Subject: Re: Droplets
From: Mark Thompson <[email-masked]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 18:18:26 -0500

>>> I'm animating a scene with droplets falling from a steel girder overhead
>>> into a puddle on the floor
>Mark Thompson did this in  LW Pro issue July 1994..it is also featured
>on his in.focus video tape. i believed he used an image map of about 8
>randomish images as a bump map.

Seven images to be exact. To do it cheaply, isolate the areas where the
droplets hit and use a separate surface for them. Then apply the image
sequences just to those small areas. Sequence the images such that they
give the timing they require. For example, you want a drop impact at
frame 5 with drops re-occuring every 5 seconds. You would use something
like this:
drop001.iff  ;first impact ring
drop002.iff
drop003.iff
drop004.iff
drop005.iff
drop006.iff
drop007.iff
drop008.iff
drop009.iff
drop010.iff  ;waves completely dissipated

Then set frame offset to 4 and loop length to 150 frames (5 seconds).
Note that your wave rings will have to dissipate before reaching the
edges of the image map or they will look silly. Each droplet that has
different timimg will have to have its own image sequence loaded in
order to have a different offset and loop length (but you can specify
the same images). For more details, see the tape or article Adam
mentioned.
  *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
  *           Mark Thompson           http://www.mv.com/ipusers/fusion  *
  *         Fusion Films, Inc.              [email-masked]          *
  * Director of Animation and Special FX      (603) 424-1829            *
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~