Setting Up a Predator-Prey System With MASH

The Flight node in Maya MASH is able to create simple flocking for both particle instances and objects. The node makes it easy to create flocking, swarming and schooling behaviors without having to actually script anything. What about if you wanted to set up a predator-prey system? What if you wanted some predators to know where the prey were and vice versa?

Hooking up two MASH networks to let your predators know where their prey is (and vice versa)

All of that is still possible in Maya MASH. Here, Ian Waters shows how you can easily hook up two MASH networks that incorporate the Flight Node, to create a predator-prey system. One MASH network accounts for the predators, while another will account for the prey.

To get both the networks to notice each other, it is a matter of connecting the MASH Waiter into the opposite Flight node. From there you can alter the settings to get the behavior that you are looking for. Simply by making the connections, the prey will keep away from the predators.

MASH is Maya’s Motion Graphics Toolkit, available in Maya 2016 EXT 2 and up.