Creating a Material for the Explosion

Creating Explosions

Synchronizing the Animated Maps

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials > Animation Tutorials > Creating Explosions > 

Adding an Opacity Map

Now the explosion appears on the plane. The next step is to make the plane invisible so all you see in the scene is the explosion.

Add an opacity map:

1. In the Material Editor toolbar, click Go To Parent.
2. In the Material Editor, open the Maps rollout.
3. Click the Opacity map button (it is initially labeled “None”), and in the Material/Map Browser, choose Bitmap.
4. Use the Select Bitmap Image File dialog to choose herculesm.avi. Click Open.

   The file herculesm.avi is a black-and-white mask of the animated explosion. Using the map’s alpha channel, the Opacity map makes the plane invisible and allows only the explosion to appear in the scene.

View the opacity map's effect:

1. On the Material Editor toolbar, click Go To Parent. Close the Maps rollout.
2. On the Material Editor toolbar, click to turn on Show Map In Viewport.

   The plane is now invisible in the viewport.

   

   TipIf the transparency is not apparent in the viewport, right-click the viewport's label, choose Configure, and then in the Viewport Configuration dialog > Rendering Method panel, change Transparency to Best.
3. On the Material Editor vertical toolbar, click to turn on Background.

   This turns on a checkered background that helps you visualize the opacity mapping.

   

Adjust the material settings:

• In the Blinn Basic Parameters rollout > Specular Highlights group, set both Specular Level and Glossiness to 0.

  This removes any shininess from the plane.

  TipTo set a numeric field to 0 , right-click the spinner next to the field.

Adjust the plane properties:

When using this mapping technique, you don’t want the invisible plane to cast or receive shadows, so you'll turn those attributes off.

1. Select the plane in a viewport, then right-click and choose Object Properties from the quad menu.
2. In the Properties dialog that is displayed, in the Rendering Control group, turn off Receive Shadows and Cast Shadows. Click OK.

View the results:

• Play your animation.

  The plane doesn’t move with the asteroid. That’s okay, because you need the plane only at the point where the explosion occurs.