Outflow Object Settings
Outflow objects remove fluid from the domain. Any fluid that enters this object will be immediately removed.
Need help with how to create simulation objects? Take a look at our getting started guide: Creating Your First FLIP Fluids Simulation.
Video Guide: FLIP Fluids Guide Episode 2B: Inflow and Outflow objects.
Outflow object settings can be viewed in the Physics Properties by selecting the object.
- Outflow objects are required to be Blender mesh type objects.
- Object geometry is required to be Manifold/Closed/Watertight in order to work correctly and predictably within the FLIP Fluids simulator. The objects are required to have volume and planar surfaces cannot be used.
- The object should be sufficiently large/thick in order to be resolved on the simulation grid. The smallest/thinnest geometry features of the object should cover at least one voxel on the simulation grid (What is the simulation grid?).
- Unlike other FLIP objects, outflow objects are allowed to have dynamic topology during the animation.
- If the object animation is more complex than keyframed location/rotation/scale, enabling the Export Animation Mesh option will be required.
| Enabled | Whether the outflow object is active and removing fluid material from the simulation domain. |
| Remove Fluid | Allow the outflow object to remove fluid particles from the simulation domain. |
| Remove Whitewater | Allow the outflow object to remove whitewater particles from the simulation domain. |
| Inverse | Turn the outflow object 'inside-out'. If enabled, the outflow will remove fluid that is outside of the mesh instead of fluid that is inside of the mesh. |
In the first stage of simulation baking, the addon will begin by exporting all object geometry for the animation. These settings allow for control on how and if the geometry should be exported. These settings are only applicable to the object's mesh geometry and do not apply to the object's options and parameters.
| Export Animated Mesh | Export the outflow object mesh as an animated one. TIP: Animated objects can be slower to export, so use this option only if necessary, such as for armatures or parented objects. Objects with keyframed position/rotation/scale do not require this option to be enabled. |
| Skip re-export | If enabled, the addon will skip re-exporting this mesh when starting or resuming a bake. If this mesh has not been exported or is missing files, the addon will automatically export the required files. Notes: Animated mesh export can slow down the export stage if the mesh is complex and contains a lot of geometry. Skipping mesh export for animated meshes will speed up export and help your simulation start quicker. If your animated mesh geometry or motion has changed, you will need to disable this option or force the object to export so that the addon will re-export the mesh geometry. |
| Force Re-Export On Next Bake | When enabled, this option will force the addon to re-export the object’s mesh data the next time that the user bakes or resumes the simulation. This option overrides the Skip Re-Export option. After the object has been re-exported, the force export option will be automatically disabled so that subsequent bakes will continue skipping the mesh for export. This option is only applicable if the Skip Re-Export option is enabled. TIP: Useful for if you have a complex animation or object with a lot of geometry with the Skip Re-Export option enabled to save time during export. Use this option if you make an change to your mesh geometry and want to easily mark the object to update the next time you bake/resume the simulation. |
This operator will copy the Outflow settings of the active object (highlighted object) to all other selected FLIP objects of the same type. Hint: The settings displayed in this UI panel will be the settings of the active FLIP object.
Notes:
- Keyframed settings will not be copied - these will need to be copied manually, such as through the Blender graph editor.
- Settings cannot be copied to an object that has not already been set as an Outflow type object. You will first need to set non-FLIP objects to a FLIP type. Tip: to set multiple objects to a FLIP object quickly, use the FLIP Fluids sidebar > Add Objects operators.