Reference
Limits and known gaps
What VecFlow doesn't do, or does only in part, in this version, and the ways round it.
VecFlow 0.1.0
What VecFlow can't do yet, or does only in part, as of VecFlow 0.1.0.
Computers
- Intel Macs aren't supported: VecFlow runs on Macs with Apple silicon.
- Linux needs glibc 2.28 or newer (most distributions from 2019 on).
- GPU bakes need an NVIDIA card (RTX 20 or GTX 16 series and newer, a driver of the 580 series or newer) on Windows or Linux. AMD and Intel graphics cards aren't used, and Macs bake on the CPU. The result is the same on the CPU, only slower.
On the GPU
- An event can have at most 8 grounds (Collide operators with Ground), and a liquid at most 32 colliders. Past that, a bake on Auto runs on the CPU.
- Cards spreads only a liquid or smoke over several cards. Other particles stay on the bake's card.
NVIDIA Flow
The NVIDIA Flow smoke solver:
- runs on Windows and Linux with an NVIDIA card only;
- gives results that depend on the card;
- goes round colliders less closely than VecFlow's solver;
- has no turbulence;
- makes no state saves, so its bakes can't continue or re-bake from a frame.
VecFlow's own solver has none of these limits.
Bakes
- Constraints and drivers are followed while baking, but changing one doesn't mark the bake old. Bake again yourself.
- Flow settings can't follow drivers or NLA strips: a bake reads their keyframes only. Some settings can't change during a bake at all; their keyframes are ignored, and the flow's problems box says so.
- Opening another file stops every background bake and throws its frames away.
- An unsaved file bakes into Blender's temporary folder, which Blender may clear. Save before baking.
- Simulations don't meet. Each bakes on its own; put things that should touch in one flow.
Playback
- Between frames, particles move in a straight line along their velocity. Very fast particles that curve or bounce within a frame show a straight path, which can show in slow motion. Raise the scene's frame rate for slow-motion shots.
- Render Multiply copies are made at render time: they don't collide or push anything.
Starters and tools
- Shatter, the Fracture tool and Fill With Water need a closed mesh. Close the holes, or give it thickness with a Solidify modifier and apply it.
- Each Other bumps particles as balls of the sphere radius, whatever shape they show as. For shaped bodies, use a flow with Rigid Body.
- Rigid Body shapes are matched to the Shapes collection's objects by their order. Name them in a numbered series (Rock.001, Rock.002) so the order holds.