Curtain Simulation
In order to add a further level of realism to my environment, and expand on passive animation further, I wish to make cloth simulations out of the theatre stage curtains that will rustle slightly in what would be a slight breeze caused by movement and general atmosphere. In order to achieve this, I need to make sure I effectively understand colliders and wind strength as well as constrain types for Ncloth simulations. If this is not achievable, I am considering creating an opening sequence in which the curtains open and introduce the audience to the scene.
Below is the first example test of the curtain opening simulation, however, there are several issues with the cloth weight and stiffness that feels unrealistic, despite the desired ‘heavy felt’ feel of the intended curtain models. This proved to be due to a lack of correct subdivisions that would provide better and more detailed deformation in the mesh.
Next, I wanted to test its collision with objects in place of the rope I intend to model and added a passive collider to a polygon torus to explore how the simulation would fall and settle. As seen in the example below, the mesh deformation does work however in order to improve this I will need to somehow get the cloth to be contained within both sides of the torus and use the actual rope mesh so that I can get an accurate idea of the shape in which it needs to fall within.
N Cloth Lessons and Considerations:
. The transform constraint works effectively and will prove useful in creating an animated curtain movement scene, and could very well be utilised to introduce the scene and characters going forward.
. The additional idea of creating passive animation in the curtains (if time and rendering allow) for an extra realistic touch to my project.
Rope Modelling
My initial rope models from the previous week felt very flat and not detailed enough to be hugely discernible as rope, so in order to fix this, I researched several different modelling techniques to try and recreate the ‘braiding’ effects present within real ropes.
My initial ideas were to create an editable curve trail to extrude four polygons around and apply a twist effect to it. However in practising and attempting this method (with the use of locators” the path followed made the rope look very square and deformed the mesh in an undesirable way.
Moving on from my initial method, I followed the referenced tutorial below to achieve the desired ‘twisted’ effect of rope within the model. I feel that this created a simple lower poly rope that worked with the overall aesthetic intentions of my simplistic stage model.
Step 1: The initial step was to create four polygons in a chain and multiply these upwards to create a long tube, ensuring to connect the vertices afterwards to create a smooth piece of mesh.
Step 2: The next step was to take the piece of mesh and apply a non-linear twist deformation to get the appearance of a braided piece of mesh.
Step 3: Next step was to create a CV curve, and after selecting to rope and the curve, create a curve warp so that the mesh adapts to the curve shape.
While not perfect and beautifully accurate, the effect will suit fine considering what I want to achieve within the time limit provided and looks a lot more effective and realistic than the former approach.
Applying this method directly to my modelled environment, I created a CV curve and used my previously created rope set-up to apply and deform around the specific shape.
In doing so, and by enlarging the rope, I was able to cover and create an effect that works well with the curtains and is ready to be tested as an N-cloth passive collider.
NCloth Application Tests
Considering passive animation testing, I then utilised one of my models and converted it to a Ncloth material while adjusting the present and thickness to match that of a heavy curtain.
Creating a spherical passive collider, I was able to test the reactivity and weight of the cloth and how it would react as a passive animated piece to accentuate the overall realism of my film. I feel the heaviness and weight of the cloth is correct, however, there is some clear mesh collision issue that implies the thickness of the curtain mesh is not wide enough. However, in the context of slight wind simulations, I think this would work effectively.
Material Test Render
The next essential step for the accuracy of the curtains is the texture. Exploring various Arnold shaders, I found a velvet preset that I blended at 75% with the aistandard surface and accentuated the weight and changed the specular colour to add a ‘purple’ sheen to contrast the highlights with the rest of the cloth and help add an exemplification of the cloth mesh deforms. This will assist the process later on when translated into black and white.
Considering colour theory in relation, in various black and white Hollywood films they used specific colours to accentuate and contrast versions of elements within the show. By having a red curtain and a purple or ‘violet’ sheen to them, the drapery will be more accentuated when edited in post-production.
To get an understanding of spatial considerations in my production, I have placed an updated version of my skeleton model within my complete environment to get an idea of the staging. As seen below, there is not enough space for both of the skeletons to dance and perform efficiently which leaves me with the options of scaling the environment up or creating a scalable rig.
Rigging
Beginning the rigging process, I have begun to place the joints within the skeleton mesh and think about various ideas on how I will create them in a way that detaches. Researching I found a forum on the Autodesk website which addresses exactly the method I could use to create this effect, which aligns well with my initial plans and ideas of execution. I will explore this rigging process further in the next week.
Detachable Rig Research
Solved: Detachable bones in Maya rig? – Autodesk Community – Maya
Detach and reattach to skeletons | Maya | Autodesk Knowledge Network