Inferno Special Effects (FX) Tutorial

PokerPhaze · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 190 Location: Germany

Ok in this Tutorial you're going to learn how to create a Fiery Glow effect and how to apply it onto an object. Click the thumbnails for a larger screenshot so you can see exactly what's going on.

Step 1: In the Beginning

Create an Object (or use a model you created previously).
Go to Create-->Particle Systems and create a pArray particle system (size and placement do not matter).

Step 2:

Select the particle system and go to Modify-->Basic Parameters -->Object-Based emitter and hit the Pick Object button. Click on the object you are using for this tutorial.

Step 3:

Right-click on the Particle System and click properties. Under G-Buffer change the object ID to 1.

Then move the Time Slider below your viewports to Frame 6

Step 4:

Go to Rendering --> Video Post. A dialog box appears.
in the Box there are a few buttons, and there should be a little blue Teapot amongst them. Click it and the Add Scene Event dialog appears.

Step 4b:
In the Add Scene Event dialog, under View you can choose the Viewport or the Camera in which the special effect will be applied. Choose Perspective (or a Camera if you added one) and click OK.

Step 5:

After choosing your Viewport or Camera, click on the blue Teapot that now has appeared under Queue. Now click on the Yellow Box Button with the Wavy Red stripe on it: The add Image Filter event dialog Appears. Change the Label to Glow Effect, and under Filter plug-in, select Lens Effects Glow and hit Setup.

Step 6:

Hit VP Queue and then hit the Preview Button, to see your Work in Progress. Under source select object ID and set it to 1 if it isn't already.

Step 6b:
Click the Preferences tab and selecy 'Gradient' in the Color section.
Click the Gradients tab, and change the colors of the Radial Color Gradient as followed:
- Set the Flag at position 0 to Yellow (255,255,0) and the flag at 100 to Red(255, 0, 0).
- Create a Flag at position 31 and set its color to 255, 194, 0

Step 7:

Now click on the Inferno tab. Change the Setting to Fiery and activate red and green. I'm not sure about the quality thing, but I just went with 4. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Step 8: The Rendering

Because this Effect cannot be rendered in the ordinary renderer, we have to add an image output event. (Button with yellow box with arrow)
Hit the Files button, choose the location where you want to save it, enter a filename and choose a file format and hit Save. Press the OK button.

Hit the little black running guy button in the Video Post dialog and a Render dialog appears change Time Output to Single and set it to 6
select a resolution you like and hit render. MAX renders all the objects at first and then draws the effect on them.

Okayyy we have our Special Effect!

Now, in addition for all you guys and girls who haven't got an object for applying this on, we will apply a material to the sphere I used in the tutorial:

Open the Material Editor and change the Specular level of the first material to 60 and glossiness to 50.
Put a gradient ramp in some materials Diffuse slot.
Delete the middle Flag and set the flag at 0 to red (255,0,0) and the one at 100 to Yellow (255,255,0).
Set the Noise amount to 0.4 and set it to Fractal.
Instance copy this map to the Reflection slot.
Create a noise map in the Bump slot and set its size to 8 and to Fractal
set Bump to 50.

Finished! I hoped you found this useful! Special Thanks to Mike Nuts for this totally grand website and Mr. Grim for bringing up the idea.

Mike Nuts · Site Admin Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 458

Good job dude! Original topic too. I will upload the images to our server, create some thumbnails, and add them to your post. Did you post this tutorial anywhere else than here?

PokerPhaze · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 190 Location: Germany

Hehe, Thanks for Compliments, did you try it yet?
Nope I didn't post them anywhere else (3DNuts is my No.1 site of course^^)

Mike Nuts · Site Admin Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 458

Not yet in practice, but I will as soon as I finish my Modeling and posing chains tutorial. Smile

PokerPhaze · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 190 Location: Germany

Mike Nuts · Site Admin Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 458

As you can see, I made some minor changes to the text after following the tutorial myself, and added thumbs of the screenshots linked to the screenshots.

PokerPhaze · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 190 Location: Germany

ahh Cool looks much nicer now thx

Latinoboy · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 1

Hey i just wanted to asked what program you use to created those cool 3d images.

thanks in advance

PokerPhaze · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 190 Location: Germany

uhh.. I kinda guess I used 3DSMAX.... Wink

no problem
but these images aren't soo cool ^^ you just have to have the patience Wink

btw.. this tut already has 12100 views but not a single useful response.. Crying or Very sad

StefanC FS · Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:25 am Post subject:

heey pokerphaze

nice tutorial, realy easy tut and nice result ty for posting this usefull tutorial Very Happy

DeeGee · Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 4

I'm trying to create the real Milky Way. Now, NASA has it already, but without any material and effect features.

So can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

This is the Milky Way file, it can be imported in 3DSM

http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/cobe/milky_way.wrl

I can't let it glow right..

Thx in adv.

DeeGee