Get started with FumeFX

1
Get started with FumeFX

Fume FX is the industry standard and most popular and very artist friendly Fluid
Dynamics plugin for 3Ds Max written by sitniSati ( http://www.afterworks.com/ ).

Here we will create a very simple image of burning teapot (kind of :) ).

Prerequisite: 3Ds Max, Fume Fx plugin (latest is version 2.1 but anything after ver
1.0 will do the job)

So,

Step 0. >> This is the most difficult stape, believe me.

Get Fume FX installed and activated and then 3ds max running :) . Rob it
steal it, do whatever you want... but get fumeFX with 3ds max installed in your
computer.

step 1. >> From Create panel create a Teapot. Dont make it very large. just a
moderate teapot.

Step 2. >> Give it a dark color material. (

2
Get started with FumeFX

Step 2.1>> press M or find and click on tool bar for material palette to
open up ,
step 2.2. >> If its very large (in max 2011) make it smaller by going to Modes >
compact Material Editor…

Step 2.3>> Click on one Material Swatch and drag it over our poor teapot to
assign that material to it.

3
Get started with FumeFX

4
Get started with FumeFX

Step 2.4 >> at the diffuse color palette give it a darker color.

) And we are done with our teapot. And here the fun starts… read on..

step 3>> Go to create panel and click on standard primitives drop down box and
select FumeFX. (if its not there then FumeFX is not installed Properly.)

5
Get started with FumeFX

Step 4 >> Now click on the Fume FX button under object type rollout.

step 5 >> Now draw the Fume FX grid (yellow Box) at the surroundings of the 3d
space where fire simulation will take place .

6
Get started with FumeFX

tip: See the little yellow box at the bottom left corner?
That is the visual representation of the unit of volumetric pixel of
the simulation. (3d fluid simulators work by creating lots of 3d
points in space known as volumetric pixels (or voxels) which behaves
according to physical laws and then while rendering , simulator
applies appropriate materials to them and then blurs them to create
the illusion of fire, smoke etc (oversimplified).

Step 6>> Now Select Helpers under Create

panel and at the standard drop down menu
select FumeFX.

Step 7>> Then Click on the object source button

under object type roll out.

7
Get started with FumeFX

Step 8 >> Create the object Source inside the grid.

8
Get started with FumeFX

step 9>> at the Modify Panel Under parameters rollout

click on Pick objects Hand icon and select the teapot.
By doing so we have successfully set the Teapot object
as the emitter.

Step 10 >> Select the FumeFX Grid and Click on Open FumeFX UI button (see
image below for details

9
Get started with FumeFX

):: This opens the central control panel of FumeFX. You will control almost all
simulation properties from here.

10
Get started with FumeFX

11
Get started with FumeFX

Step 11>> So first Go to Obj/Src > Pick objects > Select the “object Src” you
created.

Step 12 >> Go to General tab and Adjust spacing value to something like 1. this
value is directly related to the simulation resolution. Lower the value, Higher the
Resolution so Higher the simulation time.

12
Get started with FumeFX

tip: If at some point fumeFX UI disappeares , just select the FumeFX grid…and
stay under modify panel, It will come back .

Step 13 >> At simulation tab, options are pretty self explanatory… So here I am
giving the screen shots of my settings…

13
Get started with FumeFX

14
Get started with FumeFX

15
Get started with FumeFX

16
Get started with FumeFX

Step 14>>Now we will add an animated noise map to control the intensity. If you
have the latest version of fumeFX then you can use wavelet noise also to get nice
pattern / detail on fire.

For noise map, Press M to get the 3Ds Max Material Editor and from there press
Get Map button (see image below) and add a Noise Map.

At the FumeFX object source parameter panel Click on Fuel Map Selector and
select source from intensity.

17
Get started with FumeFX

Then, Drag the noise map to the button that says None and Make it instance ( see
image below.).

18
Get started with FumeFX

Step 15 >> Turn on Auto key. Put Time slider at frame zero.

19
Get started with FumeFX

Step 16>> Then go to Material editor noise Parameter , and do the following. For
size parameter: you have to play a little to get the desired value which will work
for you based on your object sizes. Setting size to 8 worked for me.

step 17>> Now put time slider to frame 100 and change the phase value to 3.0
(play to get exact value). Turn off Auto Key.

Now Hit Simulate.

Depending on your machine it can take anything between 5 minutes to 5 years. So

give yourself a break .

20
Get started with FumeFX

When simulation finishes

Turn on view fire channel
data at modify panel.

It will enable you to watch

the simulated voxels in

21
Get started with FumeFX

your viewport.

You can also turn on FumeFX’s real time preview window.

22
Get started with FumeFX

Step 18> > Now come to FumeFX UI rendering tab:

23
Get started with FumeFX

If you see a single color on fire color strip then right click on it and choose key
mode to set the colour as gradient. Here is the gradient I used:

24
Get started with FumeFX

And you are done… Now simply hit render setting… on toolbar and under
Common panel > assign renderer roll out choose Mental ray..

using mental ray with a moderate Final Gather ,

25
Get started with FumeFX

And finally get a nice looking Fire…

26
Get started with FumeFX

 well well well… look what have you done jonny… you burned the whole
teapot…. :)

PS.

Let me know how I can improvise this tutorial.

Shoot me your attitude at : [email protected] 

Hope you enjoyed and if you accidentally learn anything from it, please lemme
know.

27
Get started with FumeFX

With wishing you a happy fuming…. This is Shuvrodeep Dutta, signing out…. See
you soon.
BaBye.

Tuesday, 08 February 2011

28