Phoenix FD creeping in, like a virus, to non-Phoenix FD scenes

[elyptic]

I seriously don't know how to explain this better, but after a while working in MAX, generally on materials, I'll notice in my Select from scene dialog that there are two familiar objects back in my scene. Not initally, but after opening materials and saving them etc.

Geometry: Beachshore_Render_Gizmo
and
Geometry: PG[WetMap] of system [PhoenixFDLiquid001] <- hidden object shown in italics

I have saved out a MaxStart.max with a V-Ray Sun and V-Ray Plane, super basic scene, so I can build my materials as usual. I have to unhide the PG so I can delete them both. I reset my scene, and double check that they are gone, and they are gone for now.

I think it's all in my head and that it must be hidden in my MaxStart but it isn't. I can't even tell you how to replicate the problem because I don't know at what point they show up again.

Has this happened to anyone else?

UPDATE: OK I've found out when it happens, anyways. In my scene there is a blank Layer called Phoenix FD. No objects or anything in it, completely empty, I don't even remember creating it. When I open the Material Browser, I watch the layer get a plus symbol added to it (i.e. adding new items to the Layer) and then I look and see those new Phoenix Geometries have been added to the scene.

SO I then closed and reopened MAX, and opened one of the default shipping scenes from pre-Phoenix days. Opening a new scene should destroy all layer and scene content, right? Well it didn't, I opened the material / Map browser for a moment than went back to the scene, and there they are again!

UPDATE 2: I deleted the empty layer and re-saved a new MaxStart.max file over the old one. Checked file sizes and dates to make sure it was a new file. Closed Max, made sure there were no orphaned 3dsmax.exe instances running, and opened it again. This new scene has no Phoenix FD layer at all, so I think I'm safe. Open the material editor, still no new layer. Click Get Material... and there it is again. New layer 'Phoenix FD' created, filled with those two bloody objects.

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

That's a very colorful description

Phoenix does not create any layers though. The "PG[name of the particle system] of [name of the simulator]" are objects that represent the particle systems of a Phoenix simulator that existed in the scene - these are created for foam, splash, wetmap, etc. If you have those, you most probably had a Phoenix simulator and deleted it. These are used so that a 3rd party plugin can pick one of them and work only over a certain Phoenix particle system instead of all Phoenix particles at once.

Hope this helps resolve this little mystery

Cheers,

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Is there any chance you could send this scene over so I can try to reproduce it? If I understand correctly, creating a brand new scene from scratch with a V-Ray sun and V-Ray plane, saving it, opening it again in a new max instance and doing Get Material in the compact material editor would reproduce it? Would it be possible to share the versions of V-Ray, Phoenix and 3ds Max you are using?

[elyptic]

That is exactly what I'm saying. Once I use the Get Material... button, the layer is created and the hidden objects inserted.

In fact you don't have to do anything from a new scene, outside of opening the material / map browser, it will happen immediately.

Versions are 3DSMAX 2014 SP6 64-bit, V-Ray 3.5 release, Phoenix FD 3.02 nightly 27243

Is it possible to have geometry like this embedded in a material library somehow? I will send the scene in but I don't think it'll matter; you can open any default shipping scene and the same thing will happen.

[elyptic]

I think I just answered my own question! The scene beach_waves.max was open as one of the material libraries, as I was using that water material in a scene. I open the material browser, and closed that material library, I re-saved my MaxStart.max file.
Closed max, restarted it, hit the material browser and voila - no more hidden Phoenix items.

Lesson learned: remove your MAX files from your material browser before saving!

[flipbook]

Haha yea I used to get this a lot with the exact same steps as you. The beach gizmo popped up everywhere Doing what you said works

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Wow, this is Some side effect :O ! Will check if there is a way to understand that the scene is referenced through the library...