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  • Animating a Water Drop

    Author: 2007-06-22 15:08:16 From:

    A reflective environment has been built, then a metaball is added ( named water 1 ) and flattened out on the Y axes. A reflective clear water material is applied to it.
    Metaball 1 ( wireframe ) Metaball 1 ( rendered )

    Then the water 1 metaball is duplicated ( named water 2 ). It's scaled smaller and placed so the bottom is flush with the bottom of water 1 metaball. A third metaball is duplicated ( water 3 ) scaled smaller then water 2, and move so it's top is just touching water 1 and 2 bottom's. This is the base of the water where the drop will form.

    Metaball 2 ( wireframe ) Metaball 3 ( wireframe ) Metaball Water 1, 2, and 3 ( rendered )

    For the drop a new metaball is created with the water material applied to it ( drop 1 ), and scaled so it's slightly oblate on the Y axes. Then placed so it's just emerging slightly from the water metaballs.

    Metaball 4 ( drop wireframe ) All Metaball (wireframe ) All Metaballs ( rendered )

    All the metaballs are selected and grouped ( water group ) so they can be easily manipulated at once. The a Water Tap object is added and the water group placed so it's just at the nozzle of the tap.

    Tap and Metaballs ( wireframe Tap and Metaballs ( rendered )


    Creating the Animation



    Before setting up the animation, the action needs to be thought out. Observing a real life situation will make this process easier. For this simulation the force of gravity will pull on the water, which will form a droplet. The droplet will break free, and quickly fall. So the majority of the shot will be the droplet forming, then a short shot of the droplet falling. Estimating the animation will be four seconds, three of which will be the droplet forming and one for it falling.

    So a four second animation is set-up ( File/Animation Setup... ), for the sake of web display the frame rate will be twelve FPS ( frames per second ).
    Animation Set-Up Menu

    Then enable Auto Key and set ticker marks for every frame, then scale the time line to fit completely in the view.
    Auto Key Ticker Marks
    Time Line

    With the time line marker set at 0.000 and all the metaballs selected ( not the metaball group ) a keyframe is add for them. The key icon lights up when a keyframe is added to the objects.
    Add Keyframe 1

    Then the marker is moved to the three second ticker, and another keyframe added. Then only the Drop metaball is selected and move down so it's still clinging to the water metaballs but at a point where it's ready to break free. Then the water 2 and 3 metaballs are selected, moved down and scaled smaller.
    Drop Metaball Water 2 & 3 Metaballs

    Then the Water 3 metaball is stretched on the Y axes so it's fairly round, then scaled and moved so it filling the gap between Water metaball 2 and drop metaball.
    Water 3 Metaballs Keyframe 2 rendered

    Move the time marker to the last frame and add a keyframe for all the metaballs. Then move the water drop so it falls completely out of the scene. How fast the drop falls will depend on how far down it is moved. Then place water metaballs 2 and 3 back to their original positions and sizes. Water metaball 3 will need to be flatten back out on the Y axes.
    Water Metaballs 2 & 3 Last Keyframe Rendered

    To create a little bounce as the water snaps back into place ( after the drop falls ), the time marker is placed at about 3.3 seconds. Then move and/or scale water metaball 2 and 3. Then move the time marker to 3.6 and move and/or scale water metaball 2 and 3, the opposite of what they were translated at time marker 3.3.

    Time Marker 3.3 Time Marker 3.6

    Play the animation ( wireframe mode ) and make or edit any keyframes which may be need adjusting.
    Wireframe Play Back

    Then go to Edit/Render Animation, to set-up a file name, file type, location to save it and render the animation.
    Render Animation Menu 

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