Program Settings

This chapter describes how to configure general program settings, linear size settings, paste settings, Fenix Server connection settings, and etc.

General settings

To change the general settings, click Settings | Program Settings.

FDS Settings

{width=80%}

To perform fire dynamics simulation, it is necessary to configure FDS settings.

When you start Fenix+ 3 Classic for the first time, the program initializes parameters, which are necessary for the operation of FDS, and determines the location of FDS executable files.

In case Fenix+ 3 Classic is not installed in the default location, the program can assign incorrect values to FDS parameters. Therefore, before you start to perform fire dynamics simulation, it is recommended to check FDS parameters and, if necessary, edit desired values. For this, select Settings | Program settings | FDS settings.

Description of FDS parameters:

• fds.exe — path to the FDS executable file.

The program uses this executable file for running simulation in both singlethreaded and multithreaded modes.

• smokeview.exe — path to the Smokeview executable file (necessary to visualize the calculation results).

• mpiexec.exe — path to the MPICH2 library executable file (the program uses this file to run fire dynamics simylation in multithreaded mode (see Setting Fire Dynamics Simulation Parameters).

If some parameters values are not initialized, then you can configure them manually. For this, click the Select button next to the desired parameter and specify the location of the corresponding file.

Moreover, you may also need to add these files to the exclusion list of the Windows firewall and installed anti-virus program. For this, you can either start the firewall and manually create a rule for them or allow them through Windows Firewall when you first run fire dynamics simulation in multithreaded mode.

Fire results presentation

{width=80%}

When you view fire dynamics simulation results in the graph form, the program can display data in different ways.

If similar dangerous fire factors are selected (for example, temperature or visibility), the program can display either their actual values or their values in comparison to the critical value. In the first case, the graph displays actual values of the selected fire factor, and the red line shows its critical value. In the second case, values of the selected dangerous fire factor are displayed in comparison to the critical value, which equals to “1”.

To display actual values of the seclected dangerous fire factor, select the Actual option.

To display values in comparison to the critical value, select the Reduced to critical value option.

When you select different dangerous fire factors (for example, temperature and visibility), values are always displayed in comparison to the critical value (for more information, see Fire Dynamics Simulation Results).

You can also select the desired graph display mode. The following options are available:

• Point;

• Line.

You can use the following presentations for the fields of dangerous fire factors:

• Continuous gradient - this type of field represents an image where the color of each point corresponds to a certain value of the dangerous fire factor. All values of the dangerous fire factor that exceed the critical value are indicated in red. Initial (safe) values ​​of the dangerous fire factor are displayed in blue. All colors that are used in the image along with the top and bottom boundaries of the range of displayed values ​​are presented on the scale next to the image.

• Discrete intervals (selected by default) - this type of field represents an image where different value ranges of the dangerous fire factor ​​are indicated by different colors without a gradient. The critical value corresponds to the boundary at which the transition occurs between the intervals where the dangerous fire factor exceeds and does not exceed the critical value. All colors that are used in the image, as well as value ranges that correspond to these colors, are presented on the scale next to the image.

{width=80%}

{width=80%}

Project Check Settings

{width=80%}

In the project check settings, you can specify what verification procedures the program will perform.

By default, all verification procedures are enabled. The program perfoms them before running evacuation and fire dynamics simulation. If necessary, you can manually disable some verification procedures. Verification peocedures with red-colored names cannot be disabled.

Regardless of whether the project verification procedures are enabled, the program will automatically check for critical errors before performing fire dynamics simulation. If you also want the program to checks for possible errors, you can enable corresponding verification procedures.

When you hover the mouse pointer over the name of a verification procedure, the program will automatically display its description.

To save changes, click Apply.

Save changes automatically

If the Save changes automatically option is selected, then Fenix+ 3 Classic will save project automatically at a specified time interval.

{width=80%}

The program may need some time to save a large project. During this time, you cannot work with the project. Therefore, when you work with large projects, it is not recommended to specify a short autosave interval.

Text

{width=80%}

In Fenix+ 3 Classic, there are two display modes for text:

1. Fixed size on screen (used by default). Regardless of the scale of the scene, the text size on screen (in pixels) is always fixed.
2. Fixed size in the world coordinate system. The text size in the world coordinate system is fixed, but the text size on screen is different based on the scale of the scene.

Depending on the selected option, the program can use the text size parameter differently (for more information, see Text).

If the first option is selected, the program uses a “traditional” font size, which is used in text editors. If the second option is selected, the program uses the maximum height of font characters in meters.

The default text size is specified in the field next to the name of the corresponding mode. This size is also used in reports (i.e., to display names of registering devices. For more information, see Images).

Since you select the text display mode in the program settings, when you open the same project on different computers, the text size on screen can be different. This happens because a different text display mode is selected on each computer.

Updates

{width=80%}

If the Check for updates automatically at startup option is selected, every time you start the program, it checks whether a new version is available for download. If your Internet connection is slow, do not select this option to save time at the program startup.

Linear Size Settings

In the Fenix+ 3 Classic, you can configure linear size settings. For this, click Settings | Linear sizes. As a result, the following window will open.

You can configure the following options:

• Linear size and text line color and width;

• Linear size number color;

• Measurement unit.

To save changes, click Apply.

Object Paste Settings

To set up object paste settings in the program, click Tools | Settings. As a result, the following window will open.

{width=70%}

In the Fenix+ 3 Classic, there are two modes for pasting objects on the scene:

1. At the center of the scene editor - when you paste objects, they are placed in the center of the scene.
2. With offset - when you paste objects, they are placed on the scene with an offset along the X, Y, and Z axes relative to the position of the original objects. You can specify the offset for each axis in the corresponding field.

When you paste walls from one floor to another, you can adjust their height in accordance with the height of the target floor. For this, select the Adjust the height of walls to the ceiling level option. If the height of the wall differs from the height of the floor, from which you copy it, then the height adjustment does not work.

To save changes, click Apply.

Fenix Server Connection Settings

To configure connection to Fenix Server, use the control elements located on the left side of the Simulation tab.

To add a new connection, do the following:

1. Click Add.

2. If necessary, edit the default connection name in the opened window.

{width=60%}

3. Specify the host computer in accordance with the following recommendations:

• If Fenix Server is installed on your workstation, use the following address: 127.0.0.1.

• If Fenix Server is installed on a local network computer, enter the IP address of the corresponding computer.

• If Fenix Server is installed on a remote server, enter the ip address of the remote server. If you do not know the ip address of the remote server, contact your system administrator.

4. Click OK.

5. In the next window, enter your username and password for Fenix Server.

5. To complete the setup, click OK.

As a result, a new connection will be created.

Program displays detailed information on computing resources and current load for every connection you create.

You can use more than one Fenix Server to perform evacuation and fire dynamics simulations. In this case, you should configure a separate connection for each Fenix Server you plan to use.

To create a connection for another Fenix Server, click Add and repeat the preceeding procedure.

To edit connection settings, select the name of the desired connection, click Parameters and change the necessary values.

To delete a connection, select the name of the desired connection and click Delete .

If there is no need to use external resources to perform simulation, you can make the connection inactive. For this, select the name of the desired connection, click Parameters and clear the Use for simulation option.

Program Language

To change program language, click Settings | Language and select the desired language. The changes will take affect after program restart.