The raw microphone recordings are referred to as A-format, which are not yet usable for ambisonics. Then, the A-format channels are processed to obtain directional information that corresponds to the spherical harmonics, resulting in a B-format signal. This is the standard format used for ambisonics.
For 1st order ambisonics, the B-format has 4 channels, named W, X, Y and Z. The omnidirectional information is stored in channel W, while the information in the x, y and z directions is stored in the X, Y and Z channels. This already gives us a 3D description of the sound field, although somewhat blurred. 2nd order ambisonics would use 0th, 1st and 2nd order spherical harmonics, for a finer description of the sound field. However, it would require a more complex probe with at least 9 microphones.
Impulse responses in 1st order ambisonics B-format can be simulated in ODEON, or loaded into the measurement system. Then, having loaded a B-format impulse response, you can adjust the listening orientation within ODEON for the auralisation.
ODEON can also decode a B-format impulse response for a 2D surround system (that is, a surround setup that does not involve the vertical direction). You would only need to specify your surround setup within the software before generating the impulse response. For any other speaker configuration, you can still get the impulse response in B-format, but you would need to decode it yourself outside of ODEON.