STEP by STEP MAKE A CANDLE FLAME WITH 3DS MAX AND V-ray

01Create Model the FLAME

a simple sphere with around 32 segments. Apply an Edit Poly modifier. Switch on Soft Selection and grab the top few vertexes. Drag them up vertically until you have an elliptical, flame-shaped form. With the vertexes still selected add a noise modifier and adjust the x and y strengths a little to deform the flame. Make the noise fractal.

02 ANIMATE the FLAME

Switch on Set Key, amongst the animation parameters at the bottom of the screen, and then press the key button at frame 0. Slide the time bar along a few frames, adjust the x and y strength parameters in the noise modifier and press the key button again. Continue doing this five or six times along the time bar.

Open the Curve Editor, select the modified noise parameters in the flame objects list, click on Curve Out-of-range Types, select Loop and OK.

03 Add A Material texture

Add a Cylindrical UVW map to the flame object. Create a new V-ray material in the editor and switch on Compensate Camera Exposure in the Self-illumination parameters. Add a gradient ramp to the Self-illumination slot.

Colour the gradient from an orange red, through yellow to white and make the gradient type and interpolation both ‘linear’. Switch up the Self-illumination level to around 1,000. Apply the material to the flame.

Next you need to create a simple black and white opacity map in Photoshop (such as in the image) and then add it to the opacity slot.

04 bloom EFFECTS

In the V-ray Frame Buffer click on the Lens Effects button at the bottom of the dialog box and switch on both Bloom Effect and Glare Effect.

Render the image and then you can interactively adjust the size and weight of both until you are satisfied.