How to Import and Shade OpenVDB Simulations in Blender! | Cycles & Eevee

OpenVDB is a file format to store volumetric data like fire and smoke, clouds or water simulations. In this video Nik demonstrates how to use them in Blender by importing and shading an explosion. The file used in the video can be downloaded for free, if you want to follow along.
Free VDB Files: jangafx.com/software/embergen...
VDB Explosion Pack: gum.co/vdb-explosions
Embergen: jangafx.com/software/embergen/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:11 What is OpenVDB?
01:13 Import VDB Files
02:14 Correct Origin (Parent to Empty)
03:19 Object Data Properties
05:50 VDB Shading
09:47 Eevee Volumetric Settings
10:56 Outro
Video Instructor: Nik Kottmann
Instagram: / tawandakla
Our Website: blenderdaily.xyz/
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[@BlenderDaily]

I created an asset pack with 8 VDB explosions. Get it here: gum.co/vdb-explosions

[@georges8408]

that was the BEST video tutorial for VDB in Blender. Straight to the point. No useless bla bla bla, very good description of the parameters. Thank you so much !

[@BlenderDaily]

nice to hear, thanks George!

[@Andromeda4482]

To everyone who can't see the explosion in the viewport, it's becuase by defualt, the volumetric render distance is set to very low. In the render tab; click Volumetrics, set the end distance to something like 1000. It should become visible.

[@wernerbros8099]

Thank you Nik, that was an excellent intro into OpenVDB & Blender workflow.

[@BlenderDaily]

thank you!

[@mulanmiller5000]

Thanks Nick, very useful for a total beginner in VDB

[@ahmedalajeeli9240]

Your tutorials are so professional and useful, thank you very much and keep it up.

[@BlenderDaily]

thanks!

[@luku2601]

Hey, thank You! It was exactly what i was looking for. Great video. Verry helpful.

[@sasishaan]

This video was a life-saver! Thank you so so much!

[@hinlee252]

Thank you very much. I've been looking for a tutorial on VDB. In fact, there is no similar one in my country. I finally saw your video. I can understand it through the inaccurate translation of KZbin

[@lukastemberger]

Thank you! Very precise instructions

[@Hashirama_Sinju]

Thanks. You've demystified this topic for me. You got one more subscriber

[@BlenderDaily]

glad it was helpful!

[@Sixstring65adgmail]

Great job as usual! Finally know what Entrowhatever does in the Volume shader 😂

[@Sixstring65adgmail]

My simulation won't play. The play head advances, but the smoke stays the same. Any ideas?

[@limwang9993]

I appreciate it this tutorial so much!!!!!the flames don’t show bothered me a long damn time ty so much!!!!

[@pruephillip1338]

Good video, well done. Thank you.

[@warrenography]

That was very useful my friend, thanks! First, for reminding me of Embergen: when it came out I had a Mac, so I could not use it; soon I'm doing vfx for an action film so this is perfect timing. Second, for how to set up the shaders, as this is new to me.

[@Space-O-2001]

Finally! What a great video! I thought it was all just baked in and couldn't work out why I was just getting smoke - thank you! EDIT: Why would you not add the flames channel to Color attribute under the Principled Volume node?

[@bdragon254]

Thank you! This is really neat

[@BlenderDaily]

Glad you like it!

[@ageofgar]

Also for smoke turning on the Volumetric shadows in the scene>Volumetrics menu makes a huge difference in making the smoke look 3D and not flat (see the 10:20 minute mark)

[@zanderzwart8109]

you saved my life

[@thetechnicalmithilesh5849]

You are amazing 😊

[@gunnarbennemann7849]

fascinating :-o

[@Head-Gein]

thank you so much

[@emiliosr2978]

Cool!

[@jayven9690]

Thank you!

[@BlenderDaily]

cheers!

[@DanielPartzsch]

Cool. Is there a way to time remap the imported vdb sequence? Thank you

[@kromide3d]

Thanks BD for this tutorial. I tried it in EEVEE and see nothing. The same file works perfect and renders in CYCLES. Do you have any idea why this might be?

[@douglasloureiro5747]

Thanks a lot!

[@BlenderDaily]

No worries!

[@gdfmoon]

Thank you very very much

[@3drobot762]

How do I do to make the animation from the OpenVDB to start in a specific point of time ? I mean, like if I made a fire and I want it to start not from the begining but from where it already has a size in another animation?

[@filmyentity]

I have a doubt i did everything as you did but i am only able to see the explosions render (eeveee) when i am in Profile view normal viw i am not able to see render but in cycles its good

[@grizjan]

I'm trying to change the color of a simple VDB cloud as it shows up super dark/grey on the screen but when I try to change the color, it wont change..

[@suman-chatterjee]

thanks

[@dahnsenwahnsenyes]

Hello friends. Is there any chance to slow down the vdb without changing the frames per second ?

[@Silentnight1979]

Hey so when i switched back to eevee nothing shows in my viewport? Cycles works fine. But i couldnt follow along after you switched to eevee. Thanks by the way great vid. Really helped me out.

[@kurt54]

When i animating camera, render vdb-animation still static, but if camera dosen't move, vdb-animation works correctly. Is it glitch?

[@applesaus395]

How do I speed up explosions? or can I not?

[@rajarajanmanoharan]

So the problem I'm facing with Eevee is that I cannot see at a certain distance, only ver closeup. I tried playing with the clipping settings but is anybody else facing this issue?

[@WYZWYZ]

i'm having that issue too.

[@simonmaxstudios7490]

Just a quick question, How do you make the explosion still visible when your on the texture preview?

[@AlbertAguirre]

no one responds here

[@simonmaxstudios7490]

@@AlbertAguirre I can tell.

[@BOSSposes]

tried all that it will not hsow flames just grey smoke and in rendered mode its just a blocky black stack of moving boxes

[@heedkhan]

how should control this explosionin time line?

[@curiaproduction2.020]

hello I have a little problem, when I click on eevee you can't see anything anymore why?

[@AlbertAguirre]

blender daily @6:05 "Render preview does not give me the same results as the video. I do not see my VDB explosion. Render preview just makes it disappear HELP!

[@alexg.ang4814]

Thank you very much, I needed to do a simulation for a project and my pc is garbage

[@rhashadcarter2051]

Why didn’t you click enable volumetric shadows when doing the eeve settings ?

[@BlenderDaily]

because it didn't make any difference in my case. Just enable it and check if it makes any difference for you to decide whether you want to have it enabled or not:)

[@Artanium2011]

but what need to do if loaded vdb is invisible?

[@bibovskij9526]

Hi I have a problem, when I import an explosion I can’t see the flames (I’m doing every step correctly: flames- temperature-black body)

[@matthewcs490]

Me too. Only a little orange inside the smoke. And density does nothing. Just increases the blackness of the smoke. Using Blender 3.0 btw.

[@matthewcs490]

Just figured It out. I don't know how though! I just fiddled around with the settings and when I went back to the default, it worked. Play with the blackbody, the temp, and the density. The lower the density is, the more fire you will get. Does this help at all?

[@thefreshest2379]

No one's done a vid about this in such quality.

[@BlenderDaily]

thank you for the compliment!

[@miranrahim7313]

the vdb looks so bad in viewport how can i raise the resolution. its like pixel low quality

[@SnaMProd]

why everything on cycles tho :'( eevee renders so fast 😭. I do need 5mn for 500 frames render, but when it is cycles I need 2mn for 1 frame (I render in 120samples)

[@TheMrMurtag]

failed to load. could not get size of file

[@lilleave4554]

move the vdb folder to the root where the program is installed, for example, to program files, this error comes out because the blender does not like the path where you import vdb

[@keithmoon3190]

I cannot import the files! Help me!!

[@lilleave4554]

move the vdb folder to the root where the program is installed, for example, to program files, this error comes out because the blender does not like the path where you import vdb

[@vicsar]

00:11 Margot Robbie got me here.

[@kanohane]

I still can't see anything :(

[@denizcarta6805]

embergen upload to blender plss🍉🍉 i know there are already some totus but i prefer one of your clean totus

[@AlbertAguirre]

The first steps in this video fail in real life. Added VDB cannot see anything. Added shader cannot see anything