Learning nCloth

Explore the fundamentals of nCloth—the Maya toolkit for simulating cloth and other dynamic surfaces—and basic character visual effects.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know
• Exercise files

1. Getting Started in Simulation and Character FX

• Hands-on with a simulation solver
• Principles of dynamics
• Dynamics in computer graphics
• How a spring-based cloth solver works

2. Setting Up the Simulation World and Objects

• Setting up a simulation test scene
• Nucleus: The simulation world
• nCloth: Let's talk collisions
• nCloth: Dynamic properties
• nCloth: Scaling relation
• Playful practice with primitives

3. Understanding the Look and Feel of Fabrics and Soft Bodies

• Reference materials
• Topology and the simulation results
• Designing with nCloth
• Master nCloth look and feel

4. Creating a Physically Realistic Flag

• Setting up the scene
• Setting up nCloth and nucleus
• Adding a constraint
• Tweaking the look of the flag
• Adding wind
• Freezing the simulation
• Importing Maya caches and playblast

5. Production Challenges

• Challenge: The most awesome pirate ship flag ever
• Solution: The most awesome pirate ship flag ever
• Challenge: Do the laundry
• Solution: Do the laundry

Conclusion

• Next steps