Introduction

These scripts are for users who installed my mcjIsosurface3 or mcjsosurface4 plugin on Daz Studio

https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts/mcjisosurface

https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts5/mcjisosurface4-beta-20150802-plugin-for-ds4-8

The scripts create animated effects by animating bunches of metaballs

History

AUG 3, 2015, 9:22 PM mcjFXBoilerPlateB Old version released

NOV 14, 2017, 2:54 AM mcjFX released

Installation

The zip package file named mcjFX.zip is in the attachments section at the bottom of this page.

Click on the little down-arrow on the right side of that area to download that zip file.

If you click elsewhere you wont get the download, just a confusing message by google.

Unzip mcjFX in your Daz Content folder

Typically this is the folder

C:\Users\Public\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library

or

C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\DAZ 3D\Jacques

or

C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4

Use

Each script creates animated null nodes labeled 'metaball 1, metaball 2 ... etc' in your Daz Studio scene

When an mcjisosurface node is present in your scene, it searches your scene for nodes

labeled 'metaball' It then builds and displays an isosurface object based on the positions

and sizes of those metaballs. The other essential ingredient for this system is that

your scene must contain a primitive object labeled 'it'.

If you installed the mcjisosurface4 plugin properly, you can add an mcjisosurface4 node

to your scene using Daz Studio's 'Create' menu. The 'it' object is any primitive labeled 'it'.

You can also use the 'Create it and isosurface' button below to create them.

note: The isosurface node and the 'it' object from saved/loaded scenes are not reusable.\n" +

"Use the 'Create it and isosurface' button to get replacements.

Tip: if you want to work on your scene without being slowed down by the isosurface

then reduce the 'resolution' of the isosurface node or turn its visibility off.

Doing this will save you a lot of grief when positionning metaballs manually.

note: If no metaball is inside the isosurface cube, then the isosurface will not be updated

If you jump from a frame to another you may get the false impression that the

isosurface stopped working.

There's a button to Save and a button to Load your current FX parameters as text files.

Note that an FX parameters file for one FX cant be used by another FX.

So it's a good practice to chose file names that remind you which file goes with which FX.

The webhelp button will send your internet browser right here ... the web page you read right now.

Builds a straight chain of metaballs, shoots them in the direction given by the 'flow orientation' vector,

as the metaballs are emitted at the 'intake' position you can get them to diverge ( cone angle ) and

you can get them to grow in size.

Builds a column of metaballs above the isosurface domain and lets them fall according to gravity.

At launch time, the balls are separated by 'launch separation' distance;

The 'ceiling Y' parameter gives the altitude of the launch point

The metaballs are constrained to not go below the 'floorY' level and not to roll out of the square area defined by the 'domain width/depth' parameter

'Aperture' is that radius of the launch area,

by the "domain width height" parameter. When the metaballs are fallen, the animation tries to keep them apart from

one another according to the 'final separation' parameter

Builds a column of 64 metaballs above the isosurface domain and lets them fall according to gravity.

when they reach the floor they then head to a predefined location in a cube volume

At launch time, the balls are separated by 'drop separation' distance;

The 'ceiling Y' parameter gives the altitude of the launch point

'Aperture' is that radius of the launch area,

Builds a column of metaballs above the isosurface domain and lets them fall according to gravity.

when they reach the floor they stop moving

At launch time, the balls are separated by 'drop separation' distance;

The 'ceiling Y' parameter gives the altitude of the launch point

The 'Floor Y' parameter gives the altitude at which they freeze which as you can see is above the domain floor

'Aperture' is that radius of the launch area,

Not sure this is needed but landed balls are constrained to the square area given by 'domain width depth'

Throws the metaballs up in the air and rethrows them up after they fall below floorY level

aperture sets the opening angle for the "nozzle" 0.1 is narrow

Throws the metaballs up in the air and rethrows them up after they fall below floorY level

Special care was taken to make animations loop.

aperture sets the opening angle for the "nozzle" 0.1 is narrow

The name comes from 'attention Boule' which means 'Attention Ball"

It's a ball that's supposed to draw the attention ( when animated faster than this

1 of the metaballs is in the center, and not moving

the smaller balls aka 'satellites' go back and forth radially

Special care was taken to make animations loop.

The name comes from 'Boiler Plate'

the metaballs are thrown up in the air, go down according to gravity

when they fhit the floor the are re-thrown up.

The animations loop.

The name comes from 'Boiler Plate'

the metaballs are thrown up in the air, go down according to gravity

when they fhit the floor the are re-thrown up.

The animations dont loop but it's possibly not too visible

mcjFXBoilerPlateB Old version

This will create a bunch of animated metaball nodes inside the default mcjIsosurface domain

so if you do indeed have an mcjIsosurface3 or Isosurface4 properly set up in your scene

you'll get something that looks like this:

License

by mCasual/Jacques

You can use this script freely for personal or commercial use.

You may not sell, resell, sub-license or rent this script in any way.

you may credit this script to mCasual/Jacques

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,

INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR

PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE

FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE,

ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.