Creating Glass and Sand Materials

Creating a Realistic Hourglass

Animating the Falling Sand

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials >  Modeling Tutorials > Creating a Realistic Hourglass > 

Animating the Sand Level with Slice Modifiers

The Slice modifier is a handy tool for creating the sand in the upper chamber of the hourglass. You'll use two Slice modifiers, and then animate the Slice gizmo to create the effect of the sand level sinking in the glass.

1. Select the tapered cylinder object in the viewport.
2. On the menu bar, choose Edit > Clone.

   The Clone Options dialog appears.

3. In the Clone Options dialog, click Copy, and then name the clone Sand in upper globe. Click OK.
4. Right-click the Perspective viewport and choose Hide Unselected. Everything should be hidden in the viewport except for the Sand in upper globe object.
5. In the Material Editor, click the Assign Material To Selection button.

   The object in the viewport is assigned the sand material.

   

   Sand material on object in viewport.

6. Go to the Modify panel. In the modifier stack, click to highlight the FFD(cyl) modifier, then on the menu bar, choose Modifiers > Parametric Deformers > Slice.

   The Slice plane is displayed in the viewport.

7. In the stack display, expand the Slice modifier's hierarchy, and highlight Slice Plane.
8. In the Slice Parameters rollout, turn on Remove Bottom.
9. On the toolbar, click to turn on the Select and Move button.
10. In the viewport, select the Z arrow of the Transform gizmo and move the mouse upward so that the Slice plane causes the lower half to disappear entirely from view.

    

    Slice plane with remove bottom turned on.

    TipIf Necessary, watch the other viewports to gauge how much slicing occurs.
11. In the modifier stack, click Slice again to deselect the Slice Plane. Now right-click the stack display, choose Copy, right-click again and choose Paste.

    A second Slice modifier appears in the Stack above the original.

12. Expand the Slice modifier's hierarchy, and highlight Slice Plane.
13. Move the Slice plane two-thirds up the globe, and then in the Slice Parameters rollout change Slice Type to Remove Top.

    

    Second Slice plane removes top.

14. Select the Slice at the top of the modifier stack, and then on the menu bar, choose Modifiers > Mesh Editing > Cap Holes.
15. In the Parameters rollout, turn on Smooth With Old Faces.
16. Scroll down to the bottom of the modifier stack and select Cylinder, then reduce the Radius to 2.8.

    This will make the sand look like as if it's inside the glass.

17. Right-click in the viewport and choose Unhide All.
18. On the toolbar, click Select and Rotate. In the modifier stack, select the uppermost Slice Plane. Rotate the Y axis of the gizmo so that the level of the sand looks a little uneven.

    

    Sand made using Slice Plane and Cap Holes modifier.

19. Click to turn on the Auto Key button.
20. Move the time slider to frame 100. In the modifier stack, highlight the top Slice Plane.
21. On the toolbar, click Select and Move button. Then move the Slice Plane downward along the Z axis of the Transform gizmo in the viewport until the sand completely disappears.

    

    The sand has disappeared.

22. Turn off the Auto Key button, then click the Play button.

    The sand level in the upper globe slowly descends.

23. Save your work. Choose File > Save As and save your file as MyHourglass5.max.

Next, you'll create the illusion of the falling sand by using the Snow particle system.