Adding a GPU FLIP solver to Storm
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Get access to the latest beta version for free!
simulation and rendering by Jeremy White (@jknitt_photography)
We’re excited to introduce the first public release of Storm HydroFX, now available as a free and open beta!
Storm HydroFX is a standalone application featuring a brand-new, GPU-accelerated FLIP fluid solver for water simulations, built on the foundation of Storm (The Simulation Tool). Designed for Windows and Nvidia GPUs, HydroFX delivers fast simulations amd beautiful results, ongoing optimizations are planned to make it even faster.
You can import geometry in formats such as Alembic or OBJ and use them as emitters, colliders, forces, or any combination thereof. Output your results as “Playblast” previews or cache files in formats like Alembic, VDB, or the newly supported USD for particles.
This release marks the first time HydroFX is available to the public for testing. During the open beta, it’s completely free and fully featured—there are no limitations on importing, exporting, or saving your scenes.
HydroFX features a streamlined interface based on Storm’s familiar UI, making it easy for existing users to get started right away. For newcomers, the Storm Tutorials section provides a helpful introduction to the basics.
HydroFX is a simplified, node-free version of Storm, focused on delivering powerful fluid simulation with ease of use. We look forward to your feedback as we continue to enhance performance and add new features.
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What’s New:
FLIP Solver
The new FLIP Fluid water solver is written from the ground up.
Simulate any collisions and interactions with your animations and use geometry forces to shape your liquids.
You can output surfaces directly for getting first renders out quickly.
Increasing resultion will keep general motions of your sim.
It’s possible to run a white water foam sim as well!
Spray sims are coming soon.
GPU Accelerated!
Utilizes modern Nvidia GPUs to achieve
significant speed improvements over traditional CPU-based solvers.
An adaptive domain helps to keep memory low and speeds fast.
Interactivity
Interact with the sim while it is running!
Storm HydroFX Demo Clips
See here some first results generated with Storm’s new GPU FLIP solver
simulations and renderings by Jeremy White (@jknitt_photography)
Features
Fast FLIP Solver
Fast iterations and results by using GPU acceleration and adaptive domains. Made for realistic water effects, large scale as well as small scale!
Accuracy
Striving for creating nice splashes, good collisions and detailed surfaces!
Foam
Create foam particles for whitewater effects with a single click!
Fast Viewport
Multi-million particles and high-res meshes are handled with ease! A reduced UI lets you focus on the shot at hand.
Fast I/O with USD Support
Import and export abc, vdb & usd formats… and more!
Ease of use
A simplified, reduced and non-cluttered interface for focused workflows.
Test out sims in lower res and when you’re ready up the resolution to add more detail while keeping a similar general motion.
Geometry Forces
For affecting water with any shape.
Quick volume surfacing
For getting rendered results faster.
Smoother Viewport & UI
For smooth interactions and more feedback.
Try Out The Free Beta
Get Regular STORM
Storm – The Simulation Tool for Granular Simulations
Licenses are perpetual and come in three flavors:
Storm Student:
For scholars.
Non commercial use only
Please submit your student ID
Storm Indie:
For independent artists or small studios with less than 90k$ of yearly revenue.
Running on a single machine.
Storm Studio:
For studios or individuals with more than 90k$ of yearly revenue.
Running on a single machine.
Please see also FAQ for more license information
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Ask us any questions you have
FAQ
Installation
Unpack the ZIP file anywhere manually and run the executable inside the bin folder. There’s currently no installation wizard available. Make sure to update your Nvidia graphics drivers to the latest version if there are issues launching. This Beta version currently needs an internet connection for obtaining a beta license.
Please make sure to install the Microsoft VC redist from here else it might not be able to launch:
https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe
What’s the difference to Storm?
Storm HydroFX only features the FLIP solver and doesn’t offer other solvers like the granular solver and no procedural nodegraph to keep things simpler.
Supported Platforms
Currently Storm HydroFX runs on Windows with an Nvidia GPU (the oldest tested is a Geforce 1080). Please feel free to try it on your platform.
Do you provide support?
Support is provided in our Discord server as time permits. Usually other users are around to ask too! 🙂
Visit our Community site.
Will it get improved?
It’s planned to improve the speed of the Storm HydroFX FLIP solver over time and also add more features to it as well.
How to import and export from HydroFX?
Storm HydroFX can load geometry in the Alembic (*.abc) and OBJ (*.obj) file formats.
To write simulation data out of Storm HydroFX the following formats are available:
– particles in Alembic (*.abc), USD (*.usd) and PRT (*.prt) file formats.
– volume preview surface in OpenVDB (*.vdb) format.
Is it free?
Yes! Storm HydroFX is currently in open beta and is completely free to use without limitations for as long as the open beta is active.