MAXON Computer Cinema 4D Tutorials: Catching a Soft Body

Tips & Techniques - Dynamics

Dynamics:
Catching a Soft Body
Download:
Project Works with:
XL, Dynamics Requires:
Version 7.2

Special Notes: This tutorial requires the CINEMA 4D Dynamics plugin.

This tutorial will cover the steps to create a bowl which can be moved around in realtime while catching a soft body.

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Step 1: Create a Cube (Objects=>Primitive=>Cube). Double click on the Cube icon in the Object Manager. A dialog box will appear, set the Size to X=400m Y=200m Z=400m and click OK. Now make the Cube editable (Structure=>Make Editable). Next create a HyperNURBS Object (Object=>NURBS=>HyperNURBS). Then drag and drop your Cube Object into the HyperNURBS Object making it a child of the HyperNURBS.

Step 2: Select the Polygons Tool (Tools=>Polygons) and the Live Selection Tool (Selection=>Live Selection). Now select the Cube Object in the Object Manager, once the Cube Object is selected you can select the top polygon of the object. Inner Extrude this surface (Structure=>Extrude Inner), in the Active Tool Manager input 60m in the Offset and click Apply. Now form a bowl by Extruding the still selected polygon downward (Structure=>Extrude), once again in the Active Tool Manager input -100m then click OK.

Step 3: In the Object Manager select the HyperNURBS Object and make it editable (Structure=>Make Editable). In the Object Manager, drag the Cube out of the HyperNURBS then delete the HyperNURBS Object. Double click on the Cube text and change the name to 'Bowl'.

Step 4: Create a Platonic Object (Objects=>Primitive=>Platonic). Make this object editable (Structure=>Make Editable).

Step 5: Now Subdivide the object(Structure=>Subdivide). Check the HyperNURBS Subdivide option and click OK. Double click on the text of the Platonic Object in the Object Manager. Change the name to 'Soft Body'.

Step 6: Select the Object Tool (Tools=>Object). Using the Coordinates Manager move the 'Soft Body' to X=0m Y=300m Z=0m.

Step 7: Create a Solver Object (Plugins=>Dynamics=>Solver Object) and also a Gravity Object(Plugins=>Dynamics=>Gravity). In the Object Manager make the Gravity Object, Bowl, and Soft Body children of the Solver Object.

Step 8: Assign a Rigid Body Dynamic Tag to the Bowl. Select the Bowl within the Object Manager then go to File=>New Tag=>Plugin Tags=>Rigid Body Dynamic Tag. In the dialog, set Total Mass to 0. This will prevent the Bowl from moving. Next click the Collision tab and set Collision Detection to Full.

Step 9: Assign a Soft Body Spring Tag to the Soft Body object. Select the Soft Body object in the Object Manager then go to File=>New Tag=>Plugin Tags=>Soft Body Spring Tag. Select Springs=>Add Soft Springs within the Soft Body dialog. Set the Method to Cloth and click OK. This will return you to the Soft Body Spring Tag's dialog. Disable Show Springs. Click the Collision tab and set Collision Detection to Full and Elasticity to 0.

Step 10: Double click on the Solver Object's icon in the Object Manager. When the dialog appears set Stop to 1000, Integration Method to Runge-Kutta and Oversampling to 4. Click the Details tab and set Eps to 5. This will reduce the distance between the colliding objects. Click OK. A dialog will ask if the document's time should be adjusted to the new Stop value, click Yes.

Step 11: Assign a Smoothing Tag to the Soft Body object. In the Object Manager select File=>New Tag=>Smoothing Tag. Create a HyperNURBS Object then make the Soft Body a child of the HyperNURBS. Make the HyperNURBS a child of the Solver Object. The Soft Body is now smooth even though it has a low number of polygons.

Step 12: Select the Bowl object. Ensure that the Object Tool or Model Tool is selected. Click Play and move the Bowl in realtime to catch, flip and toss the Soft Body.