How I Created the Model Destruction

The 3DS Max 'Rayfire' plugin allows for complex model destructions that was perfect for what we wanted to achieve with our animation. Once the model was finished with materials / textures added it was time to apply the plugin to the model. The following steps are how the animation is created:

1. Attach all individual objects into 1 object. This is mainly because if the rayfire tool is applied to multiple objects Max tends to crash. For the church I left the windows seperate.

2. Create a sphere that will act as the 'wrecking ball' that will destruct the scene (this is hidden/deleted after the animation is created)

3. Animate the sphere passing through the object to be destroyed.

4. Open Rayfire and select the church and add it as a 'Impact Object' under the 'Simulation' Tab.

5.In the RayXplosion tab select the Fragmentation Type and the iterations, which is the number of segments that the model will be fragmented in. More fragments = better end result however is difficult for the PC/Max to process, too many normally ends in a Max crash. Once selected click 'Fragment Impact Objects'. The Software then automatically fragments the model.

6. Under the Physics tab Set the 'wrecking ball' as an unyielding object. Do the same for the base that the model sits on.

7. Select all fragments and set them as Inactive Objects.

8. Under physical options set the start frame and the time range in frames.


9. Click Create Animation and (if it doesn't crash....which it often will) wait for Rayfire to generate the keyframes.