Mask Channel

This export option is available for the RPC (RealFlow Particle Cache) and ABC (Alembic) file types.

  • The mask channel uses a bit to describe whether a particle is considered splash or foam.
  • When the bit is set to 9 then the particle is foam, otherwise it is a splash or bubble particle.

 

BIN files from standard SPH emitters also carry this bit:

  • When the bit is set to 12 them the particle has been added by the “Sheeter” daemon.
  • This way it is possible to separate the main body of fluid from freshly added particles.

 

The “Mask” channel is supported by RealFlow's “Graphs”, our node-based, visual programming engine, and Python. With the help of the “IntegerBitValue” node you are able to read out this bit value, create a mask to filter the particles, and shift them to individual emitters, for example. In Python, the mask bit can be accessed as follows:

 

maskId = HY_Bubbles01.getChannelId( "mask" )
mask = particle.getChannelValue( maskId )
isFoam = (mask&(1<<9)) != 0