Overview
When Phoenix is installed, the Phoenix components will appear in different sections of the 3ds Max interface, including options found the Tools, Create, Modifiers, Rendering, and Phoenix menus. From these options, Phoenix components can be created. For advanced techniques, they can be accessed through MaxScript as well.
The Quick Simulation Setup buttons on the Phoenix toolbar can help you get started with using these components together.
Create Panel
In the Create → Geometry panel, under the PhoenixFD category:
- Particle Shader | PHXFoam – Shades particles such as splash, foam, mist, drag, etc. Can also be applied to a .prt sequence when using the PRT Reader.
- Fire Smoke Simulator | FireSmokeSim – Creates a simulator that produces realistic fire/smoke/explosion effects.
- Liquid Simulator | LiquidSim – Creates a simulator that produces realistic liquid effects.
- Active Body Solver — Specifies the scene geometry which will partake in the Active Bodies simulation.
In the Create → Helpers panel, under the PhoenixFD category:
- Fire Source | PHXSource – Contains parameters that describe the properties of the released fluid.
- Turbulence | PHXTurbulence – Adds turbulence / noise to a simulation.
- Mapper | PHXMapper – Allows textures to affect simulation grid channels.
- PRT Reader | PRTReader – Allows a .prt file sequence to be loaded and rendered with PHXFoam.
- Liquid Source | LiquidSrc – A simplified version of the Fire Source designed to be used with the Liquid Simulator.
- Follow Path | FollowPath – Provides a force that pushes a fluid along a spline curve.
- Plain Force | PlainForce – Provides a force that pushes a fluid in a direction. Used to produce a wind effect.
- Body Force | BodyForce – Creates a force towards or away from a geometry object that can be used for shaping a fluid.
- Wave Force | WaveForce – Produces waves inside a liquid simulator based on a texture. Best used in conjunction with the Phoenix FD Ocean Texture.
- Voxel Tuner – Uses custom logic constructed with Expression operators to directly affect the cells of the Phoenix FD Simulator.
- Particle Tuner – Uses custom logic constructed with Expression operators to directly affect the particles of the Phoenix FD Simulator.
Material Editor
In the Material Editor:
- Foam Texture | PhoenixFDFoamTex - Creates the effect of foam appearing at the crests of an ocean surface.
- Grid Texture | PhoenixFDGridTex - Exports a channel from a Phoenix simulator as a procedural texture.
- Ocean Texture | PhoenixFDOceanTex - An infinite non-cyclic procedural texture for displacing a water surface.
- Particle Texture | PhoenixFDParticleTex - A procedural texture calculated over a particle system.
Viewport Options
In the list of available extended views:
- Phoenix GPU Preview - Enables a real-time preview based on the volumetric shading settings of the Simulator. The preview closely resembles the final rendered result.
Quad Menu
Per-Node Properties when a scene object is selected
PRT Export when a Simulator is selected
In the quad menu with scene objects selected:
- Chaos Phoenix Properties - Allows per-node Phoenix properties.
In the quad menu with the simulator selected:
Chaos Phoenix Export PRT Particles - Converts and exports Phoenix particles (foam, splash, and drag).
Phoenix Menu
A new main menu option is added after Phoenix is installed to be able to access unique option or commands that are specific for Phoenix.
The Phoenix FD menu is used to access the following windows:
- Phoenix FD Preferences - Opens up the Chaos Phoenix Global Preferences window.
- Phoenix Backburner Simulation - Allows you to submit a Phoenix simulation to Autodesk Backburner.
- Phoenix Deadline Simulation - Allows you to submit a Phoenix simulation to Deadline.
- Get Example Scenes - Opens the Example Scenes page in the web browser. Allows users to download a variety of example scenes that were previously shipped with the Phoenix for 3ds Max installation.
- Chaos Phoenix Help - Opens the Phoenix for 3ds Max Help page.
- Credits and Copyrights - Opens a window that contains all Copyright Notices.
- About Chaos Phoenix - Opens a window with information pertaining to the currently installed Phoenix version.
Additional Windows
In the PFSource's Particle View window:
- Phoenix Force operator - Enables particles to participate in a fluid's motion.
- Phoenix Test operator - Checks the fluid in the particle's position.
- Phoenix Birth operator - Creates particles based on a fluid's parameters.
In the Environment and Effects window:
- Atmosphere Settings - Provides settings that affect all Phoenix simulators in a scene.