Integration of realflow with 3dsmax

[Dragon]

I am still new to realflow and have limited time to experiment, but I have been looking at tutorials and my plugin doesn't appear to behave the way they suggest it should. Referring to the exportation of a bin file and the creation of meshes for import into 3dsmax
In Hybrido realflow 5 tutorial basic 4 it states that Under Export > Export Central, the "Grid Emitters" can expand and a number of options are available to select. My "Grid Emitters" does not expand. Nor do most of the other items. So that option isn't available to me. Is this normal? or is my plugin not working properly?

So I try the process from the other end, 3DSMAX
Under the drop down box (RHS of screen) I select "Realflow". I have a choice here of ParticleLoader or MeshLoader. I can find my project, I can apparently load it, i.e. find a sequence of bin files, e.g. I want a flow from a point source "Sphere01_00000.bin to Sphere01_00200.bin" but I can only select one file. I try the first one and then try to play the sequence. No effects appear, even when I change some of the the available parameters. I do get a camera, which from the appearance looks like a "target_camera", which points towards, but not at the origin.

I also get an error message in Realflow stating "Invalid ID signature found in file E:\Realflow_Projects\...... (path to project file) ..." However I do get an animation i.e. the particle flow from the point source (sphere).

Please could someone point me to a tutorial(s) that I can follow. I want to generate a flow from the back of a moving object in 3dsmax. This flow to drop on a character below. Can this be done? AND if so please someone guide me to information that works. I have three weeks to complete the project and I'm running out of time.

Thank you in advance

[LuisMiguel]

Hi Dragon,

That error is due to you are importing particles instead meshes bin files. I post a link to know how to work with RealFlow and 3dsmax.

http://thevault.realflow.com/3ds_max_pl ... ow_46.html

luisM.

[Dragon]

The video tutorial (linked) has no sound. However, even without sound I did not see an animation file created. The objects were brought into Realflow (0:52-01:15), looked at briefly and then the next view was back in 3dsmax (where the animation.sd file suddenly appears (01:25) without any method of creation shown and imported into 3dsmax, the tutorial does not explain how this occurs. Also the view is so small that it is hard to see any text clearly, and one has to rely almost totally on relational position to other functions.

I did manage to generate an "animation.sd" file and I did manage to bring it into 3dsmax, but the screen on the RHS of 3dsmax is not familiar to me. I scrolled through the 3dsmax options, but could not find the ones displayed. So I could not proceed as the tutorial described. It is hard see but the button selected looked like Devel Profile maybe??? (~01:46) . I don't have that option on view. Can someone tell me where is is located? If I go into Modify I get an Editable Mesh object with the related parameters e.g. Selection, Soft Selection, Edit Geometry (Extrude, Attach ... ), Surface Properties.

The Realflow dropdown shows Object Type ParticleLoader and Meshloader followed by Parameters with Bin Mesh Sequence, Frame Options, Motion Blur etc.

However, the tutorial shows (if I read it correctly) options DeleteMesh, Edit Mesh, Edit Poly, Extrude, Face Extrude ... more like Geometric parameters. I scrolled through the available options and couldn't find these parameters, so I could not proceed any further.

I created the palm leaves with a map. That was lost when the "sd" file was imported into 3dsmax and the palm leaves were replaced by the original rectangles. That is another feature not covered in the tutorial files. I don't know if I can remap the leaves at a later stage in the process, as I cannot proceed further, at least not until I can find the options displayed.

For my project (deadline now one week away) I want to import into OR otherwise create a point source particle emitter which I assume, I can then attach to the back of my moving aeroplane. Is there a tutorial that shows this specifically? There was no "animation.sd" file created, from my point source simulation and export. The Object file was empty.

The only files created from my point source emitter were particle files (in folder "particles") - "Sphere01_00000.bin - Sphere01_00200.bin". In 3dsmax I go to the Realflow dropdown function under Create There I can use ParticleLoader and select the first file in the sequence "Sphere01_00000.bin" this path is then visible in the field path: with Prefix: "Sphere01_" but there is nothing visible in the file.

I can change particle types to Instanced Geometry which enables me to select an object on screen (if I've created one) but at this point 3dsmax usually crashes. Sometimes I can change some of the variables such as particle size, but there is still no realflow animation or objects on screen. All I can do is repeat this process, crash 3dsmax and start again. Autodesk must wonder at the messages I'm sending them. ... "I'm trying to figure out how to use Realflow" ...

There is also another side effect. After 3dsmax crashes the application shortcuts don't work, requiring a reboot to reactivate.

Frustrated user

[FlorianK]

For my project (deadline now one week away) I want to import into OR otherwise create a point source particle emitter which I assume, I can then attach to the back of my moving aeroplane. Is there a tutorial that shows this specifically?

A Point source emitter? In Realflow or inside Max?

I guess there is not. Is your plane mesh featureing any surface deformation? This makes things a little harder, but not impossible. You need to get that plane into Realflow by using an SD export via the Realflow plugin.

There was no "animation.sd" file created, from my point source simulation and export. The Object file was empty.

Point source Simulation? Inside Realflow is no such thing, so what were you exactly doing? Realflow creates a file calles animation.sd by default if there's any geometry in your scene,

The only files created from my point source emitter were particle files (in folder "particles") - "Sphere01_00000.bin - Sphere01_00200.bin". In 3dsmax I go to the Realflow dropdown function under Create There I can use ParticleLoader and select the first file in the sequence "Sphere01_00000.bin" this path is then visible in the field path: with Prefix: "Sphere01_" but there is nothing visible in the file.

Look in the dropdown, there is a particle count. If there is anything different than 0 in a frame you are sure there are particles, there are particles inside your scene, but probably scaled tiny little. Scale the particle loader up proportionally by e.g. a factor of 1000.

[Dragon]

Thank you for your response

I can see an output in Realflow from a point source (sphere emitter). Theoretically it isn't a point, but a number of points on the surface of the sphere. This output I assume should be what is contained in the particle files created. Plane mesh???. I'm not sure what you mean, as I interpret the output as particles, no mesh as such, so therefore, no surface deformation, just the flow of particles from the sphere, falling under gravity, unless one considers the surface of the particles falling, as a mesh(?).

My plan, had I seen an output was to attach the emitter to the back of an AEROplane in 3dsmax. The final render has to be in 3dsmax, I don't know if it is possible to import video files, set up with MATCHMOVER into Realflow along with all the other animation.

Which dropdown are you referring to. There are few if any dropdowns in the Export Central. This I assume is because there is no mesh created.

I've tried creating a waterflow in 3dsmax but the effects are not as good as the Realflow water effects could be (if they had worked). My hope was to use Realflow to improve the 3dsmax water particles, but so far no luck. Only days to go, though, I'm not sure if I'll make the deadline.

Dragon

[FlorianK]

Hi Dragon,

helping you is easier if you use exactly the terms used in the software you are speaking about. If speaking about a Sphere Emitter, please don't call it point source because people won't know what you mean.

The standard workflow is animating geometry inside the software you want to render it (Max, Maya...what you like).
Then, export the animated geometry to Realflow via an SD file using the apropiate Realflow plugin for your software.

Inside Realflow, you have your objects interact with particles. When you are done with the particle simulation, you import the particles (BIN files, one BIN per frame) back into Max. In order to do so, you just need one file of that BIN Sequence and this will load the whole sequence.

You can also create a mesh in Realflow. This will also create a BIN file per frame, but this time a different type of BIN. This BIN needs to be imported into max.

These are very basic/ standard workflows and you will not need to touch Export Central for any of the methods described above, as this works by default.

[Dragon]

Unfortunately, time is against me. It would have been interesting to see what Realflow could have done to enhance my project, but the information I need, to figure out how to incorporate the effects takes far too long to find and use. I still haven't seen any tutorial that gives me any hint how to create what I want. It appears one doesn't need months, but perhaps years are needed and deadlines just aren't that flexible. Other programs don't take this long to generate a basic output and I've used quite a few.
Just a disappointment. One day perhaps I will try again.
Dragon