Water fountain tutorial

1. Download the scene file fountain_start.max on this link, or the model fountain .3ds. If you haven't you can create your own model for the fountain source. Any model will do. To start set some 3d max parameters just like the following: set the units to meter, and the renderer to scan line (for the meantime we will use scan line because we will do some series of test render)


2. From the command panel, browse on create, particle system, then select super spray. Or from the Menu Bar, select Create then browse on Particles then Super spray.

Drag anywhere from the top viewport as if you are creating an icon (round icon image with upside arrow) just enough for you to see and handle it. From the top viewport, move the super spray icon on the center of the stone fountain model, and from the left view port, move them vertically on uppermost part of the stone fountain (see figure below).


3. With the super spray icon still selected, go to modify panel and adjust the some basic parameters as shown on the image sample. Now play on the time slider, move it along on say on frame 10.


You can see how the fountain works. However, you can adjust any parameters as long as it suffice and fit on how the fountain looks like. For the tutorial to make not more complicated, let us leave some parameters in its default state.

Off Axis - affects the angle of the particle stream off the Z axis (along the plane of the X axis).

Spread - affects the spread of the particles away from the emission vector (along the plane of the X axis).

Off Plane - affects the angle of emission about the Z axis. This has no effect if Off Axis is set to 0.

Spread - affects the spread of the particles about the Off Plane axis. This has no effect if Off Axis is set to 0.

Speed - the speed of the particle at birth, in units per frame.

Variation - applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each Particle

4. As you move the time slider, the more the fountain goes up, now let us control over it. From the Command panel go to Space Warps, then to Forces and select Gravity from the list.


Then on the top view port drag anywhere. Then on left viewport, move the gravity icon on top of the water fountain you have created just enough on how the water goes up.


With the gravity icon still selected, go to main toolbar and select bind to Space Space Warp. See the figure. Drag to link the gravity to the super spray. Then adjust some basic parameters


Strength - this will determine the upward force super spray particles behavior, the more amount, the particles will suddenly goes down, the lesser amount, the lesser it will goes down. Adjust and play around for the strength amount until it satisfy how the your fountain goes up.

Decay - when Decay is set to 0.0, the Gravity space warp has the same strength throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes gravity strength to diminish as distance increases from the position of the gravity warp object. Default = 0.0.

5. Now that we set already the upward strength of the fountain, the problem now is how it falls and reach the surface. From the command panel again, go to Space Warps, choose from the list Deflectors then select Deflector. Or go to the Menu Bar - Create - Space Warps - Deflectors - Deflector.



6. Then on top viewport drag a Deflector reactor (rectangular shape) on top of the stone fountain just enough to cover it size. Name this deflector 1. While the deflector still selected, go to main toolbar and click Bind to Space Warp, then drag the deflector 1 to Super Spray Reactor. On left view port, move the deflector on its y-axis just on top of the water on the stone fountain.


Then on modifying panel, adjust the bounce amount at least 0.3, with a variation of 4.0% and friction to 10%. Now play on time slider and observe now your fountain how it behaves and reacts to the deflector. The particles bounce as it touch the water surface (deflector). You can adjust the amount as you like. But observe the height of the fountain balance with the downward force, theoretically, not much bounce will occur.

7. Now, as you observe, after the particles bounce on the first deflectors, it goes down on beneath water pond surface. Now repeat the process of creating deflectors (name this deflector 2), but now make it more bigger enough to cover the water pond surface.
From the left viewport, move it just on top on the water pond surface. Make the bounce amount to 0.1, for its gravitational downward force already lessen. Now play on time slider how it works. Save your work.


8. We already completed the water fountain, from start until it goes down to the water pond. Now the water from the fountain not all goes down directly to the lower surface, it stored up in the stone fountain until it overflows down to the pond. Now freeze all other objects and unfreeze the model water top. It is the stored water in the stone fountain.

Then on command panel browse on Particle system, then form the list select PArray.


From the top viewport, drag anywhere on the screen just enough for you to see the PArray icon (see figure below).

9. While the PArray icon is still selected, go to modifying panel, click select object then select the water top model. This will make the water top model as a water source for overflowing water.

10. Then activate the left viewport, select the water top model, right click and then convert to poly. Maximized the viewport, then click polygon and select the all around edges of the water top model by window crossing across the edges, see image sample. Then click on the small box opposite the polygon on the modifying panel so the selection is still active as you goes on. Select again the PArray icon and from the parameters, select check the box Use Selected SubObjects. This mean that the overflowing water will only comes out on this side and not to the whole object. Then adjust some basic parameters as seen on the figure.



11. Now play on time slider, on observe the behavior of the PArray Particles, it spread all over in horizontal direction. Let us control over it. On the Command Panel, go to Space Warps then to Forces then to Gravity , on top view port, drag anywhere there creating an icon for gravity reactor (rename this to gravity-overflow).


With the gravity reactor still selected, go to main toolbar click on Bind to Space Warps icon and drag the Gravity reactor to PArray particles. This will link the PArray particles to the Gravity Reactors then adjust basic parameters as shown. Now move and play on time slider and observe how the PArray particles move.

12. Now that we make them to fall downward, let us control where it goes, definitely it must be stop on the water pond. So to make this activate the again the Space warps then to Deflectors then to Deflector. On top view port drag somewhere on the screen to create a Deflector icon just enough to cover the whole water pond (name this deflector 3). Then on left viewport, move the Deflector icon just on top of the water-pond surface. Then adjust some basic parameters as shown.


13. Applied materials to all objects. Here are the materials i used:

14. Now all the parameters are almost complete. Attached now your materials to all the objects and to the particles. You can create your own material for this. Note that there are some adjustment on material if you switch on Vray render. Put on lights the way you want it. Put on target camera. Now make some test render.

The particles looks isn't good, so let us have some fine tuning.

15. Adjust time slider to frame 15, adjust super spray particle percentage to 100% and use rate to 300


16. And PArray particles adjust percentage to 75% and use rate to 200.

17. Adjust camera basic parameters, enable multi-pass effect, enable Display Passes by clicking the box, adjust total passes to 10, and duration frame to 1.0, bias to 0.5, the activate Normalized weights on Pass blending. Activate which renderer you prefer.



18. Right click on each reactor (Super Spray and PArray) and activate object properties then click on motion blur one after another. Fire render and enjoy.

Get the final scene

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