Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 7-20
Fluid simulation with outflow
It's worth keeping in mind that several aspects of the fluid simulation are visually unnatural and should be
concealed in actual use. The Domain object imposes a cube shape on the fluid that should generally be kept
off camera (unless, of course, the fluid is intended to be in a rectangular container). The Fluid object initial-
izes with the fluid in a gravity-defying ball or an even more unnatural initialization shape, the Inflow object
causes fluid to appear out of thin air, and the Outflow object can allow fluid to “drain” unnaturally into a
three-dimensional shape, as in the preceding example. All of these processes should be concealed or integ-
rated into the scene in a natural-looking way. Nothing screams “fluid sim!” louder than an invisible cube-
shaped box around everything. Also, remember that the objects that your audience sees as the Inflow or Out-
flow objects, such as spigots or drains, should be separate objects from those that act as the Inflow or Out-
flow objects in the fluid simulation.
