Read Cache for Preview|prv_read_cache – Allows to completely disable reading of cache files in order to speed up the viewport and the simulation. When cache files are not read, neither voxels and particles, nor the grid bounding box or the Cache File Content under the Simulation rollout will be shown. This way scrolling the timeline would be quick as there will be no access to hard disk or the network. If you still need to see the grid bounding box and the Cache File Content info, you could leave this option to Always, and instead disable all voxel preview options, the Mesh Preview, GPU Preview and all particle previews. The intended use for this parameter is as a last step performance optimization - once you're done tweaking your setup and you're ready to commit to a high-resolution, overnight simulation, disable the preview of cache files.
Always – Cache files are always read by the preview. Disable During Sim – Cache files are read only when the simulation is stopped. This would speed up the simulation and is good for overnight simulations where you don't need to watch the simulation constantly. Don't Preview Caches – Cache files are never read for the preview. They will only be read during rendering, or in case any of the Phoenix tools requires them - e.g. the Particle Shader, the Grid Texture, etc.
Detail Reduction | prv_dwnsmp – Decreases the grid and particle detail in the preview. A value of 0 means no reduction. Increase this value if the interface starts to lag due to the simulation being very large. Note that this parameter does not affect the Mesh preview.
Auto Reduction | prv_autoreduct – Enables automatic adjustment of theDetail Reduction parameter to improve display performance. The preview detail will be reduced up to a point where the preview will display fast without blocking the interface. Note that the detail will only decrease automatically, but will not increase.
Only if Selected | show_only_sel – When enabled, the viewport preview is only drawn if the Simulator is selected.
Active View Only | prv_avonly – When enabled, only the selected viewport shows the content of the Simulator.
Show Box | showgrid – Shows the bounding box of the Simulator. The green outline is drawn based on the settings in the Grid rollout while the red outline displays the bounds of the currently loaded cache file, if it exists.
Graph Cells | gridcells – Shows a lattice with the cell sizes on the sides of the Simulator's box or the Slice Preview.
Show Mesh | showmesh – When enabled, shows the implicit surface as a mesh. This mode overrides the Voxel Preview mode. Note that if Render Mode is set toOcean Mesh, the ocean will have lower detail in the preview than in the render in order to speed up the viewport display.
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Phoenix can only preview the channels present in the cache file for the current frame. To see the list of available channels and their ranges, go to the Cache File Content section of the Simulation rollout. You can also find more info on the Grid Channel Ranges page.
Only the Overlap Of: | prv_and – When enabled, shows only the cells where the following selected channels overlap.
Liquid| prv_temperature, prv_t_threshold, prv_t_threshold2, prv_t_color, prv_t_color2 – Enables the representation of the liquid channel.
Velocity| prv_velocity, prv_v_threshold, prv_v_threshold2, prv_v_color, prv_v_color2 – Enables the representation of the velocity channel.
Velocity Streamlines| viewVelStreamlines, viewVelStreamlinesThreshold, viewVelStreamlinesThreshold2, viewVelStreamlinesColor, viewVelStreamlinesColor2 – Traces the velocity field of the cache files to generate a streamline preview.
As Rainbow | viewVelStreamlinesColorCurve – Represents the Velocity Streamlines in rainbow colors.
Lines Length | viewVelStreamlinesMaxIterations – Signifies the maximum length of each streamline in the preview. Adjusting the value will provide you with a guide/preview of the velocity field's motion. The Line's length is measured in voxels and at the lowest setting, the Streamlines will be no larger than a voxel.
Viscosity | prv_viscosity, prv_visc_color1, prv_visc_color2, prv_visc_threshold1, prv_visc_threshold2 - Enables the representation of the viscosity channel.
Special|prv_smoke, prv_smoke_threshold, prv_smoke_threshold2, prv_smoke_color, prv_smoke_color2– Enables the representation of special channels.
Forces | prv_forces, prv_f_threshold, prv_f_threshold2, prv_f_color, prv_f_color2, prv_force_list – Enables preview of how Phoenix forces or standard 3ds Max forces will affect the simulation.
RGB| prv_uvw, prv_uvw_threshold, prv_uvw_threshold2 – Enables the representation of the RGB channel.
Auto Range | prv_autorange – When enabled, automatically adjusts the preview ranges of visible channels for the current frame so that important data is always visible and the preview is always quick.
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Using the Add or Remove buttons will allow you to select which forces will be previewed. Note that the force preview is exclusive with all other voxel channel previews and will override other voxel channels. Unlike other voxel preview channels which use the size of the loaded cache, the Forces preview can also work without a loaded cache and will use the grid size of the Simulator.
Additionally, some Phoenix and standard 3ds Max forces require the previous velocity at their acting position in the grid. This is not yet supported by the Forces preview. As a result, forces such as the Drag force are shown as if their velocity is always 0 and will not be visible. In addition, forces that act differently depending on the quantity of content in the grid (e.g. amount of liquid, smoke, or no content) are not yet supported by the preview.
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Particle Preview | prv_particles, prv_prt_name – Enables the preview of particles. The controls below affect the visualization of the currently selected particle group.
Show | show_prt_face – When enabled, the particle system will be visible in the Simulator's preview.
Preview Color | prv_prt_color_face – Specifies the default color of the particles. Moving particles are displayed as a blend between their default color and white, based on the selected Scale Color By channel. Note that if the particle system has an RGB channel exported, it will be used in place of the Preview Color.
Scale Color By |prv_prt_colscale_chan_face – Specifies the particle channel used for adjusting the particle preview color.
No Scaling – All particles will be the same color - the one specified by Preview Color
Speed– The faster the particles move, the whiter they will appear. The preview is only affected by the Scale Max option if the particle system has the Velocity channel export enabled.
Size– The larger the particles are, the whiter they will appear. The preview is only affected by the Scale Max option if the particle system has the Size channel export enabled.
Age– The older the particles are, the whiter they will appear. The preview is only affected by the Scale Max option if the particle system has the Age channel export enabled.
Viscosity– The higher the viscosity the particles, the whiter they will appear. The preview is only affected by the Scale Max option if the particle system has the Viscosity channel export enabled.
Scale Max | prv_prt_wspeed_face – When Autois disabled, allows you to specify a constant value at which the particle preview color becomes pure white. Particles with a Scale Color By channel value higher than the specified Scale Max are also pure white. You can also find more info about the usual particle channel maximum values on the Particle Channel Ranges page.
Auto| prv_prt_awspeed_face– When enabled, automatically calculates the preview White SpeedScale Max based on the Min/Max range of the selected Scale Color By channel particle channel, assuming the respective channel export has been enabled in the Output rollout for the selected particle system.
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Draw Just a Slice | prv_sect – When enabled, only a voxel-thick cross-section of the grid is visible. This works for voxels, particles, and velocity streamlines, but not for the GPU Preview or the Mesh Preview. It allows for a better view of occluded details and can help when previewing very rich data such as velocity fields, or in order to see underwater cavities.
Along Axis | prv_sect_axis – Specifies the axis along which the grid will be sliced.
Slice Level | prv_sect_lvl – Specifies the offset of the slice from the bottom center of the grid in voxels.
