Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
17
Fluid Simulation
17.1 Introduction to Fluid Simulation
17.2 Basic Setup (Scenario 1)
17.3 Basic Setup (Scenario 2)
17.4 Fluid Simulation with Particle Objects
17.5 Fluid Simulation with Control Objects
17.1 Introduction to Fluid Simulation
Fluid simulation physics provides a means of simulating fluid flow. In this discussion, we
will consider two scenarios. The first scenario is animating a volume of fluid such as a
droplet of water or larger single volume, which is initially suspended in space and allowed
to drop into a container or onto a surface. The second scenario is animating a stream of
fluid such as fluid running from a tap or out of a container in a controlled flow. The latter
scenario will provide a recap on the former one.
For detailed procedures, see the Blender Wiki PDF, which is obtainable at
wiki.blender.
org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual/Physics/Fluid
.
17.2 Basic Setup (Scenario 1)
The setup in Figure 17.1 represents a basic 3D window scene in wireframe mode, construct-
ed for a fluid simulation. As with all Blender scenes, there must be a light to provide illumi-
nation and a camera before anything can be rendered. The scene has been constructed with
a fluid object (a default sphere with 32 segments and rings), a domain cube (a default cube
scaled up three times), and an obstacle object (a cup extruded from a circle).
In the scene, a volume of liquid (the fluid object) is suspended in space and it will be re-
leased and then dropped into a cup (the obstacle object). The falling fluid (fluid simulation)
takes place within the confines of the domain—the domain is a segment of space defined
