CREATE ABSTRACT ROBOTIC STRANDS

Follow along as Amid Rajabi teaches you how to create atmospheric sci-fi imagery with Maya’s Bifrost plugin

- Amid Rajabi

Bifrost for Maya isn’t just an addition to the software; it’s a transformative tool that has been able to redefine the landscape of 3D animation, modelling and effects. With its advanced visual programming capabilities, Bifrost allows artists to push beyond the traditional boundaries and explore new creative horizons. The ability to manipulate strands, simulate lifelike fluids and fabrics, and perform complex calculations like the Material Point Method (MPM) within a single graph environment is a testament to the plugin’s power and flexibility.

The procedural modelling, rigging, animation and effects possibilities are virtually limitless. The seamless integration with Arnold enhances this experience to provide a robust platform for rendering simulations with unparalleled detail and realism. The use of Arnold nodes within the Bifrost graph makes for a unified workflow that streamlines the creative process. Additionally, Bifrost’s comprehensive support for Universal Scene Description (USD) ensures compatibility within a broader production pipeline, particularly when used in conjunction with MayaUSD.

One of the pivotal features of Bifrost is the ability to output any command or process as a compound and publish it to make it available to other artists. For instance, in this project I used the powerful MJCG compounds, created by Maxime Jeanmougin, a fantastic Bifrost technical artist who’s currently collaborating with the Autodesk team on Bifrost’s development. This compound collection is available for free download at mjcg.gumroad.​com and ready to be integrated into your own graphs.