Electric Charge

Step 2: Create a Cylinder (Objects=>Primitive=>Cylinder). Double click on the Cylinder icon in the Object Manager. Change the Height to 1500m, activate Fillet with 5 Segments, and set the Radius to 20m. You'll notice that the Cylinder passes through the Sphere. To fix this enter -800m into the Y Position field in the Coordinates Manager. Rename the cylinder 'Rod'.

Step 4: Now you need coils. Create a Circle Spline (Objects=>Spline Primitive=>Circle). Double click on the Circle icon in the Object Manager. Change the Plane to XZ and the Radius to 150m. Now, move the Circle into postion. Enter -150m in the Y Position field in the Coordinates Manager. Rename the Circle 'Coil Spline'.

Step 5: Duplicate the Coil Spline (Functions=>Duplicate). Enter 5 for Copies, set Y Move to -1000m, and set Scale for X and Z to 3. Ungroup the new Null Object in the Object Manager (Objects=>Expand Object Group). Since the Null Object is now empty, you can delete it.

Step 6: Now the model should start to look like a Christmas tree. Create another Circle Spline (Objects=>Spline Primitive=>Circle). Double click on the Circle icon in the Object Manager. Change the Radius to 30m and the Plane to XY. Rename the Circle 'Sweep'.

Step 7: Duplicate the Sweep spline. (Functions=>Duplicate). Enter 5 for Copies and leave XYZ at 0. The Scale values should all be 1. Like before, expand the Null Object and delete it. Arrange the splines in the Object Manager so that they are next to their respective splines. This is just to keep the splines organized and a little easier to locate.

Step 9: Drag and drop the splines into the Sweep NURBS making the splines children of the NURBS. Make sure that 'Coil Spline' is dropped first and then 'Sweep'. If your coil doesn't look like a ring surrounding the Rod, just make sure that your order is correct within the Sweep NURBS.

Step 11: You'll now create the base. Create a Cylinder (Objects=>Primitive=>Cylinder). Double click on the Cylinder icon in the Object Manager. Change the Radius to 100m, Height to 200m, and check Fillet.

Step 12: Now move the Cylinder into position. Input -1500m for the Y Position in the Coordinates Manager. Copy and Paste the Cylinder (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V or hold Ctrl and click and drag in the Object Manager). Change the new Cylinder's values to 150m for the Radius and 100m for the Height. Move the Cylinder to -1550m on the Y Axis.

Step 14: Select the 'Rod' and change the Y Position value to 0. With the Rod selected in the Object Manager, go to Objects=>Modeling=>Instance to create an Instance. Double click on the Instance in the Object Manager. Make sure that it is reffering to 'Rod'. Move the Instance to -2000m on the X Axis. Group 'Rod' and its Instance together. Rename the new Null Object to 'Rods'. Move it to X=0 Y=0 Z=0.

Step 16: Create a new scene. In the World Grid tab, set Grid Spacing to 50m. Leave the other settings as default.

Step 17: Create a Cube (Objects=>Primitive=>Cube). Double click the Cube icon in the Object Manager. Set the Size for X to 200m, Y to 50m, and Z to 400m. Activate the Fillet and change the settings to 5m for Size and 5 for Segments. Rename the Cube 'Control'.

Step 18: Go to the Top View (F2). Make 'Control' editable (Structure=>Make Editable). Select the Polygons Tool (Tools=>Polygons) and select the face with the Live Selection Tool (Selection=>Live Selection).

Step 19: Select the Knife Tool by going to Structure=>Knife. Check the Active Tool Manager and make sure the Constrain Angle field is set to 45 and Restrict to Selection is checked. Now make cuts on the Z Axis at -150m, -50m, 50m, and 150m. Also make cuts along the X Axis at 50m and -50m. You may wish to activate Enable Snapping under the Snap Settings tab to make your cuts easier to create.

Step 20: Deselect all (Selection=>Deselect All) and then select just the 3 center polygons. Go to the Structure menu and select Extrude Inner. In the Offset field in the Active Tool Manager, enter 10m. Click Apply.

Step 21: Go to Selection=>Grow Selection to select the new polygons that were created. Select Extrude from the Structure menu. Enter 5m in Offset in the Active Tool Manager and click Apply. Deselect everything. Now, select the top and bottom polygons of the inner group.

Step 22: Select the Extrude Tool (Structure=>Extrude). Enter 5m in the Offset field and click Apply. Then, enter -5m into the Offset. Click Apply again.

Step 23: Select only the center polygon. Select Extrude again. Enter -45m in the Offset and click Apply. This will make a hole in the middle the of the control.

Step 24: Deselect all. Select the outer edge of the control without grabbing any of the Fillet polygons. Select Extrude Inner from the Structure menu. Enter 10m into the Offset and click Apply. Select Extrude again. This time, enter -5m into the Offset. Click Apply.

Step 26: Create a Cylinder (Objects=>Primitive=>Cylinder). Double click on the Cylinder icon in the Object Manager. Set the Radius to 20m, the Height to 100m, Orientation to +X, and activate the Fillet with 5 Fillet Segments and a Radius of 10m. Rename the Cylinder 'Pivot'.

Step 28: Create a Cube (Objects=>Primitive=>Cube). Double click on the Cube icon in the Object Manager and make the following changes: Width=40, Height=75, Depth=25, Fillet 5m, 5. Enter 50m for the Y Position in the Coordinates Manager. Rename the Cube 'Handle'. Drag and drop 'Handle' into 'Pivot'.

Step 29: Create a Text Spline (Objects=>Spline Primitive=>Text). Double click on the Text icon in the Object Manager. Type 'ON' in the text window. The Line Height should be set to 40m and Plane set to XZ. Rename the Text 'ON'.

Step 30: Make sure to switch to the Object Tool (Tools=>Object) and move the spline to X=0m, Y=30m, and Z=75m.

Step 32: Move 'OFF' to X=0, Y=30, Z=-105.

Step 35: Now you need some connections for the wires. Create a Circle Spline (Objects=>Spline Primitive=>Circle). Double click on the Circle icon in the Object Manager. Change the Radius to 15m and Plane to XY.

Step 38: To give it the right shape, you'll move and change the splines a bit. First, change the Radius values as follows: Circle = 15m, Circle.1 = 15m, Circle.2 = 10m, Circle.3 = 5m.

Step 39: Move the splines. In the Coordinates Manager, enter the following values for the Z Position field. Circle = 0m, Circle.1 = 6m, Circle.2 = 13m, and Circle.3 = 5m.

Step 40: Create an Instance (Objects=>Modeling=>Instance). Double click on the Instance icon in the Object Manager. Make sure that the Instance is reffering to 'Connection'. Move the Instance to X=-50m, Y=0m, Z=200m.

Step 1: Create a New Material in the Material Manager (File=>New Material). Double click on its name and rename it 'Cover'. Double click the material to edit its settings. Activate the different channels by checking the box next to the names on the left side of the dialog.

Color Channel: R=100% G=100% B=100% Br=35%.

Reflection Channel: R=100% G=100% B=100% Br=19%.

Specular Channel: Mode=Plastic Width=30% Height=30%.

Drag the Cover material to the Control object. Leave the settings as default for the texture and click OK.

Step 2: Create a New Material. Name it 'Handle'.

Color Channel: R=100% G=2% B=0% Br=70%

Specular Channel: Mode=Plastic Width=20% Height=20%.

Drag and drop the material to the 'Pivot' object. Leave the texture settings as default and click OK.

Step 4: This material contains a texture map. To get it, download the project file included with this tutorial. Create a New Material. Name it 'Bar'. Click the Image button in the Color Channel. Locate the 'Line_bar.gif' file. Drag and drop the material to the 'Control' object. Set the Projection to Cubic. Type 'Bar' in the Restrict to Selection field. Click OK.

Step 5: Drag 'Labels' and 'Pivot' into 'Control' and save your scene.

Step 7: Create a New Material. Name it 'Rod'.

Color Channel: R=100% G=100% B=100% Br=30%

Reflection Channel: R=100% G=100% B=100% Br=70%

Specular Channel: Mode=Plastic Width=50% Height=50%

Drag and drop the material onto the 'Rod' object. Leave the texture settings as default and click OK.

Step 8: Create New Material. Name it 'Beam'.

Color Channel: R=100% G=100% B=100% Br=100%

Luminance Channel: R=100% G=100% B=100% Br=100%

Glow Channel: R=54% G=39% B=100% Br=100% Make sure that 'Use Material Color' is unchecked so that you can change the color settings within the Glow Channel. Set Inner Strength to 0%, Outer Strength to 1000%, Radius to 120m, Random to 80%, and Frequency to 10.

Step 1: Merge 'Control' into 'Coil' (File=>Merge). Select the 'Control'. Move it to X=540m, Y=210m, Z=-1800m, with a Rotation of P=90, B=-40. Bring a Camera into the scene (Objects=>Scene=>Camera) and move the Camera to X=25m Y=735m Z= -3120m with Rotation settings of H=0 P=-10 B=0.

Step 2: Now you'll create the wires that connect these two pieces. This part is a little random since you can make them hang however you want. Create a B-Spline (Objects=>Create Spline=>B-Spline). Create points going from the 'Connector' to the 'Base'. Once done, copy the Spline and move the points so that the two aren't identical, and rename them 'Left Wire' and 'Right Wire'.

Draw in a similar fashion

Step 3: Now, create a Circle Spline (Objects=>Spline Primitive=>Circle). Double click on the Circle icon in the Object Manager. Make the Radius=5m and Plane=XY. Rename it 'Sweep' and make a copy of it.

Step 5: Your scene should now be similar to this.

Step 6: Now, you'll start the arc. First create a Circle Spline (Objects=>Spline Primitive=>Circle). Double click on the Circle icon in the Object Manager. Make the Radius=5m and Plane=ZY. Rename the Circle 'Arc'.

Step 9: Create a Loft NURBS (Objects=>NURBS=>Loft NURBS). Double click on the Loft NURBS icon in the Object Manager. Uncheck Subdivisions per Segment. Leave all the other segments as default and click OK.

Step 12: Open your Timeline (Window=>Timeline). Expand 'Arc' by clicking on the '+' next to it. All of the splines should appear. Right click (Mac: Cmnd+click) on Arc.1 (or the second spline). Select New Track=>Special Effects=>Vibrate in the Timeline Window. Double click on the Sequence. Make it run from Frame 30 to Frame 90. Copy this Track to all of the other splines except for the last one.

Step 14: Now, create keyframes for the rest of the Sequences.

Arc.2:(S=5, F=10, Y=20)

Arc.3:(S=11, F=7, Y=70)

Arc.4:(S=20, F=15, Y=120)

Arc.5:(S=45, F=30, Y=-200)

Arc.6:(S=50, F=10, Y=100)

Arc.7:(S=60, F=20, Y=120)

Arc.8:(S=30, F=5, Y=-75)

Arc.9:(S=10, F=2, Y=-100)

Arc.10:(S=5, F=1, Y=10)

Step 15: Create a Position and Scale Track for 'Arc'. Again make the Sequences start at Frame 30 and end at Frame 90. In the Position Track, make a keyframe at Frame 30. Make X=-530m and Y=-350m. For Frame 90, make X=-1000m and Y=1200m.

Step 16: Create a keyframe for the Scale Track at Frame 30. Make X=.72m. Also make a keyframe at Frame 90. Set X=1.3m.

Step 18: To get the arc to climb correctly, you'll add some Bend Deformations. Create a Bend Deformation (Objects=>Deformation=>Bend). Double click on the Bend icon in the Object Manager. Make X=150m and change Mode to Within Box. In the Coordinates Manager, make X=520m, Y=-350m and B=90. Rename the Bend 'Right Bend'.

Step 19: Copy the Bend. Rename it 'Left Bend'. In the Coordinates Manager, make X=-520m, Y=-350m and B=-90. Drop both bends into 'Arc'.

Step 26: Add another Light. Rename it 'Arc Light'. Make R=54% and G=39%. Set Noise to Visiblity. Click the Noise tab and set Type to Noise, Velocity to 250%, Brightness to 10%, and Contrast to 100%.

Step 29: That's about it. You may need to tweak the keyframes a bit, just so it works in your specific scene. Render out the movie with Antialiasing set to Edge and Color. Also set the Frame Rate to 15. Click Render to Picture Viewer (Render=>Render to Picture Viewer).