# Increasing the quality of the fluid simulation

To create more smoke and add flames to the effect, increase the quality of the fluid simulation by increasing the Base Resolution value of the container. You can also use High Detail Solve to add detail and use Self Shadowing to highlight this detail.

Be aware that making these adjustments to the fluid increases the simulation time.

To increase fluid simulation quality

1. In the Container Properties section, set the Base Resolution to 50.

   For systems with low processing power, keep the Base Resolution set to 30.

2. In the Dynamic Simulation section, set High Detail Solve to All Grids.

   Using High Detail Solve gives simulations more detail without increasing resolution. It is ideal for creating effects such as explosions, rolling clouds, and billowing smoke.

3. In the Lighting section, do the following:
   - Turn on Self Shadow.
   - Set Shadow Opacity to 1.0.

   This sets the fluid to cast internal shadows and determines the darkness of the shadows cast from the fluid. When Shadow Opacity is 1.0, shadows are completely black and the fluid is totally in shadow. The effect of these attributes is most noticeable when the fluid is rendered.

4. Rewind and play the simulation to about frame 80, then click the Render the current frame icon.

   Render the frame again, but this time change the camera perspective.

5. In the Render View window, select Render > Render > persp.

   You’ve now completed the lesson on using a fluid effect to add smoke and flames to the slag foundry. In the next lesson, you create two particle systems which simulate sparks flying off the molten slag as it slides down the chute.

## Caching the fluid simulation

Before you render out the final simulation, you need to cache the fluid effect. If you plan to use the current scene for the remaining lessons, you can either cache the fluid now or before you start Lesson4.

NOTE:Depending on the processing speed of your system, caching the fluid can take up to 15 minutes.

To cache your fluid

1. Rewind the simulation to the start frame, select the fluid (fluid_slag_smoke), and do the following:
   - Select nCache > Create New Cache > Maya Fluid > .
   - In the Create Fluid nCache Options, set the Cache directory to your project folder.
   - For File distribution, select One file.
   - Click Create.
2. After Maya caches your fluid simulation, play it back.