Hello:
I’m working on an animation that shows the inner workings of an inkjet cartridge. The process involves a bubble expanding within a chamber and pushing out past some posts. The bubble deforms around the posts.
This image shows the gist:
http://marshall-arts.net/test/MicroBubblepostsRef.png
I’m been using a Spline Rail deformer to create the flare out at the end.
I’ve been working to create the basis of an effect like this using the collision deformer, but the results have been unsatisfactory. I’ve spent several hours trying different combinations of mesh density and advanced collision settings, but I end up with two basic results. If I keep the stretch value low the bubble will push around the posts, but the top collapses down and pushes through the bottom of the mesh. If I crank up the stretch that collapse is mitigated, but the bubble barely pushes past the posts.
I’ve attached the scene file I’ve been using to experiment.
I’m open to trying another deformer, but I’m not sure what would create a comparable effect. I thought maybe using a bulge deformer with a falloff could work, in which the bubble pushes out and gets indented when it hits the deformer, but while the bulge deformer will indent the bubble it also pushes the top up and the bottom down. I really wish there was a way to make the bulge and other deformers work on a single axis.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
Shawn Marshall
Marshall Arts Motion Graphics