Make an elegant fountain with Phoenix FD
Set up a flowing water simulation using Phoenix FD for 3ds Max and enhance your outdoor scenes
Enhance your outdoor scenes by mastering fluid sims
Fountains are an attractive addition to public areas, gardens or large courtyards, and in this tutorial we’ll learn how to create one for our 3D scenes. First, we are going to enter the model into the software, and then we will undertake the materialisation, construction and preparation of the model. Next we will build the volumes through which water needs to be thrown up or down.
The next step will be to enter into Phoenix FD and start simulating water. Finally, we will examine how to achieve a successful output from this plugin and render from the fountains in two modes.
Working with this specialised plugin can be a tricky thing to master, so I have tried to provide a detailed step by step so that even newcomers can discover how to get to grips with it.
01 UNIT SETUP AND MODELLING
To start each project in 3ds Max we first need to go to the unit setting, then we import the object on which we are going to simulate the fountain. We do not need to prepare the scene for rendering at this time. The techniques for working and preparing the model could easily be used for different types of fountain, such as a wall or even inside a pool. However, you should try to use a model that has a basin for water to flow into it after the simulation.
02 POLYGON ID FOR DIFFERENT SURFACES
We need to simulate geometry for the flowing water path. First, a cylinder is drawn. These cylinders should be placed so that they are exactly in the centre and must be at the angle at which water is to be thrown. Then we Convert to Poly and change the ID on the surface, inputting a different number from the other surfaces. Next we have to place the pivot in the centre of the stone volume and then get the Copy Instance as needed around the Z-axis. Finally, we need to attach all the cylinders.
03 WHY DO WE USE DIFFERENT IDS?
In reality the water pressure may be different in the pipes, so we need to do the same for the other components of this fountain. I used another cylinder in the centre; just
like before, we change its surface ID and give a different number to the previous cylinders.
You may be wondering, what is the reason for changing the ID of one level compared to other surfaces? Well, the main reason is that we are going to use that surface as an outlet where the cross-section is equal to the diameter of the water pipe outlet, and the water simulation is only supposed to occur from that surface after the simulation.
04 HOW TO PRODUCE THE WATER SIM
Now we need to produce water, so let's look at an important issue together. First of all, the threedimensional space in which the simulation is to be created, which must be chosen very carefully. We will use the Liquid Simulator tool, which is created by dragging in the suitable space. The second part is the source from which water is to be produced, which is done with the Liquid Source tool.
05 LIQUID SIMULATOR SETTINGS
The most important part of the Phoenix plugin is the Liquid Simulator section, which can define all the simulation settings.
In the Grid tab, we can adjust the resolution and dimensions and the overall size of the purple cube, which is the simulation area. The smaller the Cell Size, the more pixels you can use. Select the Increase Resolution icon, which is a set of presets ready to increase the quality. Be careful not to increase the resolution number too much.
06 WATER PROPERTIES
For our fountain, the Initial Fill option should not be checked, otherwise the entire space of the purple cube will be filled with water at the same time. The viscosity value must be zero because our fluid is water and for dilute fluids, this number must be low to ensure the correct fluid concentration.
07 LIQUID SOURCE SETTINGS
The emitter is the source of the liquid. Using the Add button, we can add different sources, but if we attach the cylinders as I said
before, we no longer need to add these several cylinders together. The next part is Outgoing Velocity, which regulates the speed of water output – the higher the number, the faster the water will throw from the source. The third part is Poly ID, in which we have to enter the same ID that we specified separately in the first steps. It should be noted that we must define a Liquid Source for each source with a different ID.
08 WHAT IS STEP PER FRAME?
As we know, frame specifications affect rendering time and quality of work. In the Dynamics tab, we have an option called Step Per Frame which, as its name suggests, simulates the number of frames we specify for each animation, to give us higher quality and resolution. Of course, higher values will increase the simulation time drastically, so I recommend that you set this number according to the hardware you have; I chose a value of 4.
09 EXPORT IN TWO MODES
After we have performed the simulation, the animation is ready. However, if you want to use it as a single shot, you have two options. In the first method, you need to put the frame bar in each frame that you think is suitable and prepare it for rendering.
You may wish to have it as a separate file, in which case I would suggest using the second method. In the Export tab, set it to Mesh mode. After creating the mesh, just put it on the Disable option again and use it in the scene, or save the Mesh file in OBJ or FBX formats.
10 FINAL RENDERING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Finally, when the simulation is done, you can use it in different scenes, which I have already prepared with the Forest plugin and using an HDRI to illuminate the scene, having assigned the water material to the mesh. Finally, I need to remind you that this technique of making a fountain applies to all fountain types, including wall or pool structures – just follow these same steps. •