The “RealFlow” menu contains the following entries:
You typically start with an emitter to determine, where the fluid particles will be created. This action creates a “Scene” tree and a “Fluid” container. A “Daemon”, e.g. “Gravity”, introduces a force and accelerates the particles. These three elements, “Fluid”, “Emitter”, and “Daemon”, are everything you need for a simulation (see image under "Scene Tree" below).
In the next step, the simulation is refined, e.g. if you want to create a certain fluid type like water or honey. The “Fluid” container's parameters are used to adjust the fluid's properties.
Once you are satisfied you can add a mesh and finally, fluids and meshes are cashed cached to save your results .– these settings are shown when you click on the "Scene" group:
The number of emitters, fluid containers (different fluids cannot interact), and daemons per scene is not restricted and you can add as many of these elements as you want – or as you computer is able to handle.
The online manual's → "Parameter Reference" section explains every single scene elements and its settings.Here are some quick tips for your work with RealFlow | Cinema 4D.
Scene Tree
We recommend grouping all RealFlow | Cinema 4D elements under the “Scene” tree. This will not only help to keep your project clearly arranged, but will prevent you from problems as wellyou are free to place them outside the tree as well:
The groups are hierarchical: all visibility or enabled/disabled changes affect a group's children.
Naming
It is a good idea to either keep the names assigned by RealFlow | Cinema 4D, or use meaningful names for a scene's “Fluid” containers, e.g. “Water”, “Chocolate”, or “Oil”. Please avoid identical names, although they are supported by Cinema 4D:
- With identical names there is always a probability chance that simulation files are overwritten.
- You also might not be able to identify scene elements when a scene is reopened after a longer period of time.
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Simulating
- A simulation is triggered with a click on Cinema 4D's "Play" button in the timeline. Bear in mind that the simulation is not saved unless you → cache it.
- Viewport simulations cannot be replayed, but resumed as long as you do not go to another frame.
- We recommend using the F8 key to interrupt a simulation. With large particle counts the "Break/Pause" button might not react quick enough to stop the simulation process.