---
title: "Grid Channel Ranges"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/PHX4MAX/125083219/Grid%20Channel%20Ranges"
format: markdown
---
<span style="color: #1c1e21">Phoenix can simulate a number of different grid channels. Grid channels are the values contained in each of the voxels in the simulation grid, such as Smoke, Temperature, Liquid, Velocity, RGB, etc.</span>

<span style="color: #1c1e21">These grid channels can be loaded from cache files simulated with Phoenix's own solver, or can be imported from cache files coming from other software.</span>

<span style="color: #1c1e21">Phoenix's own grid channels have different ranges depending on the kind of channel, so when you use them in rendering for shading or during simulation for masking, it is good to be aware what are the minimal and maximal values a grid channel can have.</span>

- <span style="color: #1c1e21">Phoenix </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**Smoke**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> usually goes from </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**0**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">-</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**1**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">; The Phoenix </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">[Source ](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PHX4MAX/pages/124528247)</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">won't stop you from emitting Smoke above 1 and it would look thicker in rendering, but you could also do the same using the </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">[Volumetric options](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PHX4MAX/pages/125056277)</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">.</span>
- <span style="color: #1c1e21">**Fuel**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> goes from </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**0**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">-</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**1**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">; Fuel above 1 would not be able to ignite - check the </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">[Fuel rollout info](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PHX4MAX/pages/125312149)</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">.</span>
- <span style="color: #1c1e21">**Temperature**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> is in Kelvins, so it often goes from </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**300**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">-</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**2000**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">, or up to a few thousand; If you simulate cold smoke, it can drop below 300, but never below 0.</span>
- <span style="color: #1c1e21">**Speed**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> is in Voxels/sec, so it depends on the grid size and resolution, but usually goes from </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**0**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> to several hundred. Note that Velocity is a vector, while Speed is just a scalar number. Velocity has direction and length, while Speed is just the length with no direction.</span>

<span style="color: #1c1e21">Data from simulators in other software often differs a lot from Phoenix ranges. If you are importing a foreign cache file, you can find out the grid channel ranges under the </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">[Simulation rollout](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PHX4MAX/pages/125084848)</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">, in the Cache File Content box.</span>


<span style="color: #1c1e21">The numbers after the channel name are the minimum and maximum value of that channel in the grid for the current timeline frame. The ranges can change as you scroll the timeline as the temperature in a cache file rises, smoke dissipates, speed changes, etc., so keep in mind that the data range for one frame might not be representative for the entire cache sequence.</span>

<span style="color: #1c1e21">If you want to study the cache and find which are the voxels where the channels have highest or lowest values, or if you are interested which voxels fit in a certain range, you can use the </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">[Voxel Preview](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PHX4MAX/pages/125279754)</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> to find out. Next to each Grid Channel there are two fields with the maximum and minimum value that will be shown in the viewport. Voxels which have channel values less than the minimum will not be shown, and voxels with values larger than the maximum will not be shown either. By default, </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**Auto Range**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21"> is enabled and Phoenix would automatically figure out what range to show so you would get useful viewport preview. When you want to examine the cache, turn off </span><span style="color: #1c1e21">**Auto Range**</span><span style="color: #1c1e21">, turn off unwanted grid channels and you will be able to adjust the minimum and maximum values visible in the viewport.</span>

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