Magic Pictures has announced Aquarius, a new plugin for 3ds Max capable of OpenVDB meshing, volume, particle editing, and creating simulations such as smoke, fire, liquid, and and other MPM-based effects.
The plugin features a node-based editor to construct OpenVDB-based features, including geometry and particle meshing, level set filters, and fluid simulations. Fluid simulations use CUDA GPU acceleration and a single license permits unlimited network fluid simulations.
Aquarius 1.0 is a renamed and much-improved version of AqMesher2. Customers who purchased AqMesher2 within the last year or who have an active Support & Maintenance plan for AqMesher2 can receive a free upgrade to Aquarius 1.0 by contacting Magic Pictures’ support.
An overview of the main nodes types give you sense of what’s possible:
- OpenVDB Control Nodes: These nodes include ParticleToLevelset, ObjectToLevelset, LevelsetToMesh, Smooth Filter, Erode/Dilate, reNormalize, Resample, Transform, Reset Transform, CSG, Fracture, Segment, Levelset Morph, Add Map, LOD, VDB Export, Visualize, and Grid Info.
- Input Nodes: Nodes like Bool, Int, Float, Vector, Random, VecToFloat, Object, Object Listbox, Geometry Obj, Geometry Listbox, Particles Obj, Particles Listbox, Prt File, Prt Listbox, VDB File, Curve Value, and Map Helper allow for a range of inputs to be incorporated into simulations.
- Grid Merge Nodes: Includes Grid Array Merge, Grid Array Split, and Particles Merge.
- Simulation Emitter Nodes: Features such as Grid Smoke Emitter, Grid Emitter Hub, Particle Emitter, and Particle Emitter Hub to facilitate the emission of various simulation elements.
- Simulation Force Nodes: These include Add Gravity, Add Force, Add Point Force, Add Turbulence, Add Wind, Add Vortex, Add Attractor, Add Drag Force, Add Normal Drag, Add Velocity Force, and Velocity Diffuse to simulate different forces within the environment.
- Simulation General Nodes: Nodes like Levelset Cache, Pressure Solver, Kill Plane, and Kill Field help in general simulation management.
- Grid Simulation Nodes: Includes Grid Smoke Solver, Grid Advection, Grid Smoke Terminal, and Wavelet Turbulence.
- FLIP Simulation Nodes: These nodes, such as PIC/FLIP Solver, Particle Advection, PIC/FLIP Terminal, Secondary Emitter, SecParticle Solver, and SecParticle Terminal, are used for fluid simulations.
- MPM Simulation Nodes: These are for simulating materials like snow, sand, and mud, and include nodes like Collision Material, Add Snow Material, Add Sand Material, Add Elastic Material, Add Mises Material, Add Liquid Material, Add Mud Material, Add NACC Material, MPM Solver, MPM Advection, and MPM Terminal.
- Math Nodes: A variety of mathematical operations can be conducted using nodes such as Arithmetic, Logic, Threshold, abs, min/max, sqrt, pow, Distance/Dot, Cross, exp, Pi/e, Trigonometric, log, and DegRad.
To learn more about Aquarius and its features, visit Magic Pictures’ website.
Probably on Japan things work differently, since they expect people to just go and buy the plugin at this ridiculous price, WITHOUT any trial or demo option first. Sheesh…
isnt lite version free ? https://magicpics-software.com/aquarius-1-0-lite/
The lite version is enough for test anything… you are wasting tears again without reason.
$385 for permanent license and unlimited network sim/render is too much for you?
I guess, you’re one of those exceptionally smart individuals who think everything should be free, and yet, you pay every year just to be able to open old scene files…
Amazing.
Simple: Some dudes confuse CGPress with CGPeers…????
What the hell are some people here complaining about, jusging from the videos alone this very well is the only plugin i have seen that does sand,snow and mud correctly in max comparable to those from houdini, no other plugin in max has been able to do this right not even tyflow. Its node based takes it up a notch and all this for a very reasonable price tag.
You are 100& WRONG!
cebas thinkingParticles do water, sand, fire, smoke, destruction and everything else.
Second, FumeFX 6.5 is on the way that also does what this does but to a lower price!
Wrong, quality of thinking particles sand doesn’t come xlose to what is shown in the video i have tried them all, only houdini outside a few other external tools did sand and snow convincingly well on the scale shown here.
You also forget thinking particles is still 900 usd subscription per year and fume fx is also expensive. I would rather settle with Phoenix fd plus tyflow in comparison to those two.
let be honest, tp and fume are tools from the past
The initial camera ridiculous jumps give the bad feeling they are to trying to trick you to not see the snow detail- or lack of it -. Why they did not let the camera still?
Yeah I was thinking same: motion blurred shakey video did look bad
lol that first camera shake costed them some low attention span customers.