Command Line Simulations

Owned by thomas (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 23 Jun, 2015
3 min read

RealFlow's command line is a convenient method to accelerate the simulation process. Typically, simulations are 30% faster with this method. The command line version can be triggered manually via a terminal application, but it is more convenient to do that from RealFlow's GUI version directly:

 

 

 

  • Prepare the scene and make it simulation-ready.
  • Right-click on the small triangle next to the “Simulate” button and choose “Command line”. The “Simulate” button changes and now carries an icon.
  • Click on “Simulate” to trigger the command line version.
  • A terminal window appears with information about the simulation's progress (see example below).
  • Keep RealFlow's GUI version open.




Of course, the simulation currently running has to be checked and evaluated from time to time:

  • Return to RealFlow's GUI version
  • Press Alt + U to update the already simulated parts – these frames are displayed in orange.
  • Move the timeline slider to the desired frame to see the result.

Interrupting and Resuming Simulations

Command line simulations cannot be interrupted and resumed in the same way as GUI simulations – they are terminated and triggered again:

  • Close the terminal window to abort the running simulation.
  • Return to RealFlow's GUI version and update the timeline cache with Alt + U.
  • Right-click on the small triangle next to the “Simulate” button and choose “Command line options...”
  • Deactivate “Same as scene”
  • To be on the safe side, enter the number of the next to last simulated frame under “Frame begin”
  • Activate “Use cache”.
  • Close the window and click on “Simulate”. The new simulation will start from the entered frame.



Meshing

It is not only possible to complete simulation tasks, but also to create meshes via the command line:

  • Make all necessary mesh adjustments.
  • Right-click on the small triangle next to the “Simulate” button and choose “Command line options...”
  • Activate “Mesh” (see image below).
  • Close the window and click on “Simulate”. The meshing process starts in a terminal window.



Maxwell Render Previews

Even Maxwell Render jobs can be done with the command line version:

 

  • Prepare the scene and make it render-ready (apply materials, set visibility etc.).
  • There must be a → “Camera” node (Display shelf > Camera), otherwise the render will not be started.
  • Switch to camera mode with the 5 key.
  • Display shelf > Maxwell Scene Preferences
  • Adjust lighting, quality, engine, sampling level etc.
  • Display shelf > Send to Maxwell Command Line
  • A terminal window appears and the render process starts.


You can monitor the render process with RealFlow's → “Movie Player” and see the completed images:

  • Layout > Movie Player
  • Click on the folder icon and load one of the images.
  • The player will assemble an animation and shows it in the canvas.