OpenVDB Support in LuxCore: Current Status and Workflow?

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LensCraft
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2023 10:40 am

OpenVDB Support in LuxCore: Current Status and Workflow?

Post by LensCraft »

animation.gif
Hi everyone,

I’ve been exploring LuxCoreRender’s superior light transport, and I’m looking to bring some of my VDB-based effects over from Cycles.

As shown in the attached GIF (rendered in Cycles), I’m currently using OpenVDB files for smoke/volumetric effects. In Cycles, I simply use the Principled Volume node assigned to a domain. However, I’m struggling to find the equivalent workflow or node setup in LuxCore.

A few specific questions:

* Does LuxCore currently support the direct import of .vdb files (via Blender’s Volume object or otherwise)?
* If so, what does the node setup look like to map the VDB "density" or "temperature" grids to a LuxCore Volume?
* Should I be using the Heterogeneous volume type, and how do I "feed" the external VDB data into it?

I’ve downloaded some sample VDBs, like the ones from the OpenVDB repository, (https://jangafx.com/software/embergen/d ... animations), and while they work fine in Cycles, they appear empty or as solid boxes when I switch to LuxCore.

I'm using Blender 4.5.8 LTS with the BlendLuxCore-2.10.2 addon.

Any guidance or example node trees would be greatly appreciated!
CodeHD
Developer
Developer
Posts: 520
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 12:38 pm
Location: Germany

Re: OpenVDB Support in LuxCore: Current Status and Workflow?

Post by CodeHD »

Hello,

I don't personally have experience with VDB yet, but there is an open Issue on GitHub with a scene attached:
https://github.com/LuxCoreRender/BlendL ... issues/915

It is not a very recent file, but maybe it helps you.

If not, I suggest asking the community on Discord, you may find more VDB users there.
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