Phoenix FD is a new fluid simulation plug-in for 3ds Max. Chaos Group have let us take a sneak peek at some of the features in this package scheduled for release later this year.
Fluids are substances that continually deform, such as liquids, gases, plasma etc. Phoenix FD lets you simulate these fluids in 3ds Max. The simulation is stored in a finely subdivided 3D box, or grid, where each cell contains the fluid's properties at that location. These properties include temperature, mass and velocity. During the simulation Phoenix will transfer cell contents from cell to cell according to velocity over time, and also change the properties in the cells according to physical rules. The resulting simulation is then used for rendering.
The animation below is a typical example, where the flames and smore are simulated by Phoenix.
Feature preview
Though we are not allowed to disclose all features of Phoenix in this preview article, we will give you a sneak peek into some of the features that Phoenix FD will have to offer. Apart from the obvious fire and smoke features seen above, these are a few of the other features in Phoenix FD:
Viewport Features
The simulation can be shown in the viewport represented by colored points from the simulation grid. Various parameters such as temperature, Smoke, UVW and velocity can be previewed independently. Threshold values determine which range of values is displayed. There is also an option of using a GPU rendered extended viewport.
Regular viewport (click to enlarge)
GPU rendered viewport (click to enlarge)
Rendered image (click to enlarge)
Particle Control
Phoenix FD comes with several Particle Flow operators that let you control particle emission and motion based on the fluid simulation. In the example below the Phoenix Force operator is used to give the particles a motion consistent with the flow and turbulence of the air, smoke and flames in the simulation. A second operator tests for particle temperature and causes them to drop to the ground and die if the temperature falls below a given limit.
