Practical Maya in Post Production: Dynamic FX Setups: Laser Beams

This is the second installment in a series dedicated to using Maya Software to create Dynamic FX simulations. The techniques presented in this series have been used in numerous Film and television projects over the years during my role as an FX artist working in Post Production.

In this volume, I am going to show a cool technique for setting up a laser beam system. This effect could be used for a variety of post production needs including stadium light shows, sports arenas, music performances and even security systems. The system will be a textured approach with a cool trick to make the beams appear to interact with scene geometry.

I look forward to adding more to the series to help aspiring artists see what a real workflow and setup looks like, and hope to shed some light on what can be a very technical and challenging discipline to learn.