Working with nCloth & nConstraints in Maya

This is a four part tutorial that will show you how to work with ncloth and give you an understanding of some of the basic constraints and settings for ndynamics in Maya.

You can use nConstraints to adjust the behavior of nCloth and nParticle objects, by restricting their movement or securing them to other objects. This is used when you want to constrain certain parts of your nCloth clothing to your character so that it doesn't fall off. You can also use constraints to attach buttons, tear your nCloth, or merge different nCloth objects together.


In part 1 we create a flag blowing in the wind with ncloth using transform nconstraints and adjust settings for wind speed, gravity and air density for different results. You'll see how to set animation keys, work with the time slider and create collisions between objects in Maya.

In part 2 we create a table cloth and use point to surface nconstraints to prevent ncloth from sliding off a surface.

In part 3 we tear cloth using tearable nconstraints and rip off a part of our flag. This is a useful method for creating zippers and slicing through surfaces in Maya.

In part 4 we look at how to create ropes and cabels and why ncloth is not suitable for this purpose. Instead we go over a very useful mel script which will connect nicely swinging cabels in a scene for you.