Download source files here: Objects, Scene, Motions.

In this tutorial you will learn how to set up and rig a basic HardFX scene and then adjust the HardFX parameters to simulate rigid bodies of increasing brittleness.

For this tutorial, the following objects will need to be downloaded from the link at the top of this page:

1. Cup_1
2. Cup_2
3. Cup_3
4. Ball

Since you are not building the objects themselves, you should know that the Cup has been totally un-welded so that no polygon shares the point of another, whereas the Ball is just as it seems to be; a single mesh.

The scene for this tutorial will be created from the ground up, using the above objects.

Towards the end of the Tutorial, dynamics calculations become increasingly intense. So, if you do not want to take the time to calculate the dynamics on your own computer, the last scene and object setup is made available at the end of this tutorial with the recorded motion files in order for you to immediately see what the tutorial has set up.
 

Part I: Object Setup

[The “Auto” key frame should be set on for this entire tutorial.]

1: Open Layout and import the Cup and Ball objects.

2: Select the Cup_1 object and move it to this position:
X: 6 M
Y: 0 M
Z: 0 M

3: Select Cup_2 and move it to this position:
X: 0 M
Y: 0 M
Z: 0 M

4: Select Cup_3 and move it to this position:
X: -6 M
Y: 0 M
Z: 0 M

5: Select the Camera and move it to this position:
X: -20 H: 33.90
Y:  14  P: 19
X: -20 B: 0

Part II: Object Animation

[All of the following Key Frames created are for the Ball object and so assume that you always have the Ball object selected.]

6a. Set the Key Frame range from 0 to 120.

6b. Select the Ball and place it in this position:
X: 6 M
Y: 1.5 M
Z: -6 M

7. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 10 and move the Ball to this position:
X: 6 M
Y: 1.5 M
Z: 6 M

8. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 20 and press enter to create a key frame.

9. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 30 and move the Ball to this position:
X: 0 M
Y: 1.5 M
Z: -6 M

10. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 40 and move the Ball to this position:
X: 0 M
Y: 1.5 M
Z: 6M

11. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 50 and press enter to create a key frame.

12. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 60 and move the Ball to this position:
X: -6M
Y: 1.5 M
Z: -6 M

13. Move the animation Slider to Key Frame 70 and move the Ball to this position:
X: -6 M
Y: 1.5 M
Z: 6 M

14. Open up the Graph Editor and select all of the Key Frames for the Ball.

15. Set the Incoming Curve parameter to a value of Linear.

16. Close out the Graph Editor and save your Scene.

Part III: Collision setup for Ball, HardFX setup for Cup_1, and Collision Ground Plane.

First, let’s set up the ball as a collision object.

17. Select the Ball object and press “p” to open up the Object Properties panel. Now select the Dynamics Tab and select Collision from the Add Dynamic drop down menu.

18. Double click the Collision plug-in in the plug-in bin to open it up and make the following changes to the Collision parameters:
Type: Sphere
Radius/Level: 278mm

Now let’s set up the first cup for HardFX.

19. Select Cup_1, open the Object Properties panel, select the Dynamics tab and then select Hard from the Add Dynamic drop down menu.

For this first Cup, we will set the HardFX settings to simulate a plastic, metal or otherwise rigid, non-brittle object.

20. Open up the HardFX plug-in that you just added to the plug-in bin and make the following changes to the collision parameters:
Piece Mode: 1 Piece
Basic Tab:
    Advanced Resistance: Check
    Size Effect [weight]: Check
    Size Effect [resistance]: Check
    Gravity: -9.8
Rotation Tab:
    Size Effect [Torque]: Check
    Torque Min: 50%
    Collide: Collide
Collision Tab:
    Stop by: Stabilizer
File Tab:
    View Feedback: UnCheck
    Numeric Feedback: UnCheck

Save your scene.

21. Now press the Calculate button, located in the Object Properties’ Dynamics tab.

You should see the Cup_1 get knocked backwards and then fall through the ground plane grid. Let’s set up a collision ground plane so that Cup_1 and eventually the rest of the objects have something to bounce off of after the initial collision.

22. Click on Layout’s Items tab, under the Add menu’s Dynamic Objects Menu, select Collision.

23. In the Object Properties panel for the Collision object, go to the dynamics tab, double click on the collision plug-in and make the following changes to the parameters:
Type: Plane
Radius/Level: 0 M
Friction: 5

24. Move the Collision object to this position:
X: 0 M
Y: -2.233 M
Z: 0 M

You should now have a collision ground plane just under the bottom of the Cups.

Save your scene.

24. Press the “Calculate” button to see the new dynamics at work.

Part IV: HardFX setup for Cup_2

For the second Cup, we will be simulating a semi-brittle material, like a huge cup made of plywood sheets or something of the sort.

25. Select Cup_1, get to the HardFX plug-in properties and, under the File tab, click on “Copy”.

26. Select Cup_2 and press “p” to open up its Object Properties panel. Now select the Dynamics tab and then Hard from the Add Dynamics drop down menu. In the plug-in bin, double click the newly added HardFX plug-in. Then, under the File tab, click “Paste”.

The HardFX values of Cup_1 are now transferred to Cup_2. Now with a few changes, we can create a more complex rigid body effect.

27. With Cup_2’s HardFX properties still open, make the following changes to the parameters:
Basic Tab:
    Piece Mode: 1Piece> Parts [Collision]
Collision Tab:
    Start by: Check: Start by Collision

Save your scene and run the dynamics calculation, if you’d like.

Part V: HardFX setup for Cup_3

For the third cup, a totally brittle material, like thin crystal or glass, will be simulated.

28. After adding HardFX to Cup_3, copy the HardFX settings from Cup_2 and paste them to Cup_3.

29. With Cup_3 still selected, make the following changes to the HardFX parameters:
Basic Tab:
    Piece Mode: Parts
Collision Tab:
    Self Interaction: Box

Save your scene.

Press the “Calculation”, button in the Dynamics to let the HardFX engine do the calculations. If the calculation time is too high for your machine, deactivating the Self Interaction of Cup_3 might help a lot. Otherwise you can download the scene and motion files from the links at the top of this page:

1. HardFX_1 Scene
2. Cup_1 Motion Data
3. Cup_2 Motion Data
4. Cup_3 Motion Data

When it’s done, press play and have fun watching the scene playback the HardFX calculations in real-time. You can navigate the scene while it’s playing back in real time too. So, taking a perspective view to look around while the scene playback loops is pretty fun.

If you have your HardFX calculations done and would like to load the scene at a later time and play it with the calculations still intact, then, for each object with HardFX applied to it, you must save the motion file found here: Object Properties> Dynamics> HardFX> Files> Save. Then, save your scene.

This concludes the HardFX_1 tutorial.

Happy colliding.

-S9 Design: Micah Hostetter: solace9@yahoo.com-