1 Poser Tutorial Fog Tool Deluxe III Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:28 am
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Poser 4 Atmosphere Effects
Updated 5 April, 2006: New Fog Tool Deluxe III, Better Explanation of Controls.
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Yes, I said Poser 4!
Many owners of the Nerd3D Fog and Atmosphere Tool have requested a more detailed set of instructions.
Here it is!
This tutorial is in three steps. We will create a ground fog effect then add a second fog tool to create a volumetric light shaft. Then we dive into animation with the Fog Tool Deluxe.
You'll need the Nerd's Fog and Atmosphere Tool
3
Many owners of the Nerd3D Fog and Atmosphere Tool have requested a more detailed set of instructions.
Here it is!
This tutorial is in three steps. We will create a ground fog effect then add a second fog tool to create a volumetric light shaft. Then we dive into animation with the Fog Tool Deluxe.
You'll need the Nerd's Fog and Atmosphere Tool
3
Updated 5 April, 2006: New Fog Tool Deluxe III, Better Explanation of Controls.
Requirements ... | |
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Overview ... | |
The Nerd 3D Fog Tool uses 40 morphable, movable planes to simulate volumetric atmospheric effects in Poser. There is a central "Fog Control" element that uses EMC controls to effect all the fog planes from a central point. The Poser 4 version also has an automatic EMC shielding figure to prevent cross talk. Most of the work you will do with posing the Fog Tool will be done using the Fog Control. There will be some cases in this more advanced tutorial where you will get move individual elements. The fog tool comes with Poser 4 style MAT-Poses to apply the included transparency maps with a single click. There is much more power in the tool than can be expressed through a simple MAT-Pose. The fog tool has 2 texture regions. The odd numbed layers are "FogA" and the even numbered ones are "FogB" this allows you to mix materials for greater control over the atmosphere effect. The Poser 5 version uses MT5 materials which give more control. but the possibilities of adding colors, displacement and refraction to the fog tool must be explored using the power of Poser's material room. That is beyond the scope of this tutorial. The Fog Tool Deluxe also includes a special Magnet and Wave Deformer that are modified to effect the entire Fog Bank. There is also a separate fog plane prop that you can use to add extra density to your effect right where you want it. This tutorial will get you started with a fairly simple ground fog effect. We will cover minor adjustments to the fog bank, setting lights and some render options. | |
Learning the controls ... | |
All the controls for the Fog Tool Deluxe III are located in the Control Element. In Poser it looks like a big Triangle sticking out the top of the fog bank. In DAZ|Studio you'll need to select it from the list of figure parts. There are a lot of controls. What they do may not be immediately obvious. Here's a brief description of all the controls and what they do.
Some combinations of settings can cause the planes to intersect or pass through each other. This may produce undesired artifacts in the fog. (or really cool random patterns?) Poser 5 and higher should use the materials provided by the Material Room. They contain trick with the translucence node that allow back lighting effects to work with the Fog Tool. This node trick is not available in the MAT-Pose version of the Materials. In Poser 4 and DAZ|Studio it's important to keep the fog planes more or less facing the camera. This can be done by rotating the Fog Control or using the Pitch and Yaw or both. It is less important with Poser 5 and higher. Just try not to get the planes edge on to the camera. That will cause gaps in the fog effect. (Unless that's the effect you're trying for then, you would want to see the ends of the planes.) In Poser the Fog Tool loads with it's display style set to Wire Frame. Poser 6 allows the fog to be displayed in real time. Set the "Figure Display Style" for the Fog Tool to "Textured Shaded" DAZ|Studio always displays the figure this way. Because the fog is controlled by the Control Element, it is possible to save complete fog setup with a Pose. It will save all the dial settings and the position of the fog in the scene. Getting the perfect effect will always take a few tries. The Fog Tool is at least as complex and random as working with real fog in photography. It's about half luck and half skill. Keep trying you'll get it! As always if you get really stuck you can post a message in the forum or send me an Instant Message. | |
Posing the scene ... | |
| [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Pick the Control Element |
Fog Setup ... | |
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Fog Properties | We need to lay the fog planes nearly flat on the floor and choose a transparency map.
These settings are only a guide. Experiment with all the dials to see the effect they have on your scene. Tip: The more pitch angle you have the closer the planes will be together. This reduces the chances you will see banding. You can also decrease the Fog Length dial to make the fog more dense and bring the planes together. If the area covered by the fog is too small you can use 2 or more fog tools in your scene. Setup one the way you like then copy the settings to the others. |
Material Setup ... | |
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Use the drop down box to select the material zones. The eye dropper is difficult to use on the fog tool. | Tip: It's important to use the correct materials with the fog. In Poser 4 and DAZ|Studio use the MAT-Pose files from the Pose library. Poser 5 and higher should use the Material Room and the Materials from the Material Library.
Poser 4 and DAZ|Studio users should use the Mat-Pose files from the Pose library instead. The Materials provided with the Fog Deluxe III include special node tricks for Poser 5 and higher. These allow the fog to create backlighting effect not possible before. It's OK to mix materials. You can get some really cool effects by mixing the materials. Smooth and Creepy work together great. If you already own the Fog Deluxe II these materials are available as a free upgrade. Visit the Freebies Area to get your free Fog Deluxe III upgrade! |
Light Setup ... | |
The scene needs a key light and a fill. The key light will be a spotlight
<BLOCKQUOTE> Y Tran = 2.0000 PNU X Tran = -1.0000 PNU Z Tran = 1.5000 PNU "PNU" is Poser Native Unit. That's 100 inches, about 8-1/2 feet or a little less than 3 meters. The light position a just a reference. It does not need to be exact. Focus your attention on composition not umbers.</BLOCKQUOTE>
| [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Spot Light Setup |
Tip: The fog tool works best with spot lights, but low intensity infinite lights can be used for fill. Use soft shadows. You will be less likely to see banding in the fog. | |
Draft Renders ... | |
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] These settings will give you quick test renders in FireFly. Poser 4 users should test render with Anti-Alias off. | |
Render Settings ... | |
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] These are production Render Settings Tip: The bucket size setting is subject to the complexity of the scene and the power of your computer. If you have troubles with renders failing try using smaller buckets sizes. Poser 6 settings are the same, just the screen looks different. It also handles the bucket size setting automatically so you don't need to change the setting. | |
Next ...Volumetric Light! | |
FAQ ... | |
My Fog is all washed out or solid white. | |
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My Fog doesn't show at all. | |
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Why can I see gaps and bands in the fog effect? | |
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Copyright © by Nerd3D All Right Reserved.
Published on: 2004-12-27 (7636 reads)
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