Creating water spray...

utiler

Hey guys,
I'm possibly going to produce illustrations for an aquatic playground in the next week or so [if i get the contract that is... ]
What I am wondering is how to model 'water spray' effectively; I've seen it on a few Fountains on 3DWH and interested in how to do it. I recall seeing a ruby somewhere [can't recall the name] where it produces random lines.
In some cases I guess the water sprays from a nozzle creating a conical shape...

Any ideas?
Cheers....

BTW, looking forward to having fun with the 'follow me rotate plugin' making the equipment.... thanks wikii!!!

solo

Are you planning to render?

utiler

thanks solo,
No, I'm looking at a sketchy marker or watercolor [ ] illustration maybe.....

remus

perhaps some transparent face-me PNGs? I doubt anyones going to miss the shadows from them.

utiler

thanks Remus, do you think maybe using that ruby is the way to go then 'reload' with a component containing transparent faces, no edges, etc...

Alan Fraser

Pngs are definitely the way to go. You can create a wide range of effects...both painted onto shapes and as freestanding Face Me images.
http://www.formfonts.com/viewModel.php?view=1&id=5105&config=1
http://www.formfonts.com/viewModel.php?view=1&id=4926&config=1

The best way of doing it is to paint in pale blue and white in an image editor. Do this on a transparent layer that is on top of a dark grey or black background...in order to see all the subtlety. Then delete the background and save as a png.

utiler

Thanks Alan, I'm not a frequent 'image editor' unfortunately.... will have to learn i guess.

So create an image that resembles water in say PS or GIMP [which i have] as you say and paint a shape created in your model that depicts the the spray of water....?

Gaieus

Hi Andrew - I'd go even simpler. As Alan sid, you can create the image of just the spra without any background showing around it.

No apply this semi transparent image onto a single Face in SU, hide its edges and turn it into a face-me component.

Alan Fraser

Gimp should work fine. I produced this image by simply placing a few random white dots on a clear layer. I then copy/pasted them to fill the image area and applied a speed blur.
The instructions in the skp are pretty obvious. Good Luck Andrew

Edit: You can just do a Face Me as Gaieus suggest, but my experience is that this only works well if you have a spray going vertically upward. If it's angled, then it tends to twist and turn in all kinds of unwanted ways. That's why I have gone full 3D...it's only 24 faces.

water spray.skp

twharvey

Andrew,

Here's another example of fountains form a Google site: http://www.google.com/intl/en/sketchup/3dwh/acceptance_criteria.html

Just scroll down to the foutains Picture.

Tom

sorgesu

Yep, works. Sorry Alan, please forgive, I used your shower with my "fountain" stretched and squashed and rotated. The pivot point is at the original base of the fountain which is now positioned on an agle against the opening of the shower head. The whole thing rotates correctly as I orbit around the model pivoting around it's origin at the shower head on the same angle as it's z axis

sorgesu

watercolour fountain available as an SKP face-me or as a High resolutin PNG.

http://www.entouragearts.com/shopexd.asp?id=1309

I grabbed an old incomplete SketchUp Model with a fountain in it and placed in the water fountain so you can see the the SKP one in action.

The spray will "tiwst and turn" about it's "origin" so if you want to cut this up and angle, just make sure you keep the origin centred in the middle of it's base as it is in this one. when you angle the fountain bit the origin will stay as is and it will angle with the rotation. It will pivot around that origin in that angle as needed.

utiler

Thanks to you all for your efforts and great suggestions... I want to get into it but have a mountain of work to get through and besides; haven't even got the job yet!!! Will post when I have had a play...
Thanks again, you guys are GOLD!!

utiler

So I got the job!!! Will start on it today and have to submit by Tuesday next week.... better get cracking!!!
Will post along the way for comments.
Cheers again.

sorgesu

Congratulations!!

tinanne

Awesome Andrew! Congratulations.

mrjumpmanv2

sorry this post has nothing to do with this, just wanted the 10,000th post =p