Import Fluid examples

Maya provides example files of complete fluid, ocean, and pond effects. Each example file includes the fluids, geometry, shaders, lights, cache files, and environments required for the effect. You can quickly import them into your scene, play, and render them without alteration.

Modify these files to customize the effects, use them as learning tools to understand how to create your own effects, or use them simply for ideas.

To import a fluid effect example

1. In the FX menu set, select Fluids > GetExample. The Content Browser opens to the Fluid Examples folder.
2. Click the folder containing the example you want to import, and drag the preset icon from the Content Browser into the scene. Maya imports the example scene into your scene.
3. Select the fluid container and open the Attribute Editor.

   The Notes section at the bottom of the Attribute Editor provides information about the fluid effect, pointing out the key aspects of its construction.

   In many cases, example scenes include a dedicated perspective camera. To render your scene as it appears in the Content Browser swatch you need to use that camera. For example, the example scene Perlin3DCloud.ma uses the camera Perlin3DCloudCam. In the Render View, select Render > Render > Perlin3DCloudCam instead of persp and render.

   Note: For dynamic simulation fluid examples, the expected behavior will happen only when those examples are used with the same time unit used when they were created. The Notes section for these examples recommend how to modify the Simulation Rate Scale to replicate the desired results.

   Some examples also contain expressions that are purely iterative and don't take the time unit into account.