Book Image

Learn Blender Simulations the Right Way

By : Stephen Pearson
2 (2)
Book Image

Learn Blender Simulations the Right Way

2 (2)
By: Stephen Pearson

Overview of this book

Blender is a free, open source 3D software that allows you to create stunning visual graphics, animation, VFX, and much more! This book is an in-depth guide to creating realistic and eye-catching simulations, understanding the various settings and options around their creation, and learning how to troubleshoot solutions to your own Blender problems. In addition, this book can also be used to simulate the behavior of certain physics effects, such as fire, fluid, soft bodies, and rigid bodies. You’ll learn how to use Mantaflow, an open source framework within Blender software, to create fire, smoke, and fluid simulations. As you progress, you’ll understand how to easily produce satisfying rigid and soft body simulations, along with cloth simulations. Finally, you’ll use Dynamic Paint, Blender’s modifier, and the physics system to create eye-catching animations. By the end of this Blender book, you’ll have created a number of animations on your own, such as a campfire, waterfalls, and explosions. You’ll also have gained a deeper understanding of all the simulation options in Blender, which you can use to create portfolio-ready animations.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Using Mantaflow for Fire, Smoke, and Fluids
7
Part 2: Simulating Physics with Soft Bodies and Cloth
12
Part 3: Diving into Rigid Bodies
15
Part 4: Understanding Dynamic Paint in Blender

What is a cloth simulation?

A cloth simulation in Blender is used to simulate the behavior and interactions of cloth in the real world. It is great for creating things such as fabrics, blankets, pillows, flags, and much more. While you can get similar results using a soft body simulation, a cloth simulation is designed and better suited for this type of thing, and you will generally get better results. You can see an example of a cloth simulation here:

Figure 8.1 – Cloth simulation example

Figure 8.1 – Cloth simulation example

The cloth calculates and simulates its physical properties by creating virtual springs that are connected to each vertex of the object. These springs control how stiff the cloth will be, how much it will bend, or how much it will resist collapsing. There are four types that you need to remember, as outlined here:

  • Tension springs are used to control how stiff the cloth will be and how much it will resist stretching
  • Compression springs are used to control...