Export Management

Owned by thomas (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 10 Aug, 2015
5 min read

RealFlow is capable of exporting a wide variety of different file formats. In most cases you do not have to care about these formats, because RealFlow will enable them automatically. Changes are normally only required if you want to write a certain format. If you want to change file formats there are two methods.

Export Central

RealFlow's → “Export Central” dialogue can be found under

Export > Export Central

 

All you have to do is to look for the appropriate node in the export tree:

  • Click on a node's “+” box and expand its export options.
  • Enable the formats you want to write. Some formats provide more options, e.g. a list of available channels.
  • More active formats might slow down the simulation process.
Cache Formats

Cache file formats are required by RealFlow to display the simulation data in the viewport, create → previews, or to resume a simulation after an interruption. An example:

  • Let's assume you simulate a standard particle “Circle” emitter.
  • Under “Export Central” you disable “Particle cache (.bin)” and enable “Alembic Scene Source (.ass)” for direct use with this render engine.
  • During simulation you will observe that the timeline bar does not turn orange. This orange bar indicates the simulation's progress and the already cached files. It is not possible to resume or replay the simulation.
  • The reason is that “Alembic Scene Source (.ass)” is not a RealFlow cache format – the ASS files are written, but cannot be read.

 




The Button Bar

The → buttons in the window's right area provide one-click actions if you have to manage export resources for a large number of objects. It is, for example, possible to (de-)activate the file formats for all imported objects at once.

You can also specify → “Alternative Paths...”. These paths will be used if the disk drive, specified under Preferences > General > Scenes Folder, is full. Then, the data will be written to these volumes and the simulation continues:

 

Alternative paths are specified with "Add Path".

 

The “Clean” button should be used with care, because it will remove the simulation files of the selected node. With “Open Folder” you can jump to the selected node's simulation directory directly.

Image Formats

Image formats have to be activated manually in most cases. We recommend checking if the desired format is enabled before the simulation is started. For displacement maps from Hybrido or RealWave you should always use a 16-bit format, e.g. EXR. With 8-bit formats it might happen that the waves will be clipped. In order to change the file format double-click on the entry in the “Option” column of “Export Central”:

 

Node-Specific Export

Every node in the → “Nodes” panel or the → “Relationship Editor” provides a right-click menu with an “Export” entry:

  • When you choose this entry you will see another menu showing the node's export resources.
  • Activate or deactivate a resource by clicking on it.
  • In order to disable or enable a node's export capabilities completely please use “Enable | Disable data export". This can also be done with the small disk icon in the “Nodes” window.



 

Export Now

The “Export now” feature is interesting if you have changed a simulation with RealFlow's → “Spreadsheet” feature or the → “Particle Selection” tool. An example:

  • During a simulation you have detected a few misbehaving particles.
  • You stop the simulation and go back to the frame where the particles start to misbehave.
  • With the “Particle selection” tool you mark and delete these particles.
  • Right-click on Nodes > emitter name > Export now... (see image above)
  • This action will confirm your changes and writes the current state to disk.
  • Now, the simulation can be resumed and your changes will be considered.

Saving Different Versions

RealFlow simulations require lots of tests and it is often necessary to save the intermediate results.

Renaming Nodes

A simple, yet effective, method is to rename the node you want to save in different versions:

  • Double-click on a node in the → “Nodes” panel to make it editable and enter a new name.
  • Simulate.
  • Make your changes, rename the node again, and perform another simulation.
  • If necessary, go to File > Open Project Folder... and check which files have been written.

 

In order to connect the simulation files of an older version to a node please follow these steps:

  • Rename the node and apply the name that matches the previous version.
  • Press Alt + U to update the timeline cache and make the files available.
  • If you work with particles it also also possible to load the files with a → “Particle Loader”. Here, renaming is not required.
Export Central Paths

Another method is to change a node's name under “Export Central”:

  • Open Export > Export Central
  • The entry in the “Name/Prefix” column can be edited. Double-click on it and enter a new name with every version.
  • The effect is the same as with the “Node Renaming” method, but here the node's name remains the same throughout all simulations.
  • In order to load a previously save version, the “Name/Prefix” has to reset accordingly. Then press Alt + U to make the files available.

 

 

Furthermore, you have the possibility of specifying a new simulation folder for every export resource individually:

  • Double-click on an entry under “Path” and enter a new path.
  • The $(SCENEDIR) variable tells you that the files will be written to a folder of the scene's main directory. Of course it is possible to substitute this variable through an absolute path or another, self-defined, environment variable.
  • If a folder does not exist it will be created when the simulation starts.