RealFlow

This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (June 2010)

RealFlow is a fluid and dynamics simulator for the 3D industry, created by Madrid-based Next Limit Technologies. Currently at version 2012, the stand-alone application can be used to simulate fluids, water surfaces, fluid-solid interactions, rigid bodies, soft bodies and meshes. Victor Gonzalez, Ignacio Vargas and Angel Tena were awarded a 2007 Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the creation of the RealFlow software application.^[1]

The technology uses particle based simulations. These particles can be influenced in a multitude of ways by point-based nodes, known as daemons, which can do anything from simulating gravity to recreating 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 boost RealFlow capabilities, adding control to most aspects of the RealFlow workflow including batch runs, events, daemons, waves and fluids.

Uses of RealFlow

Feature motion pictures

• Watchmen
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets
• City of Ember
• Meet the Robinsons
• 300
• Primeval
• Poseidon
• The Guardian (2006 film)
• Ice Age: The Meltdown
• X-Men: The Last Stand
• Slither
• The Da Vinci Code
• Chicken Little
• Robots
• The Incredibles
• Constantine
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The Matrix Reloaded
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• Spy Kids 3D
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Freddy vs. Jason
• Minority Report
• Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
• Ice Age
• Tomb Raider
• Lost in Space

Television series

• Lost
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• Get Ed
• Rome
• U2/ Greenday video clip: “The Saints are Coming”

Commercials

• Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
• Discovery Channel
• Coca Cola
• Harpic (Cleaning Product)
• Amp'd Mobile
• Strathmore Water
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• Nissan GT-R
• Bacardi
• Nickelodeon
• Mercedes
• Sony Ericsson
• Renault Laguna
• Nescafe Nespresso
• Kellogg's Frosties
• Chase Bank
• Guinness
• Heineken
• Grand Marnier
• Ariel Washing Powder
• Biotherm
• Vichy
• Nescafe
• Pontiac
• Gatorade
• Carlsberg
• Telia Xpress/ Motorola
• Martini
• BMW
• Land Rover^[2]

System requirements

Windows

• Windows XP Professional
• Windows Vista / 7
• Windows Server 2008

Mac OS X

• Mac OS 10.5 or later

Linux

• Needs a 64-bit distribution that supports a 2.6.x kernel and glibc 2.5

Hardware requirements

• 2Ghz Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon 64 or better
• 2GB minimum, 4GB recommended
• 300 - 1,000MB hard drive space, depending on operating system
• Hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card
• 3 button mouse^[3]

List of features

RealFlow

• Particle based solver (liquid, gas, elastic and dumb particles)
• Interaction bitmaps
• Custom particle behaviour
• UV data and weight maps
• UV texture mapping
• Automatic mesh generator
• Force fields
• Python / C++ plugins

Hybrido

• Hybrid fluid solver technology to simulate large bodies of water with sophisticated secondary effects, like splashes, foam and mist

Caronte

• Rigid/Soft body dynamics solver
• Mix animation and dynamics

RealWave

• Physically accurate water surfaces

Python scripting / C++ plugins

• Daemons
• Waves
• Fluids
• Events
• Batch runs^[4]

See also

• Particle system
• Smoothed particle hydrodynamics

References

External links

• Official website