The Inferno Export operator can be used to export Inferno simulations to disk.
Export image sequence: renders the simulation to an image sequence.
The difference between “export image sequence” mode, and a regular viewport playblast, is that “export images” mode will export the raw Inferno volume buffer, excluding all other visible objects (which effectively converts any visible objects into proper alpha mattes) - a regular playblast is not able to render objects as alpha mattes against Inferno volumes like this.
Export flipbook: renders the simulation to a flipbook sprite sheet image.
Export volume data: exports simulation grid data to VDB or TYV files on disk.
Solver: data is exported directly from the live solver each frame.
Recall cache: data is exported from cached data stored by an Inferno Recall operator.
VDB: data is exported as OpenVDB files.
TYV: data is exported as tyFlow Volume (TYV) files, a native format which supports subframe data and faster I/O.
Three filename fields are shown, one for each source/format combination. The active field (highlighted) matches the current grid source and format selection.
Solver VDB filename: the output path for VDB files exported from the live solver.
Recall cache VDB filename: the output path for VDB files exported from the recall cache.
Recall cache TYV filename: the output path for TYV files exported from the recall cache.
Export subframes: when enabled, sub-frame data will be included in TYV exports. Only available when grid source is set to “Recall cache” and format is set to TYV.
Each channel can be enabled independently. When enabled, the corresponding simulation grid will be included in the export.
Y-up (LH): Y-axis up, left-handed.
Y-up (RH): Y-axis up, right-handed.
Z-up (LH): Z-axis up, left-handed.
Z-up (RH): Z-axis up, right-handed.
Density: when enabled, the density grid will be exported.
Temperature: when enabled, the temperature grid will be exported.
Units: when enabled, temperature values will be converted from the simulation’s internal normalized units into the specified unit system before export.
Bake display blur: when enabled, the temperature blur value configured in the Inferno Display operator will be baked into the exported temperature grid.
Fuel: when enabled, the fuel grid will be exported.
Color: when enabled, the color grid will be exported.
Velocity: when enabled, the velocity grid will be exported.
Emitter velocity: when enabled, emitter velocity data will also be exported.
Mask with density: when enabled, velocity values in voxels with zero density will be set to zero in the exported grid, resulting in potentially smaller VDB file sizes.
Flipbook export renders the simulation to a tiled sprite sheet image, suitable for use as a real-time flipbook texture in game engines or other applications.
Include glow: when enabled, the glow effect configured in the Inferno Display operator will be included in the rendered flipbook.
Progressive rendering: when enabled, each cell will be rendered progressively over multiple iterations rather than in a single pass.
Iterations: the number of progressive rendering iterations per cell.
Premultiplied alpha: when enabled, image alpha will be exported pre-multiplied. When disabled, image alpha will be exported straight.
Tone mapping: when enabled, tone mapping (if enabled in the corresponding Inferno Display operator) will be baked into the resulting images.
Enabling tone mapping during export will result in an image with a standard dynamic range (0-1), instead of a high dynamic range (0-1+). Tone mapping during export should be disabled if you want HDR images.
Images export renders the simulation as an image sequence, with a proper alpha channel.
Include glow: when enabled, the glow effect configured in the Inferno Display operator will be included in the rendered image sequence.
Override step size: when enabled, the step size configured in the Inferno Display operator (used to render the volumes in the viewport) will be overrides by the specified value. Smaller values will create fewer stepping artifacts where volumes intersect matte objects, at the cost of rendering performance.
Progressive rendering: when enabled, each frame will be rendered progressively over multiple iterations rather than in a single pass.
Iterations: the number of progressive rendering iterations per frame.
Premultiplied alpha: when enabled, image alpha will be exported pre-multiplied. When disabled, image alpha will be exported straight.
Tone mapping: when enabled, tone mapping (if enabled in the corresponding Inferno Display operator) will be baked into the resulting images.
Enabling tone mapping during export will result in an image with a standard dynamic range (0-1), instead of a high dynamic range (0-1+). Tone mapping during export should be disabled if you want HDR images.