Fountain tutorial
Abstract
In this tutorial, a fountain is built step by step. From the basic ideas to the actual realisation. This is not a complete documentation on dancing waters possibilities, but some advanced feature are used, to make a living and dynamic fountain.Note: this wiki page is presented as a tutorial (do this, click here, etc.). Of course the purpose is not that you make exactly the same fountain ingame (this costs too much resources for a try), but just that you get the idea of how I made it.
Note: please improve the english of this text if you are fluent :)
Location of the example
The fountain has been realized at 1591,3779 near the CS of Upper Egypt, between SHarmony and the pyro stadium. You may first want to have a look at it before reading this tutorial.
Planning the dance of the waters
I plan to use 7 basins, as shown on the figure, the main huge basin is D, A & G are large ones, C & E are medium and B & F are small. The 7 basins are aligned.
First step
At the beginning, two nozzles from basin D oscilate from B to F.
Second step
The water is then filling basins C & E.
Third step
Two things happen here from basins C & E: vertical flows and flows targeting A & G.
Fourth step
Two things happen here too, from basins A & G: vertical flows and flows targeting D. The flow shape is a bit strange, due to some special animation planed here (it will be clear later).
Realisation : step 1
After building the Dancing Waters Mechanism, I placed the 3 basins B, D & F, using double F8 mode. Two white shower nozzles are then placed into D, one on the left, and the other one on the right.
Now I use the edit mode. The two nozzles are renamed nozzle D Left and nozzle D Right, and the Period is set to 4 (we are going to define 4 step for both nozzles):
The two steps are when the nozzle is aiming at B and when it is aiming at F. Now from the main configuration of both nozzles, time 0 to 3 have to be defined. The avatar (symbolized by a yellow dot on the editor) is placed into B, the time 0 of nozzle D Right is selected. Click on "Aim Abrubt" so that the flow of the nozzle targets basin B. Select time 3 and do the same.
Without moving the avatar, select the time 2 then time 3 of nozzle D Left and click on "Aim Abrupt" each time. Now both nozzle targets B but on different times (0 & 3 for right and 2 & 3 for left).
Place your avatar in the basin F, and proceed as before with times 0 & 1 of nozzle D Left and time 1 & 2 of nozzle D Right. On the editor, clic on basin D and fill it with 120 water. Press start and look at the animation. Now stop it, and use, for both nozzle and every time, the button "Higher" to set all the height to 60 ft. You should have:
| Nozzle & Time | Target | Height |
| D Right, time 0 | B | 60ft |
| D Right, time 1 | F | 60ft |
| D Right, time 2 | F | 60ft |
| D Right, time 3 | B | 60ft |
| D Left, time 0 | F | 60ft |
| D Left, time 1 | F | 60ft |
| D Left, time 2 | B | 60ft |
| D Left, time 3 | B | 60ft |
You should now have completed the first step
Note: the phase are confusing, and I'm not sure why it works that way. If you don't obtain something symmetric, try to change the targets of D Right. For instance 0 & 1 on B and 2 & 3 on F.
Realisation : step 2
Now I add basins C & E. Add a cristal fog nozzle named nozzle B in basin B and a cristal fog nozzle named nozzle F in basin F. Both periods are set to 1.
Place you ravatar in basin E and select nozzle B. As its period is 1, there is only one time to define, time 0. Click on "Target Abrupt", and use "Higher" and "Shorter" buttons to set its caracteristics to '''Time 0, Abrupt, 30ft, Spread 100%/50%. This should looks like the following picture.
Now proceed symmetricaly for nozzle F targeting basin C.
Now reduce the quantity of water in basin D: set it to 20. Press start. Observe the quantities of water in the basins. During step 1, at each time tick, D is decremented by 2, and both B & F are incremented by 1. When B & F contains 10 waters, their nozzles start working: the water is now filling C & E. The numbers should increase and decrease symmetricaly (or you have something wrong, probably at step 1).
Realisation : step 3
Place a foggy shower nozzle on the north part of basin C. Set its name to nozzle C shower and its period to 1. Select it, place your avatar in the middle of basin C, press "Aim abrupt" and set the height to 50 ft. Proceed the same way into basin E.Add basins A & G.
Place a white shower nozzle in the middle of basin C. Set its name to nozzle C flow and its period to 1. Select it, place your avatar in the middle of basin G, press "Aim abrupt" and set the height to 40 ft. Proceed the same way for the flow from basin E to basin A.
We now add a feature. We want that the shower effects last for only a few moment. Select nozzle C shower, press "config", and set the "turn off level" to 6. Proceed the same way with nozzle E shower. Doing this, the shower effect will start when the bassins contains 10 water, and stop when only 6 remain.
Press Start to test it.
Realisation : step 4
Add a crystal fog nozzle in the middle of basin A. Set its name to nozzle A and its period to 2. Select it, place your avatar in the middle of basin D, select time 0, press "Aim abrupt" and set the height to 30 ft. Use "Wider" and "Longer" to obtain Spread 20%/20%. Select time 1, press "Aim abrupt" and set the height to 50 ft. Use "Wider" and "Longer" to obtain Spread 20%/20%. Proceed the same way in basin G. The variations of height produce a nice animation effect.Now add a crystal fog nozzle in the middle of basin A. Set its name to nozzle A shower and its period to 2. Place your avatar in basin A, select time 0, press "Aim abrupt" and set the height to 30 ft. Select time 1, press "Aim abrupt" and set the height to 60 ft, and set the Spread to 20%/20%. This will produce some kind of bumping shower on basin A.
Now click on nozzle D Left, press Config, and set "Turn-on Level" to 20. Do the same for nozzle D Right. This way, this nozzles will start working when all the water is back to basin D.
Our fountain is almost ready, you can try it pressing start.
Improving the fountain
We now want to improve the transitions between the different step, and the duration of each step:- First, we reduce the duration of the first step. Select nozzle D Left, press "config", and set "flow rate" to 2. Proceed the same way for nozzle D Right. Doing this does not change the graphics of the flow. It only change the amount of water used at each time tick. Here, step 1 will last only half the time as before, as we use twice more water.
- Similarly, set the "flow rate" of nozzle B and nozzle F to 3. Set the "turn-on level" to 8, the nozzles will then start working just before step 1 is finished.
- Set the "turn-on level" of nozzle A shower and nozzle G shower to 5, so that they turn on just after the showers of basin C & E turn off.
That's all :)
Comment & questions
Wow that seems so simple when you explain! Question though, what's the difference between Aim Abrupt and Gentle? - Kaayru
