Storm HydroFX 1.0 is a GPU-based standalone FLIP fluid simulator
VFX artist and tools developer Sebastian Schäfer has released Storm HydroFX, his promising new standalone GPU-accelerated FLIP fluid solver for VFX and motion graphics work.
The software, a simplified version of Storm, Schäfer’s existing multiphysics simulation tool, can export liquid simulations in Alembic or USD format for use in other CG software.
As well as making the software officially production-ready, the 1.0 release makes it possible to export simulations as meshes as well as particle caches, and adds a new bubbles system.
A streamlined, node-free version of Storm focused on liquid simulation
Schäfer describes Storm HydroFX as a simplified, node-free version of Storm, his standalone particle-based VFX simulation tool.
Unlike Storm, which simulates a range of material types, including granular fluids, smoke and fire, and cloth, Storm HydroFX is specifically focused on liquid simulation.
It uses a FLIP fluid solver – “written from the ground up” for the app – so as well as simulating the motion of the body of the water, it is capable of generating foam and splashes.
The solver is GPU-accelerated – it requires a NVIDIA GPU – and uses an adaptive domain to reduce memory usage: according to Schäfer, it handles “multi-million particle [sims] with ease”.
Unlike other new standalone simulation software like LiquiGen, it isn’t a real-time tool: it’s geared to creating large, high-quality simulations of a type suitable for VFX work or game cinematics.
However, it is possible to interact with simulations while they are running, to change simulation parameters, or to move emitters, collision geometry or forces around.
Import geometry in OBJ or Alembic format, and export sims as Alembic caches or USD
For pipeline integration, StormFX supports a range of standard 3D file formats: geometry can be imported as OBJ or Alembic (ABC) files for use as emitters or colliders.
Completed simulations can be exported as particle caches in Alembic, USD or PRT formats, and – new in the 1.0 release – as meshes in Alembic or USD format.
For quick preview renders, you can surface the sim in Storm HydroFX, and export the preview surface in OpenVDB format.
That should make it possible to import and render the simulation in a range of DCC applications and game engines, including 3ds Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya and Unreal Engine.
New features in StormFX 1.0
Storm HydroFX has been available for a few months in public beta, but the 1.0 release makes the software officially production-ready.
At the time of writing, the online changelog hasn’t been updated, but Sebastian Schäfer has sent us the following list of changes since the original public beta:
- Support for bubbles
- Better foam and spray
- New systems for running whitewater as a separate [simulation] and exporting a mesh
- Smaller cache files by exporting only surface particles in a narrow band
- More speed and stability
- Bugfixes and UI improvements
Get started with Storm HydroFX with the online documentation
Since the public beta, Storm has also gotten some online documentation.
It’s still pretty brief, but Storm HydroFX’s UI is similar to that of Storm itself, so this tutorial should cover the basics.
Price, system requirements and release date
Storm HydroFX 1.0 is compatible with Windows only. It requires a NVIDIA GPU.
The software is available rental-only. For individual artists, Indie subscriptions cost €149/year (around $175/year). Studio subscriptions cost €249/year ($292/year)
Read more about Storm HydroFX on the product website
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