More information: I am using Vray Next!
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Hang on, we’re recording a video for you…
Thanks guys.
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There you go:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16feV\_9n9d5X\_e1EqaowyVjxfc7S-f-Bj/view?usp=sharing
Hope that video would help you!
1. Delete the already attached grid texture
2. Add new Particle tex
3. Attach it to the three nodes
4. Add the PhoenixFD stage 2 simulator and select the particle system
5. Check Color from particle Channel and select RGB. Set Color Intensity to 2.0
6. Add Material #196 to the PhoenixFD stage 2 sim.
7.Render
Okay, here is the video from a different drive: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJFty6ntPicN\_-eHnDRE5QfCLU9uHcLB
Hold on, I have a guess as to what may be happening. I will check with the official 3.11 version and see if it is what I’m thinking…
I just downloaded the latest nightly as well. It’s like you have reverted that functionality back to an old version or something?
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Nope.
Does it work for you with the latest nightly though?
No. It will not let me select that particle system. Neither the last official version or the latest nightly.
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Here is my scene again, you have the sim files.
I would be interested if you could just make the changes and save the file and see if I can even load it up properly.
I have done everything in the video - I understand it quite clearly, it’s just not working.
I know you guys don’t like to fix files - but this is clearly not just a problem solving issues, it’s become a bug fix.
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Okay, then try this:
1. Under the (default) layer, delete all 5 “PG […] of system […]” nodes.
2. Create a dummy Standard max material and assign it to “PhoenixFD stage 2”
3. Go to the Particle Texture and pick “PhoenixFD stage 2”. You should get a popup that allows you to select “PG of system […]”
4. Just now assign the yellow sss to “PhoenixFD stage 2”
Doing it now, but there are 6 not 5.
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That way it’s hacky though, and I think you might lose the motion blur in the Phoenix mesh, so another workaround would be:
1. Clone “PhoenixFD stage 2” as a Copy via the right-click menu so that it remains at the exact same position as the original.
2. Make it non-renderable or hide it.
3. From its Input rollout, set the cache path to:
$(same_as_output) PhoenixFD stage 2
4. Assign a Standard material to the copy.
5. From the Particle Texture, pick the copy. You should get a popup that allows you to select “PG of system [PhoenixFD stage 003]”
6. Assign the yellow sss to “PhoenixFD stage 2”
I figured out why the circular reference happens, but the quickest way you can work around it is this one.
Please ping me if there are still any issues.
It seems to be working though, just doing as quick and dirty render to check - but I’m getting colour, and not just yellow!
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… and here is the modified scene: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Kk\_h1MURSCFTlcobR886qg33VhEp\_CEd
you just need to select the caches again
Right it all seems to be working - thanks for your extra time and effort in helping me!
Hey,
This was a nasty random issue so I hope we were not too late! On some PCs it did occur very rarely, but on others it hit all the time.
I hope we’ll have the opportunity to change the node type of the hidden PG nodes as they were the reason so these issues, and there’s a list of other issues they are causing as well. The Maya implementation already approaches them in a different manner, but when we change these for 3ds Max, we have to be careful not to break old scenes so it would be tedious. And implementing the reconstruction of the grid RGB channel when retiming is also needed, so that you’ll be able to use the grid tex instead of the particle tex…
Cheers!
Client response:
“First class job again as always.”
Not quite sure about that, but they are happy and that is al that counts! 
Hooray!