Environment tab

Options on the Environmental tab control non-uniform atmospheric effects in beams.

Environment

Smoke Simulation

Beams can display non-uniform atmospheric effects in their beam cones.

• Smoke Density: Select this checkbox to display a non-uniform smoke suspension in the beam cone, which also enables Animate Smoke and Turbulence. Use the slider to change the density of the smoke.
• Animate Smoke: Select this checkbox to make the non-uniform smoke move, and then specify the direction and speed using the X, Y, Z sliders.

When the slider is in the middle at 0, smoke will not be animated in that axis. Move the slider off 0 to animate the smoke in that direction. The further away the slider is from 0, the faster the smoke will travel.

For example, to make the suspended smoke move in an upward direction to simulate a rising smoke effect, move the Z slider to the positive (right) side of 0, leaving the X and Y sliders at 0. To increase the speed at which the smoke is rising, move the slider further along on the positive scale.

• Turbulence: Select this checkbox to display atmospheric smoke effects and low-lying ground smoke or fog effects with irregular and turbulent flow.

Turbulence is enabled when Volumetric Mode is selected in the Quality section in the Simulation tab of the View Options window.

Turbulence is disabled when Enhanced Mode is selected in the Quality section in the Simulation tab of the View Options window.

Ground Smoke

• Enable Ground Smoke: Select this checkbox to display low-lying ground smoke or fog effect, and enable its properties for changes.
• Base Height: Specify the height of the horizontal bottom plane of the ground smoke from the floor of the drawing where Z coordinate is at 0.
• Height: Specify maximum height of the ground smoke when it rises from its horizontal bottom base.
• Variance: Use the slider to increase or decrease the maximum peaks and troughs of the ground smoke turbulence. You may type the value in the adjacent box. The ground smoke will be displayed without turbulence if the slider is set to the minimum at 0. The ground smoke turbulence will be displayed with maximum peaks and troughs when the slider is set to the maximum at 100.
• Intensity: Use the slider to increase or decrease the brightness of the ground smoke or fog. You may type the value in the adjacent box.
• Edge: Use the slider to show a softer or harder ground smoke edge. Increase the slider to show a more defined smoke edge. Decrease the slider to show a less defined and fuzzier outline of the smoke edge. You may type the value in the adjacent box. See below example images showing Ground Smoke Edge at 40 and at 75.