Quick Tip: Simulating Chains using Reactor in 3ds Max
Tutorial Details
- Software: 3ds Max 2010 (possible with older versions)
- Difficulty Level: Novice
- Completion Time: Approx 10 min
- Additional Files/ Plugins: Scene Files
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
In this short tutorial, you will learn how to simulate chains, necklaces, or pearls using an easy and very efficient method with reactor in 3ds Max. After watching this, you will be able to simulate chains in just a few short seconds, a skill which can prove to be very useful in countless different situations.
Step 1
To make things easier, I have already created a chain and a deflector cylinder for you, so now let’s just see how to do the simulation. Open “Chain.max” if you are working with 3ds Max 2010, if not, import “Chain.obj” into your scene.
Step 2
In the “Front” viewport, create a “Line” along the chain. This “Line” will be the object that you actually simulate, while the chain is driven by it using a “Skin” modifier.
Step 3
Select the “Line”. In the “Modify” panel, “Selection” rollout, click the “Segment” button, and select the existent segment of this spline. This segment needs to be subdivided to be able to simulate the “Line” with reactor.
Step 4
In the “Geometry” rollout, set the “Divisions” spinner to ’40′, and click the “Divide” button. This operation subdivides the selected segment by adding the number of vertices specified by the spinner…in this case ’40′.
Step 5
In the “Modify” panel, add a “reactor Rope” modifier.
Step 6
In the “Properties” rollout, change the “Rope type” to “Constraint”, because you don’t need flexibility, and enable “Avoid Self-Intersections”.
Step 7
Select the vertex from the top, and in the “Constraints” rollout, click the “Fix vertices” button.
Step 8
Now, you need to include these objects into “reactor Collections”, to be able to simulate them with reactor. With the “Line” selected, go to “Animation > reactor > Create Object > Rope Collection”. Now the spline is included in the newly created “Rope Collection”.
Step 9
Select the “Cylinder”, and add it to a “Rigid Body Collection”.
Step 10
Go to “Animation > reactor > Create Animation”, to create the animation of this rope. You can also watch the simulation in real-time, by selecting “Preview Animation”.
Step 11
After a few seconds the simulation is done, and the “Line” acts like a rope. Go to Frame 0, select the Chain and add a “Skin” modifier to it. In the “Bones” section, click the “Add” button and select the “Line”.
Step 12
Play the animation. Now the chain is animated, and driven by the “Line”.
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Thank you. Good tip.
Nice and quick, well presented. It took 8 minutes to do it (including the modeling of the chain). I noticed the link to Scene Files afterwards
This just works. Beginners could appreciate some explanation to the division value (40) and perhaps information how to use tweak the outcome with the Skin modifier (in case they need to). Thanks for this!
So simple but yet so awesome tutorial. Thanks!
thanks man for this tut……its useful,and reactor is one of the most powerful feature in 3dsmax….thnx
Very nice tuto,good explanations about reactor,thanks!
You know what? I’m showing your website in my next Youtube Video.
How do I extend the animation when I extend the timeline?
Go to Utilities panel > reactor > preview & animation.
Thank you, that is what I was looking for.
Great tutorial. How would I go about linking the chain to another object that moves?
In other words….what if you wanted to the chain to move from right to left across the cylinder? Simply animating the chain or linking it to another object doesn’t seem to work.
Hi Chris,
First of all, include the moving object into a deforming mesh collection. At step 7 in stead of fixing the vertex, attache it to the deforming mesh collection. And that’s all.
Thanks!
I made a mistake
Actually, attache the vertex to the moving object.
How to Attach the Name Board
How to attached Name Board with Chain
hi there, awesome tut y the way, ut how can i attach the board
About Chain i think it can be even more simple for simulating.
look at this tutorial about Swing:
http://www.rnel.net/3d_studio_max-tutorials/swing-animation-in-3d-studio-max
Great tutorial. Easy, helpful and well described.