RealFlow is a fluid and dynamics simulation tool for the 3D and visual effects industry, developed by Next Limit Technologies in Madrid, Spain. This stand-alone application can be used in conjunction with other 3D programs to simulate fluids, water surfaces, fluid-solid interactions, rigid bodies, soft bodies and meshes. In 2008, Next Limit Technologies was awarded a Technical Achievement Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their development of the RealFlow software and its contribution to the production of motion pictures.[1] In 2015, Next Limit Technologies announced the release of RealFlow Core for Cinema 4D.[2]
Overview
RealFlow technology uses particle based simulations.[3] These particles can be influenced in various ways by point-based nodes (daemons) which can do various tasks such as simulate gravity or recreate the vortex-like motion of a tornado. RealFlow can also simulate soft and rigid body collisions and interactions. The inclusion of Python scripting and C++ plug-ins allows users to program their own tools to improve RealFlow capabilities, adding control to most aspects of the RealFlow workflow including batch runs, events, daemons, waves, and fluids.
The RealFlow Renderkit (RFRK)[4] is a set of tools designed to facilitate the rendering of fluids. The RFRK enables the generation of procedural geometry at render time and the rendering of individual fluid particles. With this interface, fluids can also be rendered as foam and spray.[5]
On July 30, 2015, RealFlow 2015 was released to the public. The main features in this major release include:
An increase in the quality of simulations.
New DYVERSO solvers and GPU acceleration.
Direct-to-render feature using Maxwell Render.
Enhanced User Interface
More controllabitlity: new splines nodes, text tools, daemons falloff, crown daemon, and spreadsheets
DYVERSO solvers and rapid OpenVDB meshing speed up simulation times by 10x.
Plug-ins
RFConnect
RFConnect is a connectivity plugin between standalone RealFlow and DCC applications. The plugin is a successor of RF Connectivity and RF RenderKit (RFRK). The plugin supports following DCC applications: 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, and Houdini. The plugin is also available for Lightwave and Softimage but the development is currently not active.
RFCore
RFCore is a plugin for bringing RealFlow functionality to the DCC applications. The plugin supports following DCC applications: 3ds Max, Maya, and Cinema 4D.
Third-party plug-in developers
Next Limit lists three 3rd party plugins for Wetwork, IoSim, and V-Motion.[6]
Version history
1998
RealFlow 1.0 RealWave 1.0 RealFlow 1.2
1999
RealFlow 1.3
2000
RealWave 2.0
2001
RealFlow 2.0
2002
RealFlow 2.5
2004
RealFlow 3.0
2006
RealFlow 4.0
2010
RealFlow 5.0
2012
RealFlow 2012
2013
RealFlow 2013
2014
RealFlow 2014
2015
RealFlow 2015
2016
Cinema4D
2017
Cinema4D 2.0
2018
Cinema4D 2.5 RealFlow | Maya RealFlow | 3ds Max
2019
Cinema 4D 3.0 RealFlow 10.5
Features
RealFlow
Particle based solver (liquid, gas, elastic and particles)
Interaction bitmaps
Custom particle behaviour
UV data and weight maps
UV texture mapping
Automatic mesh generator
Force fields
Python / C++ plugins
Direct-to-render feature
OpenVDB meshing
Hybrido
Hybrid fluid solver technology to simulate large bodies of water with secondary effects such as splashes, foam, and mist
