Create Liquid Simulations with nParticles

Using Liquid Simulation attributes, you can add properties to your nParticle objects to make them look and behave like a flowing liquid.

When adjusting nParticle attributes for your simulation, it is useful to adjust an attribute and then cache the simulation. You can then playback the cache to see the results of your attribute adjustments. For information about how nParticle attributes can affect your liquid simulations, see Liquid Simulations. For information about nCaching, see nParticle simulation and caching.

To create a liquid simulation

1. Create a Water style nParticle object. See Create nParticles.
   Note

   You can also enable Liquid Simulation for Ball style nParticle objects, however these nParticle objects may not look or behave like liquids when rendered.

2. In the scene view or Outliner, select your nParticle object.
3. In the Attribute Editor, select the object’s nParticleShape tab.
4. To set the attributes that affect you liquid while at rest and in motion, do the following:
   • In the Particle Size section, adjust the nParticle Radius to suit your simulation. See Radius.
   • In the Liquid Simulation section, set Liquid Radius Scale. See Liquid Radius Scale.
     

     nParticle overlap is also affected by nParticle Radius.

   • Set Incompressibility to specify the amount you want the liquid to resist compression.

     See Incompressibility.

     
   • Set Rest Density to specify the arrangement of nParticles in the liquid when the nParticle object is at rest. See Rest Density.
   • If your liquid is contained, you may need to set Collide Width Scale. See Collide Width Scale.
   To set the attributes that affect the flow of your liquids, do the following:
   • Set Viscosity to control the liquid’s resistance to flow. See Viscosity.

     You can set Viscosity on a per-particle basis using a Viscosity Scale ramp. See Viscosity Scale.

   • Set Surface Tension to add surface tension to the liquid's surface when it is flowing or suspended. See Surface Tension.

     You can set Surface Tension on a per-particle basis using a Surface Tension Scale ramp. See Surface Tension Scale.

After achieving the liquid appearance and behavior you want, you can convert the liquid nParticle object to a polygon geometry.