Figure 16. Click here to view larger image.

Step Seventeen We want to drive the fire on the same path curve that we drawn at the very beginning. So, select Curve1 in the Outliner. It will be selected in the view as well.

Figure 17. Click here to view larger image.

Step Eighteen Open the Visor window again (or restore it if you minimized it) and choose glows category this time. Then select sunRise.mel.

Figure 18. Click here to view larger image. Step Nineteen While curve1 is still selected, choose Paint Effects > Curve Utilities > Attach Brush to Curves.

Figure 19. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty The paint effect will be placed at the bottom of the curve.

Figure 20. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty One Render Frame No. 1 and see the result. The orientation of the fire is not right. It should face upward.

Figure 21. Click here to view larger image. Step Twenty Two To correct this, go to attributes for sunRise1 and then ex pand Tubes group.

Figure 22. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty Three Under Tubes > Creation > Width Scale, choose Along Path as Tu be Direction.

Figure 23. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty Four Choose Path Follow = -0.5 under Tubes > Forces.

Figure 24. Click here to view larger image. Step Twenty Five Render Frame No. 1. Now the fire direction is what we want.

Figure 25. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty Six While you are at Frame No. 1, go to the attributes for strokeShape2. While Min Clip is set to 0.00 by default under End Bounds set the key for Min Clip.

Figure 26. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty Seven Go to Frame No. 100. Set Min Clip = 1 and then set the key.

Figure 27. Click here to view larger image. Step Twenty Eight Render Frame No. 50. See the result.

Figure 28. Click here to view larger image.

Step Twenty Nine Render Frame No. 99. See the result.

Figure 29. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Render Frame no. 100. Nothing is in the view. The destructive fire has eaten up the entire rope. Hooray! Your animation is done.

Figure 30. Click here to view larger image. Step Thirty One Lets render an entire animation. Choose Window > Rendering Editor > Render Settings.

Figure 31. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Two In the Render Settings dialogue box, leave Maya Software Renderer as the render engine. We need not use other renderer for this animation. Proceed to Common tab > Image File Output group. We should change all the three parameters here to get this small animation movie.

Figure 32. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Three

Change the File name prefix to Burning_Rope and choose AVI (avi) as the Image format. The middle parameter (Frame/Animation ext) will be automatically changed to name.ext(Multi Frame).

Figure 33. Click here to view larger image. Step Thirty Four AVI (Audio Visual Interface ) is a common format for PC Screen movie. Lets change it compression type i.e. Codec.

Figure 34. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Five My favorite codec is Microsoft Windows Media Video as it maintains the balance between quality and file-size (at least I think it appropriate for my own PC so far). May be, you can choose this for now.

Figure 35. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Six Just below the Compression button, set the End Frame = 100.

Figure 36. Click here to view larger image. Step Thirty Seven Then adjust the output size as per your requirement.

Figure 37. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Eight Now lets see what happens if we render the current frame after setting the Enable Default Light to OFF mode (i.e. Unchecked) in the Render Options group.

Figure 38. Click here to view larger image.

Step Thirty Nine The fire is still there. But there is no rope. We have not placed any light in the scene. But for the rendering of some visor paint effect items such as the fiber wickerTubeProc1.mel (which we used as the rope), lighting is necessary. So the default lighting was a must for rendering this fiber paint effect.

Figure 39. Click here to view larger image. Step Forty Set the Enable Default Light back to ON and render the current frame (No.1). This time its OK.

Figure 40. Click here to view larger image.

Step Forty One If you want to get a better quality output, go to Maya Software tab and choose Production Quality from the Quality drop-down list under Anti-Aliasing group. Close the Render Settings dialogue box.