How do you go about generating natural elements for backgrounds/scenes? For example a water feature flowing into a troff, a fountain or a stream (water dripping, splashing and rippling realistically on the surface when travelling along)?

How about clouds, and for that matter any other elements anyone else can think of?

I am really interested in this kind of 3D work, it makes your creation more believable to life, what is the simplest way of doing these amazing feats that Pixar and other animation companies do so well?

I would like to do these with 3D canvas and don't think you can import video of these elements as a background, not yet anyway...

What are the limits of the program?

Regards to anyone who can help me here.

Hi andoway, welcome to the 3DCanvas forum

I think what you've mentioned here is all great stuff. Canvas may not be able to do some of these things, but have you checked out the particle effects operation yet. There's some tutorials in the help files.

James

You missed out fire.

The anim companies you mention will use a particle system to achieve most of these effects.
Like polybuilder says take a look at the Particle tutorial to get some idea of how it works.
However don't expect 3DC to be able to re-produce the effects you see from these anim companies, it is done in a different way.
They would use 3DC to create all the models, which would then be loaded into some form of game/3D engine. The effects for all the elements you mentioned would then be created with code from within this engine.

If you're into any kind of C programming you can create your own 3D engine, but if like most of us you're not you will need to use something like Blitz3D, which has a very good particle system. Dark Basic Pro is another one but I don't know what sort of particle system this uses.

Bazza

Check out Bryce. It has animation features for background terrains.

Richard

Where can i get Bryce from and how could I animate all the elements together. I'm wanting to output an avi for use in video special fx (real motion video), not for use in a game or using a game engine?

I know there are industry price programs ie body paint, Maya, 3D Studio Max, etc.

I don't have £100,000+, can just about afford £100, is there alternatives / work arounds -without having to learn computer code?

Regards

Andy

Andy,

I've sent you a Private Message.

Richard