Quick Overview
RealFlow is the most popular commercially available fluid simulation software and has been used in countless productions and TV commercials.
If you are new to RealFlow we want to encourage you to read through the following chapters. There you will find helpful facts about the software, its components and how to set up a first project. You will also learn what lies behind the interplay between RealFlow's various applications and the exchange plugins for your 3D application. There are also many commercial and free training resources which will help you deepen your knowledge. The RealFlow website is your main source for information:
There you will find news of our latest developments, case studies from talented fluid artists, links to tips and tricks, as well as special offers and promotions to enhance your RealFlow pipeline.
With a little practice you will be able to create stunning fluid simulations, combine them with rigid or soft body simulations, render vast ocean surfaces with ultra-realistic cresting waves or flood entire cities with Hybrido, our large-scale fluid solver. If you get stuck you can contact our helpdesk or post your question on the Official RealFlow forum. We will be there for you.
As a stand-alone application for fluid and object dynamics our software is capable of simulating large-scale Hybrido fluids, highly detailed particles fluids, rigid and soft bodies and wave surfaces. In addition to these technologies, RealFlow also provides a broad range of built-in tools to influence and control the dynamics of fluids and objects – even as a post-process.
A frame from a simulation with RealFlow's new HyViscosity solver.
There are also powerful and easy-to-use interfaces for Python and C++. These extensions allow the user to write his own scripts and plugins to extend RealFlow's functionality. Furthermore, RealFlow includes tools to create previews (including an option to generate previews in the background using Maxwell Render), retime simulations, crack solid objects into pieces and an editor for animation curves, combined with a powerful expression engine. Other features include: graphical editors to quickly establish and manage interactions between the various objects and emitters of a scene, and editors for visual programming.
RealFlow Graphs - A powerful visual programming environment.
We have also added functions to enhance your workflow, for example the “Layer” editor. This useful tool allows you to group and manage large numbers of objects with just a few clicks. An internal help system always gives you detailed information about parameters and settings. A “Job Manager” application provides access to your current network simulations.
RealFlow supports a wide variety of different data formats that can be processed by external tools and plugins. These exchange plugins are used to load and export geometry, fluid and motion data from RealFlow to your 3D program and vice versa. The main data formats are even laid open and documented: with this information it is possible to write your own I/O applications.
RealFlow's pipeline explained: from simulation data to the final render.
All these elements are part of a fully customizable layout that can be changed and adopted to your own specific needs.
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