RealFlow
What RealFlow is
RealFlow is fluids and multiphysics simulation software for visual effects and 3D production on Windows, macOS, and Linux. HyFLIP and Hybrido2 target large simulations such as floods and oceans with breaking waves. The GPU-accelerated Dyverso solver handles interacting liquid, granular, rigid, and elastic materials, while RealWave focuses on small to medium ocean surfaces. Caronte provides built-in rigid and soft body dynamics. Product integrations include plugins for Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, and Maya, plus connectivity plugins for the standalone product. RealFlow reads and writes Alembic, OpenVDB, and Field3D. Network processing uses Independent Domains of Computation with Job Manager and Job Node applications. A node-based Graphs system and Python 2.7 and C++ interfaces support custom work. Pricing is on request, with listed one-time plans from 545.00 USD to 1997.50 USD and a 30-day trial.
Who it suits
It suits visual-effects and 3D-production teams needing fluid, ocean, multiphysics, or body-dynamics simulation. Separate educational licensing is presented for students, educators, and institutions.
What it does well
- Supports large-scale flood and ocean simulations
- Simulates liquid, granular, rigid, and elastic materials
- Includes Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, and Maya plugins
- Reads and writes major simulation formats
- Offers network-distributed processing
What to know first
- Pricing is on request
- No free plan
- Demo features may be limited
- Demo support excludes technical and installation help
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| RealFlow 10 + plugin pack | RealFlow 10 license · one RealFlow plugin | $1,295, paid once |
| RealFlow 10 | Premium Pack | 4 standalone license seats · 20 simnodes · import-export plugins for supported platforms | $1,997.50, paid once |
| RealFlow | 5 nodes pack | 5 simnodes | $545, paid once |
| RealFlow 10 + 1 Node | 1 standalone license seat · 1 simnode · import-export plugins for supported platforms | $547.50, paid once |
| RealFlow 10 | Plus | 1 standalone license seat · 5 simnodes · import-export plugins for supported platforms | $697.50, paid once |
| RealFlow | Cinema 4D 3 | Fluid simulation inside Cinema 4D | $795, paid once |
| RealFlow | 3ds Max | Fluid simulation inside 3ds Max | $795, paid once |
| RealFlow | Maya | Fluid simulation inside Maya | $795, paid once |
The first 8 of 9 plans, as realflow.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word. Every plan
Verdict
RealFlow covers large water scenes, multiphysics materials, ocean surfaces, body dynamics, integrations, and network simulation. It runs on all three listed desktop platforms, but purchase pricing is requested and demo limitations apply.
Facts from RealFlow's own pages
- Body dynamics
- Caronte is RealFlow’s built-in rigid and soft body dynamics solver. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Data formats
- RealFlow reads and writes Alembic, OpenVDB, and Field3D files. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1998 · realflow.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Hardware limit
- The FAQ states RealFlow licenses are not limited by CPU or core count. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- Madrid, Spain · realflow.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- The product family includes plugins for Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, and Maya, and the standalone product supports connectivity plugins to 3D platforms. · webshop.nextlimit.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The maker presents RealFlow for production simulation workflows and offers separate educational licensing for students, educators, and institutions. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Large-scale fluids
- Its HyFLIP solver and Hybrido2 are intended for large-scale simulations such as floods and oceans with breaking waves. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- License limits
- Student and educator licenses are annual, node-locked to one workstation, non-transferable, and restricted to study or research rather than commercial use. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Multiphysics
- The GPU-accelerated Dyverso solver simulates interacting liquid, granular, rigid, and elastic materials. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Network processing
- RealFlow can distribute simulations over a network using Independent Domains of Computation, with Job Manager and Job Node applications. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Ocean surfaces
- RealWave is a toolset for quickly simulating small to medium ocean surfaces. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- Next Limit Services says it does not share personal data with third parties unless legally required or the user expressly consents. · forum.realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Programming
- RealFlow offers a node-based Graphs system and interfaces for Python 2.7 and C++. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- RealFlow is fluids and multiphysics simulation software for visual effects and 3D production. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The educational program offers technical support for installation and activation questions and links to the user manual and tutorials. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Trial
- The educational program page says all products can be tested free for 30 days, while the demo page warns that demo features may be limited and technical or installation support is not provided for demos. · realflow.com, 11 Oct 2026
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