Online (visual) Fluid Simulation

Online (visual) Fluid Simulation compared with Blender Mantaflow, RealFlow and EmberGen
Online (visual) Fluid Simulation	Blender Mantaflow	RealFlow	EmberGen
Field of use: This browser demo is meant for play and visual exploration. Its repository describes it as a way to play with fluids in the browser, on desktop and mobile. It suits teaching and quick demonstrations of swirling flow.	Field of use: Mantaflow is the fluid framework inside Blender. Its fluid modifier offers gas and liquid domain types, so one scene can hold smoke, fire or liquids for animation and visual effects.	Field of use: RealFlow is Next Limit software for fluid simulation in production animation. Its plugins target Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya, and its listing mentions the Dyverso multiphysics solver.	Field of use: EmberGen produces volumetric fire, smoke and explosions, mainly for game effects. It has its own renderer and generates flipbook sprite sheets.
Technical basis and fidelity: The repository cites GPU-based fast fluid dynamics research as its basis. No units, boundary conditions or validation are documented, so the output is qualitative and unsuitable for engineering numbers.	Technical basis and fidelity: The domain panel exposes a FLIP solver for liquids and a gas solver, with resolution settings. The aim is plausible visual behaviour at controllable resolution, not certified CFD accuracy.	Technical basis and fidelity: The listing refers to a multiphysics solver aimed at visual effects. Public pages do not state validation against measured data, so results should be read as production visuals.	Technical basis and fidelity: Simulation runs on the GPU and is edited interactively. The focus is speed of iteration for effects, and no validation against physical measurements is stated.
Inputs and outputs: Input is the mouse or touch, plus on-screen settings. The result is a live animation with nothing exported as simulation data.	Inputs and outputs: Scenes are built with Blender objects as flow and effector sources. The cache can be written as OpenVDB or Uni files, so the volumes can be reused in other tools.	Inputs and outputs: RealFlow imports and exports through its host plugins for Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya. Packs are sold as per-seat licences, with extra simulation nodes for compute capacity.	Inputs and outputs: EmberGen exports EXR, PNG and TGA image sequences and VDB volumes. It imports FBX and Alembic meshes as emitters or colliders, and FBX cameras.
Licence and cost: The source code is published under the MIT licence on GitHub. Using the web demo costs nothing.	Licence and cost: Blender is released under the GNU GPL (version 2 or later for the source), and the page states it is free to use for any purpose.	Licence and cost: Commercial. The vendor shop lists RealFlow 10 standalone licences, with each Cinema 4D, 3ds Max or Maya plugin listed separately.	Licence and cost: Commercial software from JangaFX. A free trial exists, and prices are on the vendor pricing page.
When to choose it: Choose it to show students or colleagues what vortex-driven flow looks like, or as a reference for GPU fluid code. Do not use it where numbers matter.	When to choose it: Choose Mantaflow when you already work in Blender and want free, cached smoke or liquid simulations for animation or visualisation.	When to choose it: Choose RealFlow when a studio pipeline already runs on Cinema 4D, 3ds Max or Maya and needs a dedicated liquid solver with licensed compute nodes.	When to choose it: Choose EmberGen when you need game-ready fire and smoke quickly, with real-time feedback and sprite output.

Online (visual) Fluid Simulation compared with Blender Mantaflow, RealFlow and EmberGen

Online (visual) Fluid Simulation

Blender Mantaflow

RealFlow

EmberGen

Field of use: This browser demo is meant for play and visual exploration. Its repository describes it as a way to play with fluids in the browser, on desktop and mobile. It suits teaching and quick demonstrations of swirling flow.

Field of use: Mantaflow is the fluid framework inside Blender. Its fluid modifier offers gas and liquid domain types, so one scene can hold smoke, fire or liquids for animation and visual effects.

Field of use: RealFlow is Next Limit software for fluid simulation in production animation. Its plugins target Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya, and its listing mentions the Dyverso multiphysics solver.

Field of use: EmberGen produces volumetric fire, smoke and explosions, mainly for game effects. It has its own renderer and generates flipbook sprite sheets.

Technical basis and fidelity: The repository cites GPU-based fast fluid dynamics research as its basis. No units, boundary conditions or validation are documented, so the output is qualitative and unsuitable for engineering numbers.

Technical basis and fidelity: The domain panel exposes a FLIP solver for liquids and a gas solver, with resolution settings. The aim is plausible visual behaviour at controllable resolution, not certified CFD accuracy.

Technical basis and fidelity: The listing refers to a multiphysics solver aimed at visual effects. Public pages do not state validation against measured data, so results should be read as production visuals.

Technical basis and fidelity: Simulation runs on the GPU and is edited interactively. The focus is speed of iteration for effects, and no validation against physical measurements is stated.

Inputs and outputs: Input is the mouse or touch, plus on-screen settings. The result is a live animation with nothing exported as simulation data.

Inputs and outputs: Scenes are built with Blender objects as flow and effector sources. The cache can be written as OpenVDB or Uni files, so the volumes can be reused in other tools.

Inputs and outputs: RealFlow imports and exports through its host plugins for Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya. Packs are sold as per-seat licences, with extra simulation nodes for compute capacity.

Inputs and outputs: EmberGen exports EXR, PNG and TGA image sequences and VDB volumes. It imports FBX and Alembic meshes as emitters or colliders, and FBX cameras.

Licence and cost: The source code is published under the MIT licence on GitHub. Using the web demo costs nothing.

Licence and cost: Blender is released under the GNU GPL (version 2 or later for the source), and the page states it is free to use for any purpose.

Licence and cost: Commercial. The vendor shop lists RealFlow 10 standalone licences, with each Cinema 4D, 3ds Max or Maya plugin listed separately.

Licence and cost: Commercial software from JangaFX. A free trial exists, and prices are on the vendor pricing page.

When to choose it: Choose it to show students or colleagues what vortex-driven flow looks like, or as a reference for GPU fluid code. Do not use it where numbers matter.

When to choose it: Choose Mantaflow when you already work in Blender and want free, cached smoke or liquid simulations for animation or visualisation.

When to choose it: Choose RealFlow when a studio pipeline already runs on Cinema 4D, 3ds Max or Maya and needs a dedicated liquid solver with licensed compute nodes.

When to choose it: Choose EmberGen when you need game-ready fire and smoke quickly, with real-time feedback and sprite output.