Create dynamic fluid effects

When you play the simulation, Maya applies the fluid dynamics solver to the values in the container, calculating new values at each time step and replacing old values in the grid with the new ones.

Explosions, flames, smoke, and lava are examples of effects you could create as dynamic fluid effects. You can also create fluid effects that look and behave like liquids such as water. See Liquid simulation setup.

For examples of basic dynamic fluid effects, see Fluid Effects Lessons One and Three in Getting Started with Maya. You can also load the examples in the Fluid Examples folder in the Content Browser - see Import Fluid examples.

To create a dynamic fluid effect

1. Create a fluid container.

   See Fluid containers.

2. Add Density values to a dynamic grid. See Add properties to grids.
3. Select the container, and click the fluidShape tab in the Attribute Editor:
4. Set the Contents Method for Velocity to any setting but Off.
   • Set it to Dynamic Grid to allow internal forces to affect the Velocity at each time step.
   • Set it to Gradient to make the Velocity values remain constant at each time step, and select which gradient of values you want to use.
   • Set it to Static Grid to define a specific velocity path that remains constant at each time step and then add the velocity values to the grid. See Add properties to grids.
5. Add Temperature and Fuel values to the container, if you are using them in the simulation. (Temperature and Fuel can be used for explosion and burning effects.)
6. Add color to the fluid. See Add color to fluids.
7. Play the simulation using the playback controls at the bottom of the Maya window.

   If you are in wireframe mode, the fluid displays as particles by default. To view the simulation as it would render, switch to shaded display mode and in the Display area of the fluidShape Attribute Editor, change Shaded Display to As Rendered.

   For information on speeding up the playback, see Caching fluids.

8. Modify the appearance and behavior of the fluid. See Modifying Fluids.

You can make the fluid collide with and move geometry, affect soft bodies, and interact with particles. See Object Interaction with Dynamic Fluids. You can convert your fluid object to a polygonal mesh. See Converting fluids to polygons.