaping surface geo-based on curve design
• Adding flow data to curves
• Building noise base on flow data
• Handling surface intersections
• Setting up Karma materials, lights, and camera

Drool/slime:

Session 2
Slimy Drool
Creature facial drool and slime will be the focus in this session. Techniques will include preparing source geometry, building custom masking, writing some custom VEX tools to manipulate points on a surface, using randomization, developing noise controls, and mimicking swinging movement.
• Preparing skull geometry
• Setting up skull procedural animation
• Constructing custom masks
• Building the procedural rig for mouth slime
• Making random static surface slime with art directed flow direction
• Designing dangling slime and giving it life
• Setting up Karma materials, lights, and camera

Water droplets:

Session 3
Surface Water Droplets
This session focuses on making surface water droplets with art-directed droplets streaming in any direction you like. Subtle details like dissolving droplets as streams pass by, misshaping droplets to mimic gravity, as well as the directional surface flow will be shown.
• Preparing source geometry
• Making emission masks to limit droplet placement
• Art directing drips and procedurally animating them
• Dealing with dissolving surface droplets in drip path
• Shaping the droplets and handling surface intersections
• Setting up Karma materials, lights, and camera

River / Waterfall (no simulation involved):

Session 4
River Flow
This final session will go over using a custom curve to shape a flow path for a river. Techniques will include using noises to add surface details, hscript to generate flowing animation, and using procedural point generation to mimic foam.
• Designing noise displacement patterns
• Building rig for white water
• Adding flow animation to all elements
• Using VEX to loop whitewater back on itself
• Defining overall path and shape
• Setting up Karma materials, lights, and camera