Tornado Warning

Since there has been lots of wind and weather warnings recently, it makes the next chapter of Studio Projects Dynamics even more topical than usual!

It introduces new ways of using Maya Fluids, and how to control them using a variety of fields. These tutorials have helped create some really nice effects (not just in this chapter on Tornado Winds). The final part in this chapter recreates a tornado demolishing a house, but I have still to start this.

The first example shows a Funnel Cloud. This was created by using Fluids and a Volume Axis Field, which spins the fluid. This example was to test the circular motion, and although basic colours were applied, that was not the focus.

The second example builds on the first set of techniques, although it uses a Volume Curve field instead - this gives more control over the shape and size of the simulation. A simple curve was used alongside the volume curve field to define the shape of the tornado. This was then paired with a second, smaller fluid container (for dust and debris) at the base of the tornado. Finally, a dynamic hair curve was used to move the finished tornado around. A directional light was added, and the finished clip was rendered using Mental Ray.