Testing the Waters, ep. 1 - workflow

(experiments in fluid dynamics)

development stages of a splash:
mesh, raytracing, motion blur

Fluids are often animated with particle dynamics, which are also used to animate fire, explosions, lightning, swarms, and pliable substances (soft bodies). Dynamics - in 3D software - are a technique of animating objects with forces, instead of by keyframing. Dynamic forces include gravity, object/particle collision (normal force), friction, tension, and elasticity.

I've dabbled in fluid systems for years, but now I want to have a more comprehensive understanding of all their permutations. Also, their chaotic nature is a nice compliment to the intense meticulousness of the character-building in my other current project. For now, the software I'll be using is RealFlow with Maya.

video

Here's my first step, which is to just get comfortable with the basics. There are some rendering issues, such as flickering refractions, which I'll have to address down the road.