tyFlow 1.1 for 3ds Max adds new PRISM fracturing system
Animator and game developer Tyson Ibele has released tyFlow 1.1, the latest version of his popular particle and multiphysics add-on for 3ds Max.
It’s a significant update, marking the first official release of PRISM, the software’s new GPU-accelerated geometry fracturing and mesh Boolean system.
A versatile particle-based multiphysics system for VFX and motion graphics work
First announced in 2018, tyFlow began life as a “complete rewrite” of Particle Flow: a next-generation replacement for 3ds Max’s ageing native particle system.
Over time, it evolved into a more rounded multiphysics system, making it possible to simulate granular fluids like sand, rigid bodies, soft bodies and cloth, and even crowds.
The software can also import and manipulate data in OpenVDB format, with volumes able to interact with particle systems.
The simulation core is CPU-based, and multi-threaded; while individual solvers are GPU-based.
tyFlow integrates with other key production software, including fluid simulation tools FumeFX and Phoenix, hair plugin Ornatrix, the V-Ray renderer, and render management system Deadline.
tyFLow 1.1: new custom PRISM engine for mesh fracturing and Boolean operations
The main new feature in tyFlow 1.1 is PRISM (Polygon Refinment via InterSecting Meshes), the software’s new mesh fracturing and Boolean operations engine.
It’s a novel engine, created specifically for tyFlow, and replaces the existing fracture operators and Constructive Solid Geometry system, which was based on the open-source Carve library.
Unlike the legacy fracture system, which only supported perfectly flat slice planes, the new tyMultifracture modifier makes it possible to use 3D volumes to fracture geometry: a workflow that the online documentation compares to Houdini’s Boolean Fracture system.
It can also tolerate a a wider range of source geometry, supporting self-intersecting meshes and overlapping triangles for all Boolean and fracture operations.
And it should be faster than the legacy tools: PRISM features a hybrid CPU/GPU architecture, being fully multithreaded on CPU, and also accelerated via CUDA on NVIDIA GPUs.
Other new features
The update also extends several other existing features, particularly the software’s PhysX-based operators, the tyPush modifier, and the particle caching system.
Other new features since we last wrote about tyFlow include the option to generate motion trails behind splines, and tyMeshRepair, which fixes common topological issues with meshes.
It is also now possible to import vector files in Adobe Illustrator’s .ai format.
Pricing and system requirements
tyFlow 1.1 is compatible with 3ds Max 2018+. Some of its GPU-accelerated features are hardware-agnostic; others are CUDA-based and require a compatible NVIDIA GPU.
tyFlow Free, the free edition, includes all of the simulation tools, and can be used commercially, but lacks CPU multithreading, GPU acceleration, or the option to export caches.
tyFlow Pro costs $495 for a perpetual node-locked license, or $645 for a floating license.
Read a full list of new features in tyFlow in the online documentation
Visit the tyFlow product website
Download the free edition of tyFlow (Does not require registration)
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