FumeFX for 3ds Max
A powerful and versatile VFX solution for 3ds Max, built to enhance productivity and deliver exceptional results.
Multiphysics for 3ds Max
FumeFX is a multiphysics plug-in for 3ds Max that integrates GPU fluid dynamics with NodeWorks — a node-based system supporting GPU liquids, ocean, particles, rope, rigid body dynamics, cloth, soft body and inflatable dynamics, voxel grid manipulation, node-based access to FumeFX simulations and sources, character animation control and more.
With over 170 ready-to-use nodes, artists can create a completely new range of visual effects directly inside FumeFX, more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before. Direct support for Arnold points, splines, instances, volumes, custom channels and procedurals is built in.
Inside FumeFX
Seven modules. One integrated toolset.
Every module shares the same node-based framework, so fire, liquids, ocean, rigid bodies and cloth can all interact in a single simulation.
Fire & Smoke
NVIDIA CUDA accelerated fire, smoke and explosions with two-way rigid body coupling and native OpenVDB support.
Liquid
Fast, volume-preserving GPU liquids with foam, phases and ISurf meshing.
Ocean
GPU spectral ocean with foam, spray, boat wakes and buoyant two-way dynamics.
NodeWorks
Node-based multiphysics with over 170 ready-to-use nodes in 17 groups and built-in C# scripting.
Particles
PhysX rigid bodies, Voronoi fracture, swarms, splines and Alembic export.
Voxels
Direct voxel access, custom force fields and advection of millions of particles.
Cloth & Soft Body
Particle-based cloth, soft and inflatable bodies with precise tearing and plasticity.
New in 7.6
Faster solves. Editable caches.
FumeFX 7.6 introduces a Multigrid PCG pressure solver on CPU and GPU and a Post Load pipeline that up-reses and retimes caches as they load, while NodeWorks gets a rebuilt GPU ocean. Rendering gains a new multiple scattering algorithm, the GPU viewport is 10–20% faster and VDB export meets Unreal Engine 5 requirements.
As with previous releases, the subscription model ensures continuous development, delivering regular updates, refinements and new tools.
Multigrid PCG solver
A new pressure solver on CPU and GPU: up to twice the GPU speed of the previous PCG solver, with the biggest gains on the largest grids.
Caches you can keep editing
The Post Load pipeline adds Fast Up-Res and retiming as a cache loads — no re-simulating, no re-caching — with a RAM memory cache for interactive scrubbing.
Rebuilt NodeWorks Ocean
A GPU wake solver with Kelvin wakes, a 2D flow solver and Dyna Whitewater foam and bubbles, with large GPU speed-ups across the board.
Copyright Sitni Sati 2026.
Pipeline
Fits the tools you already use
Render directly with Arnold and Redshift, bring in OpenVDB caches from Houdini or EmberGen, and send NodeWorks results back out as Alembic.
- NVIDIA CUDA GPU simulation
- NVIDIA PhysX rigid bodies, liquids
- Arnold volumes, points, curves, instances
- Redshift direct volume rendering
- OpenVDB import from Houdini, EmberGen
- Alembic export to Houdini, Bifrost
- FStorm NodeWorks instances
- C# scripting with multithreading
Production proven
Trusted on blockbuster films and game cinematics
Over two decades of development FumeFX has become an integral part of major studio pipelines — from Dr. Strange, Thor and Roland Emmerich’s 2012 to game cinematics like StarCraft II, Assassin’s Creed Revelations and the Warhammer series.
- Blizzard
- Blur Studio
- Luma Pictures
- Pixomondo
- Iloura
- Hydraulx
- Mr. X
- Uncharted Territory
Showreel
Feature film and games reel
FumeFX has been used to create visual effects for blockbuster films such as Dr. Strange, Thor, Roland Emmerich’s 2012, Hugo, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Priest, Skyline, Sucker Punch, Spider-Man 3, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Superman Returns and Iron Man.
Game cinematics like Blizzard’s StarCraft II, Assassin’s Creed Revelations and the Warhammer series have relied on FumeFX to achieve stunning visuals.
Video clips courtesy of Blur Studio, Iloura, Hydraulx, Luma Pictures, Mr. X, Pixomondo, Ruairi Robinson and Uncharted Territory.
Testimonials
What the industry says
Fume FX is our goto package for all of our atmospheric needs. Fume's quality and speed are unparalleled in any other package. Our cinematics rely on Fume's ability to provide amazingly realistic, highly detailed, fantastic simulations which help bring Blizzard's worlds to life.
FumeFX's speed, usability and quality made it our tool of choice while working on “Thor”. Its cross platform API allowed us to create a suite of tools to visualize and render our simulations within Maya. This flexibility allowed us to utilize our existing lighting pipeline while integrating Fume into our studio.
Using FumeFX since version 1, I have watched it grow from something great to something truly amazing. Every project I use it on it proves itself more and more to be hands down the fastest and most economical fire/smoke solver out on the market.
Fume FX is already the industry standard in Hollywood for recreating realistic pyrotechnics such as fire, smoke and explosions and other atmospheric FX. It is used by many of the leading visual fx houses around the world for movie and game production.
FumeFX has been an essential part of our pipeline since it was first released. We rely on FumeFX to create everything from the most demanding fire and smoke simulations to more subtle atmospheric effects such as dust and sand.
FumeFX 2.0 is a huge step forward. The new post-processing features enable artists to re-time and add extra detail through wavelet turbulence greatly reducing the time needed to create simulation iterations. FumeFX 2.0 improves on a tool that was already best-in-class.
In our production, we are using Fume FX since version 1.0 and we found it to be highly reliable and optimized fluid simulation software. Not to mention that it's highly versatile and really enjoyable tool to work with.
FumeFX is an amazing plugin for fire and gas simulations. It works perfectly for us at the Calgary Fire Department. A lot of the fire fighters here have noticed how much more realistically the fire and smoke moves and how well it reacts to environments.
Interviews
Behind the shots
Supervisors and artists from leading studios on how FumeFX fits into their production pipelines.
Destruction and particle dynamics on 2012, Sucker Punch and Iron Man 3; FX lead and co-founder of Bottleship.
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Award-winning VFX TD on Avatar, Transformers 4, Star Trek – Into Darkness and COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey.
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The Santa Monica facility behind Thor, Captain America and the Underworld series on bringing FumeFX into Maya.
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Blur Studio's FX Supervisor on producing award-winning cinematics with FumeFX.
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From tradeshow graphics to feature film work for over 20 clients since 2009.
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How Luma put FumeFX for Maya and the Arnold shader through its paces on Marvel's films.
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Emmy award-winning FX artist and Autodesk Max Master on Star Trek, Transformers 3 and Looper.
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The creative studio on the FX work behind Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
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Simple, transparent licensing
Subscriptions include continuous development with regular updates, refinements and new tools.
Educational license: $95 for a one-year subscription — contact us.Volume discounts available.Prefer a local partner? Find a reseller.
FAQ
Licensing
What happens when my subscription expires?
Make sure to extend your subscription on time, as we do not automatically charge credit cards to extend a subscription.
Once your FumeFX 7 subscription expires you will be able to load and render caches, but you cannot run a simulation or access and change any parameter inside the user interface. The same rules apply for FumeFX and NodeWorks, while ISurf requires a license for rendering.
What will happen to my perpetual FumeFX 5 license when I buy a FumeFX 7 subscription?
Your FumeFX 5 perpetual license remains valid regardless of the FumeFX 7 subscription and you may continue to use it. However, FumeFX 5 is now an obsolete version and will not be updated.
Do you offer an educational license?
We do offer an educational license at $95 for a one-year subscription. It is available for high school or college students, staff members, schools and other educational or non-profit organisations.
Contact us if you wish to order an educational license. Volume discounts are available.
Try FumeFX free for 30 days
Download a trial for 3ds Max or Maya and see what FumeFX can do in your own scenes. Free access to the online documentation helps you get started.