Desert Chase Part1

by Didik Wijaya

This tutorial needs you to understand basic use of 3dsmax.

Desert Chase tutorial is an exciting particle effect tutorial. You will create a car chased by Apache helicopter in the desert. This Desert Chase tutorial is divided into 4 parts. First part, which you read now, explains how to create dust trail. Second part explains how to create machine gun blast effect. Third part is creating firing bullet effect and last part is creating sand burst effect when bullet hitting sand. Most of all effects created using particle in 3dsmax. Now, we go on first part.

1. Before you begin, you need to download 3dsmax exercise file (64kb, zipped, 3dsmax 8 format) and material (25kb, zipped, jpg) here. There are couple of objects in this file. You may want to press 'H' in keyboard to open Select Object window. Activate Display Subtree so you can see linked objects. One object that is so small that you need to zoom in to see is 'SandBurst'. Downloaded material provided before is used for 'SandBurst' object only. Other material is using standard material available in 3dsmax. 'SandBurst' object will be used in third installment of this tutorial to create bullet hitting sand effect. After this brief look, close Select Object window. Feel free to scrub slider to watch 200 frame animation.

2. In Command Panel, click Plane button in Create tab. Click and drag in Front Viewport to create plane close to tire. Click Modify tab, and change its parameters, Length = 10 and Width = 100. Use Widt Segs = 3. You may change its name to 'dust source' or any name you like. We will used this plane as a particle source.

3. In Left viewport, move plane to get close to rear tire. While this plane ('dust source') selected, then activate Select And Link Tool. Cursor will change, and click Dummy object. Plane will be linked to Dummy and when the car moves, 'dust source' also attached to it. Still in Left viewport, rotate 'dust source' to -210 degree like image below. By rotating it, particle will be emitted slightly upward.

4. Next, we will use PArray, traditional particle system in 3dsmax. Why we use PArray when we have more advanced particle system like Particle Flow? Dust trail that we will create is not too complex, that's why it's enough to use PArray. Beside, PArray has unique useful features like Grow and Fade. These two features useful when we are going to create something like smoke, dust, or fire. I will explain later about Grow and Fade. First, in Create tab change drop-down list to Particle Systems and click PArray button. Click and drag anywhere on viewport to create PArray icon.

5. Now, we need to change several particle's parameters. Make sure PArray icon is selected and go to Modify tab. As we know, PArray is used when we want to use other object as particle emitter. Click Pick Object button in Basic Parameters rollout and then click 'dust source' object in viewport. Next, use values in the image below for Particle Motion and Particle Timing. We create particle with speed between 2,5 to 7,5 (5 +/- 2,5). Divergence is used to make wider particle spread. Particle will be emitted from frame 0 to 200, particle life is 15 to 25 (20 +/- 5 variation) frames. After that, particle is deleted.

6. Go to Particle Type rollout. Select Facing for particle shape. Facing is a square shape that always parallel to Camera or viewport. In order to see particle as Facing, go to Basic Parameters rollout, change Viewport Display to Mesh. Right now, particle size is too small. Change Particle Size to 40 and Variation 30. Leave Grow For and Fade For values as is. Grow For is used to make particle shape size very small when it is emitted for first time, and slowly getting bigger until reaching size of 40 in 10 frame. Fade for, as opposite, is used to make particle size slowly smaller.

7. Scrub slider to watch your facing shaped particle emitted behind car. Your particle is ready.

8. Next step, we will apply dust material to particle. Open Material Editor (press 'M' in keyboard). Select one of empty material slot. Change its name to 'Dust'. In Shader Basic Parameters, activate Face Map. This feature is used when we want each facing particle applied with the same material. In Blinn Basic Parameters, click color box next to Diffuse. Change its color to brown (R=179, G=154, B=99). Check Self Illumination and use dark grey color (R=70, G=70, B=70). Use Glossiness=0. The important part, click small button next to Opacity. In Material/Map Browser, make sure Browse From: New and choose Mask. Rollout Mask Parameters will appear.

9. Mask is used to create material with masking. In this tutorial we use Mask to create soft edges for every facing particle. You don't want square dust, do you? First, click button next to Map. In Material/Map Browser choose Noise. Use Noise Size=10. Noise is used to add irregularity to dust. Click Go to Parent button to go back to Mask Parameters rollout. Now, click button next to Mask. Choose Gradient. In Gradient Parameters make sure to use Radial Type. Gradient is the one that makes soft edges possible. After that, click Go to Parent button twice. Make sure particle is selected and click Assign Material to Selection. Now, particle is applied with 'Dust' material and you can close Material Editor window.

10. This first part of Desert Chase tutorial is finished. Render your animation if you like. Below is sample of rendered image. When you render, you will find square shadows. This is because we used Shadow Map for shadow type. For best result, unhide Lights, select Target Spot light, go to Modify tab and change shadow type to Ray Traced Shadows. You won't see square shadows again but indeed Ray Traced Shadows need longer rendering time.