This zip file contains two MAX files; the original key-framed scene, and the finished scene with HyperMatter included. The final scene is intended for reference if you get stuck. Copy the four maps, tree.avi, Brickbmp.gif, Bricktan.gif and Cedfence.jpg into your Maps folder. The last three may be already installed, as they are standard MAX maps.

In this tutorial you are going to build a complex animation starting with just some standard MAX objects and simple keyframes. This animation relies quite heavily on the use of Constraints. Unlike normal keyframed objects, HyperMatter objects simulate real materials and have a life of their own. If you push them they want to move. If you throw them at the wall they will bounce off. If you pick them up and let go they will drop. The process of interacting with a HyperMatter object that is doing its own thing in this way is known as constraining it. As the name suggests it is a less rigid form of control than keyframes.

The purpose of this tutorial is to familiarize you with a number of the more frequently used Constraints and show how they may be usefully applied to create elegant and sophisticated animations very quickly.

The scene consists of a mouse on skis, keyframed to jump into shot from the right and land on a ski-slope. The mouse’s skis are linked to it. After he lands, he (apparently) skis down the slope. A bit later the camera pulls back to reveal the mouse actually stationary and upright, in front of a large back-projection screen. The impression of the mouse traveling downhill is created by the camera tilt. The animation ends as the mouse looks towards the camera, the stage lighting and back-projection switch off, and he is left alone, on an empty stage.

Constraints are used throughout the animation to add various effects that would be extremely hard to do otherwise. If you use Constraints with Sub-Object level Solids you can add these effects to the animation without interfering with the object’s overall motion.

Load the scene CH7_SKI1.MAX.

Sub-Object Solidify the Mouse – part I

As you want to keyframe the initial movements of the mouse, but keep it relatively stationary throughout the animation, you will use HyperMatter to create Sub-Object Solids, allowing greater control over the mouse’s local deformation. By using HyperMatter Constraints, you can enhance the underlying keyframe animation of the mouse giving it greater freedom as it reacts to the motion. You will use three Constraints: Follow, Angular Velocity, and Fix Orientation, which will be used to pull and twist the object over time and then hold it steady.

3. In the Front viewport select Mouse and SecondNature from the Object Type drop-down list.

4. Click HyperMatter.

The HyperMatter Control Object H_Mouse is created.

5. Go to the Modify Panel and click Sub-Object: Geometry from the Modifier Stack rollout.

6. Region Select the top half of H_Mouse including hands and tail as shown below. Take care to select correctly otherwise the resulting animation may be affected.

7. Click Automatic Solidify.

The HyperMatter Solid Object SO_Mouse_1 is created.

8. Click Solidify Sub-Object..

9. Set the Resolution to 6.

10. Click Fit Direction Z.

11. Save the scene as CH7_SKI2.MAX.

The reason for choosing this fit direction is that the automatic Fix Constraint’s Join Part is created highest up the body for greater stability. The priority in choosing the fit direction is to ensure the best possible movement for the geometry you are using.

NOTE: A low resolution Solid or Sub-object Solid will generally be faster and appear stiffer than one with higher resolution. In many cases using a low resolution Solid Object is much simpler and computationally less expensive option than trying to stiffen a high resolution Solid by increasing its Damping and Elasticity. A common mistake many beginners to HyperMatter make is to create Solids that have too high a resolution for the task required. Obviously, if you are aiming for an animation of a close-up of complex surfaces colliding, you would need to ensure the closest possible fit of the Solid Object around the geometry, but in general, if an object is freely moving, with relatively simple collisions, then the resolution of the Solid Object can often be set to surprisingly low levels to obtain the required results.

12. Play the animation.

You will notice that the Solid Object now responds to the underlying keyframe animation, but is extremely soft and collapses at the boundary between the Solidified and unSolidified parts.

Note: As a general rule, if you want an object to move quickly, you will need to increase Elasticity and Damping. This stiffens an object. If you want an object to stay soft and move quickly, then you will need to increase the Sampling Rate, particularly with Sub-Object Solids where you need it to still appear part of the remaining geometry. Setting Substance Properties that are too soft will cause a Sub-Object Solid to deform too much and appear to move away from the original object. Any substances used must be stiff enough to maintain this relationship.

By default, HyperMatter applies a default downward Force (-Z) to all newly created Solid Objects. As gravity does not play a great part in this animation and is partly responsible for the object collapsing you will reduce the Z force from its default value. You want to reduce the downward force on the body, but no gravity at all would be unrealistic.

13. Select Sub-Object HyperMatter and Forces.

14. Change Force Z to -50.

Edit the Substance Properties – part II

To keep the mouse upright you need to increase its Elasticity and Incompressibility to ensure that it maintains its shape under stress, and increase its Damping to reduce unnecessary wobble. Elasticity and Damping often work very much in tandem, and for this reason HyperMatter allows you to lock their values together. You will now edit the Substance Properties to stiffen the mouse’s body.

Note: For more information on Substances see Chapter 5, Substances.

1. Click Substance Editor.

The Substance Properties rollout appears.

2. Change both Elasticity and Damping from 1 to 5.

3. Change Incompressibility to 1.5.

4. Play the animation.

You will notice that the mouse is much more stable on landing and, due to it’s increased Elasticity and Damping, is now quite capable of supporting itself under the stresses produced by the underlying keyframed animation.

To add more realism to the illusion of downward motion, it would be a good idea to create the effect of an upward wind parallel to the slope. Although only the tail of the mouse will be significantly deflected by the wind, as the main portion of the body is quite heavily Constrained, it will serve to cushion any excessive forward movement, and introduce an element of randomness into the descent.

To do this you will add another force, perpendicular to the Z gravity force you have already set. Remember the downward effect is only suggested by the camera angle.

5. Click Forces.

The Forces rollout appears.

5. Change X Force to 50.

6. Play the animation.

The mouse’s Solid Object now responds to the horizontal force, giving the impression of wind resistance on landing, and, by implication, downward motion This is just what you were seeking. To give the impression that it is traveling down a ski-slope, the mouse needs to settle down into a leaning position as if balanced for downhill skiing.

You will notice that as it lands, after an initial backward swing, the solidified portion of the mouse rotates forward again, towards a dummy helper object Dummy01 which already has been animated.

This dummy object will be used as a brake to slow down the mouse’s response to the keyframed animation and also function as a guide to control it’s motion from this point.

Add a Follow Constraint – part III

1. Region select the points of SO_Mouse_1 surrounding the top half of the head.

2. Create a Part named skull by typing the name into the Named Selections drop-down.

3. Click Constraints.

4. Click Follow to add a Follow Constraint.

The prompt line will change to read Click to select Follow Object. You must now select the Follow Object by either clicking the Dummy01 object in a viewport or selecting it by name.

5. Select Dummy01 as the follow object

The entry FOL [skull] -> Dummy01 appears in the Constraints List.

6. Select the Follow Constraint by clicking in the list

The Constraint Lifespan controls become active and the Follow rollout appears

NOTE:You may have to scroll the panel to view this rollout

7. Set the Lifespan to Start: 35 and End: 370.

8. From the bottom of the Follow rollout select the Whole Part radio button in the Apply To box at the bottom.

The aim is to transfer control with a minimum of disturbance from one Constraint to another. Selecting Each Point would be unrealistic in this case, as there would be a visible jolt when the Constraint came into effect. Selecting Whole Part simply constrains the Part’s center of mass leaving the remainder of the Part to move more freely.

NOTE: For more information on Constraints see Chapter 6, Constraints and Forces.

TIP: To allow Constraints you’ve just created to take effect at the current frame don’t forget to click Refresh.

The mouse now stops its motion near the dummy object when the Constraint becomes active. The motion is still a little jerky, but will do for now. Later you will use the forces to refine the motion further. The dummy object has a small keyframed animation that will slowly draw the mouse into a gentle leaning position and gradually pull him back up again as the scene reveals itself.

9. Play the animation.

The mouse now behaves in a more steady and predictable way, but lacks personality. Using another simple Constraint, you will animate an individual part of the mouse’s body, namely the head. At frame 275, you want the head to slowly turn towards the camera and acknowledge that the skiing illusion has failed, taking 60 frames to do so.

Add an Angular Velocity Constraint – part IV

1. Region Select the points of SO_Mouse_1 that enclose the head.

2. Create a Part named Head by entering the name in the Named Selections drop-down.

3. Click Constraints.

The Constraints rollout appears.

4. Click Ang. Velocity to add an Angular Velocity Constraint

5. Highlight the new Constraint in the list.

6. Change its Lifespan to Start: 275, End: 335.

7. Check the Z box and enter a value of 0.5.

Add a Fix Orientation Constraint – part V

You will now stop the movement of the head once it’s got into the desired position. You want to achieve this, as with the other operations, with the minimum of interference to the natural motion of the character. To do this you will add a Fix Orientation Constraint to the head to start at the time that the Angular Velocity Constraint ends.

1. With the Part Head still selected, click Fix Orientation to add the Constraint.

2. Highlight the Constraint in the list.

3. Change its Lifespan to Start: 335 and End: at the end of the animation.

5. Save the scene as CH7_SKI3.MAX.

This will keep the head in position once the Angular Velocity Constraint has reached the end of its Lifespan. The Follow Constraint has to give up priority to the Angular Velocity Constraint, due to their ordering. But the mouse should follow and then turn.

Reorder the Constraints – part VI

You will now change the order in which the Constraints are applied. You will do this by simply changing their order in the Constraints list. For more information on Constraint evaluation, see Chapter 6, Constraints and Forces – Constraints Evaluation.

1. Select the Angular Velocity Constraint.

2. Click Move Constraint Up.

The Angular Velocity Constraint will now be evaluated first.

Animate the Force in the Track View – part VII

1. Open a Track View and expand the tracks off H_Mouse.

2. Select the Forces X track and click Function Curves from the Track View toolbar.

3. Add some keys to produce a curve similar to the one illustrated. This does not have to be very exact.

You can refine the animation by editing this curve. Be aware that deviating too far from the curve suggested or using different forces may result in a completely different animation.

Tip: The key thing to remember is to maintain a balance, always make sure the Forces and Substances involved in HyperMatter animation do not overwhelm each other, but work in harmony.

You have now completed a fairly complex animation using HyperMatter. You have learned how to use HyperMatter to enhance an existing keyframed animation. You have also learned how to apply a variety of HyperMatter Constraints to ‘sculpt’ the motion of HyperMatter object while allowing it retain its natural look.

This is where the true power of HyperMatter lies. Not only are you able to create animations that are completely plausible, just by virtue of the accuracy of the dynamics involved, but you are able to retain complete control over these objects and their movement to allow you to modify it at any time.