What's New in Simulation and Effects in Maya 2017 Update 3

Bifröst

Initial state

You can use the result of any frame as the new starting point of a liquid simulation. This is useful if the simulation would normally require a run-up, as in a waterfall for example. For more information, see Set the initial state for a Bifröst liquid and foam simulation.

Kill field improvements

Kill fields have been updated so that they work better when there is more than one in a scene. For descriptions of the new kill field attributes, see Bifröst Kill Field attributes. In particular, note that to use the LifeSpan option, you must now activate Enable Age in the Optional Channels attribute group of the liquid properties.

Extra velocity controls for meshes

There are new options in the Conversion attribute group of polygon meshes that are used as emitters, colliders, guides, and other influences in a liquid simulation. These options to provide more control over the velocity that the meshes contribute to a Bifröst simulation.

  • Velocity Scale lets you amplify or dampen the velocity inherited from the meshes' animation and deformation.
  • Enable Additional Velocity, Additional Velocity Mult, and Additional Velocity let you add velocity that is independent of the meshes' animation and deformation.

New Bifröst sample scenes

The sample Bifröst scenes have been updated and improved, with new examples demonstrating motion fields and more. To access them, select Bifrost > Get Example from the FX menu set, and then drag a thumbnail into the viewport.