This page contains information on getting started with Phoenix FD for Maya.
Page Contents
Overview
Phoenix FD uses Simulation objects in the scene to create fire and liquid effects. Several Quick Simulation buttons in the Phoenix FD Shelf can create these elements for you, with settings for common scenarios. You can also create these objects and helpers manually from the Phoenix FD Menu.
If you are just getting started with Phoenix FD, it is recommended that you use the Quick Simulation buttons and become familiar with the scene elements they create. As your experience with Phoenix FD increases, you will be in a better position to create these scene elements manually and set parameters appropriately.
Preparing a Simulation
To create a simulation, you'll need an object or objects to emit the fire or liquid, called emitters. Emitters can be ordinary Maya polygon objects.
For a liquid simulation of pouring liquid, you can also include a vessel to catch or deflect the liquid. For example, for a simulation of beer pouring into a glass, you'll need an object to represent the beer glass that will deflect and contain the falling liquid.
The examples below show wooden club object ready for burning, and a jar setup for water coming out of a spigot. For the fire setup, the club itself will be the emitter. For the water setup, a small planar object inside the spigot (not visible in the image) will emit the water, which will fall into the jar.
Wood club object
Spigot with jar object.
When possible, build emitters and vessels to real-world scale. Since Phoenix FD uses real-world calculations to create its effects, working with real-world units will make your work much easier.
By default, Phoenix FD assumes the World Y axis to be the "up" direction for the simulation. As in real life, fire will rise "up" due to its heat while liquid will flow "down" due to gravity unless otherwise specified. Building your emitters and vessels with regard to the default "up" direction will make it much easier to create simulations with Phoenix FD.
Fire Simulation
To create a fire simulation, select the object(s) you wish to burn and click the Fire sim Quick Simulation button on the Phoenix FD Shelf.
The Fire sim Quick Simulation button creates three objects in the scene and sets up their parameters for a fire simulation:
- PhoenixFDSimulator - A box-shaped object that represents the grid within which the simulation takes place. The grid shape encompasses the emitter objects and also leaves space above the objects for the fire to flow. This non-rendering object is required for the simulation.
- PhoenixFDSource - Labeled Fire in the viewport, this component associates the emitter(s) with the simulation. This object is required for the simulation.
- PhoenixFDTurbulence - Labeled Turbulence in the viewport, this force component creates turbulence in the simulation. This object is optional, and is added to the Quick Simulation setup to improve the results of the simulation.
Scene elements created by Fire sim Quick Simulation button
With all the scene elements in place, you can now run the simulation. See Running the Simulation below for the next steps.
Liquid Simulation
To create a liquid simulation, select the emitter object(s) and click the Tap Water sim Quick Simulation button on the Phoenix FD Shelf. Here, the small planar object inside the spigot is selected as the emitter.
The Liquid sim Quick Simulation button creates two objects in the scene and sets up their parameters for a liquid simulation:
- PhoenixFDSimulator - A box-shaped object that represents the grid within which the simulation takes place. The grid shape encompasses the emitter objects and also leaves space below the objects for the liquid to flow. This non-rendering object is required for the simulation.
- PhoenixFDLiquidSource - Labeled Liquid in the viewport, this component associates the emitter(s) with the simulation. This helper is required for the simulation.
In this case, the grid that was automatically created is not large enough to encompass a simulation of water flowing down into the jar. To increase the grid size, select the simulator grid and change the Width, Length, and Height parameters in the Grid rollout.
For objects that will contain or deflect the liquid, there is no need to select them as deflectors or collision objects. Phoenix FD will automatically detect them when the simulation is run, and will cause the liquid to react appropriately when it hits them.
Note: A liquid simulation uses geometry face normals to deflect and contain liquid, so any geometry that the liquid will hit needs to have its normals oriented to point away from the deflecting surface. If an object created with certain Maya tools such as the Revolve tool, it is not uncommon to find that the default normals point inside the vessel rather than outward from it. With such an object, the flow of the liquid won't be contained; the liquid will flow right through it.
Running the Simulation
Once all the necessary scene elements are in place, you can run the simulation to see the fire or liquid effects in action.
- Select the PhoenixFDSimulator object (shown in the images above as the magenta box around the emitter).
- In the Attribute Editor, locate the Stop Frame parameter in the Simulation rollout. Increase this value from 0 to a larger frame number such as 30.
- At the top of the Simulation rollout, click the Start button. The simulation will begin to run.
While running the simulation, you will see the fire or liquid flowing in the active viewport. If the simulation is not synced, switch the Viewport to the legacy render mode. The grid might expand beyond its original size to allow the effect to flow into a larger area. You can also select other objects and continue working on the scene while the simulation runs.
The wooden club object burning in viewport.
Liquid flowing in viewport.
In a liquid simulation, you will see the liquid particles react to gravity and also get deflected or contained by any scene geometry they encounter, such as the jar. This collision detection occurs by default, even though you have not specifically designated the jar geometry as a deflector or collision object.- If you wish to stop the simulation before it reaches the Stop Frame, select the PhoenixFDSimulator and click the Stop button in the Simulation rollout.
- When the simulation is complete, render the scene as usual. The simulated effects will appear in the rendering.
Fire sim result rendering
Liquid sim result rendering