Maya: Bifrost Extension

Learn how to program procedural effects and simulate atmospheres using the Bifrost Extension, which holds incredible potential for 3D tool building and production.

Introduction

• Introducing the Bifrost Extension for Maya
• Prerequisites
• Using the exercise files

1. Bifrost Basics

• Understanding visual programming
• Appreciating proceduralism
• Conceptualizing the Bifrost framework
• Enabling Bifrost in the Plug-in Manager
• Loading a graph from the Bifrost Browser
• Analyzing a graph in the Graph Editor
• Navigating nested compounds

2. Building in the Graph Editor

• Creating a basic graph
• Installing a new compound in the user home directory
• Constructing a graph from compounds and other nodes
• Moving points in normal space
• Exposing Bifrost parameters in Maya
• Working with scene transforms
• Creating and publishing a compound

3. Production with Bifrost

• Converting Bifrost geometry to a Maya mesh
• Assigning a material reference from Maya
• Defining a material in the Bifrost Graph
• Preparing a simulation disk cache
• Writing a disk cache
• Rendering a Bifrost volume in Arnold

Conclusion

• Next steps