MASH

Over the past few lessons I have learned how to use MASH and the nodes it holds. MASH allows you to create super cool animations. You can destruct models, transform them into different models and animate the build of them.

The distribute node is the first node you use. You use it to decide where you want your MASH object to duplicate. Originally then are all in a line but you can move them all together by moving the distance X to 0. If you want to attach a model to your mesh you can drag the name of the file in the distribute node. Then if you flood mesh cubes will surround the model. You can only flood mesh if you go to mesh on the node and make sure the drop down is on face center. If you click enable scaling you can drag the bar and each cube size will increase. You can do this so there is not as many gaps in the MASH.

 

The signal node allows you to choose how you want your MASH to look. You can scale each section of the bowl down by 0.5 and then each section gradually half’s.

You can mess with the rotation of each section so each section rotates inside one another. The step amount decides how much each section moves in uniform. You can move it up so each section is dramatically separated. The position X, Y and Z moves each section in the direction of the Axis it says.

The noise scale can either be on none which will allow you to see your MASH or you can move it up so the mash is more spread our and harder to make out.

 

You can use the colour node to change the colours of each segment in the bowl. You can make the random hue light to have loads of tones of the particular colour or you can have it at full like I did so there are loads of different colours. The random saturation gives the colour more vibrancy.

 

The audio node is used to add sound. You can add sound effects, music or even quotes if you want to. I added Eminem Berzerk. To do this I had to find the video on YouTube and convert it into a WAV. I added an audio node and clicked the file. Then I searched for my WAV file of Eminem Berzerk. I played around with the strength, smooting and step strength to make the MASH object cubes move up. Smoothing gradually moves each cube on the MASH so they all do not move ridiculously fast. The strength controls how high the MASH cubes go. If the step strength is too low the cubes will not move at all. It is best to put it on 1 which is full.

To use a merge node you need two models. You create the MASH on both of them and then you create this node. There is a parent and a child node. The parent node is the model that will be shown at the end and the child node is the model that is transforming.

The reflection is created because I made an Arnold Sky Shader then attached a HTRI image to it and then de-selected primary visibility and clicked visible in reflections.