...
You normally do not have to worry about the cache folder's content, because all data will be managed by RealFlow | Cinema 4D during simulation.
How do I get rid of my simulation files easily?
Click on the "Scene" object and open its "Cache" tab in Cinema 4D's "Attributes" manager. There you will find a "Remove Cache" button. You'll be asked to confirm your action, because it cannot be undone.
Will the cache files be overwritten when I hit "Cache Simulation" or "Cache Meshes" again?
Yes. We therefore recommend specifying new cache folders if you want to save different versions of a simulation.
My fluid/rigid/elastic containers and meshes have equal names. Does this affect caching?
Yes! All particle and mesh data will be written to the same files. This means that existing files will be overwritten again and again. To avoid overlapping or overwritten data, the simulated nodes must have unique names.
I'm using a shared cache folder for different scenes. Does this affect caching?
It's definitely better to use seperate cache folders for different scenes and even for different simulations of the same project. If you have to use a shared folder for whatever reason then you have to be careful with naming:
Always use unique and meaningful names, because otherwise already cached files will be overwritten!
Isn't there a way to specify a default cache folder?
...
In terms of simulation and read/write speed it definitely is a good idea to have a fast SSD drivesdrive, but these devices have a limited amount of bytes to be written – in in many cases something between 250 and 500 TB. Beyond this limit data can only be read, but no longer be written. If you consider that a large simulation can produce several gigabytes of data this lifespan is a serious thing to think about. We therefore recommend modern hard disk drives. They are slower, but much more reliable. But in the end this decision is completely up to you.
...
RealFlow | Cinema 4D stores information for hundreds of thousands or even millions of particles – and every particle requires a certain amount data for a correct simulation. This is simply the nature of simulations, esp. with huge amounts of particles. Meshes often consist of millions of polygons with vertex data and all that has to be stored somewhere as well. And the information has to be written for every frame, otherwise it's not possible to resume simulations, or create previews and renders, for example.
RFRealFlow | C4D Cinema 4D does certainly not write Terabytes, although several Gigabytes are absolutely normal for large simulations. But mass storage became very cheap over the last years. It'd be fantastic if we're able to magic away all this information, but we're not that far...
Why does my cached simulation look completely different than my current setup?
In Cinema 4D, scene elements can have identical names and so it is possible to have to "Fluid" containers with the exact same name.
...
.
...
.
...
.
...
What is the difference between the different Deformer Cache modes?
...
- A new duplicate of the geometry is generated every time the cache process is executed. Older simulations need to be removed manually if no longer necessary.
- The original object needs to be manually disabled after the caching process to avoid misunderstandings.
- Cinema 4D document size grows linearly with the number of simulated frames and the number of vertices of the deformed geometries.
Export File Sequence Pros
- Document size does not grow because of the cached information is saved outside the C4D file.
- Modifications are applied to the original objects.
- Caching process is similar to the rest of RealFlow nodes : Fluids (fluids, rigids, elastics, and meshes).
Export File Sequence Cons
...