We released Zibra Liquids, our revolutionary AI-powered plugin for real-time fluid physics simulation, in October 2021.
Our first version, created from the synergy of a custom physical solver and artificial intelligence-based technology for neural object representations, had a limited window for growth. Nevertheless, it provided the market with something that was never seen before, the ability to create performant fluid simulations in real-time.
Since then, we have updated the Unity version of our plugin several times, ensuring that our solution continues to provide a first-class experience for you.
Just two months ago, in February 2022, we released the new major update of our plugin – Zibra Liquids 1.4. What is the difference between 1.3 and 1.4? What’s new? What are we going to do next? Let’s delve into the details.
First of all, in Zibra Liquids 1.4 we significantly broadened the spectrum of build platforms to fully satisfy the needs of our customers. You now can use our plugin to create small to midsize simulations, and not only on PC and Mac OS. It also supports:
– iOS (starting from iPhone 6s, available only in the full version)
– macOS arm64 (M1 native)
– UWP(Universal Windows Platform)
Zibra Liquids 1.3 had an excellent performance. But we have improved it even more. To use the newest version of our plugin, you really don’t need a very powerful PC. Here is the complete list of technical requirements:
- Editor platforms: PC (DX11, x86 and x64), macOS(Metal, x64 and arm64) For M1 Mac users, the M1 native version of Unity Editor is strongly recommended.
- Unity version: 2019.4 or later (use the latest feature update)
- Supported Render Pipelines: SRP, URP, HDRP
- URP: 7.5 or later
- HDRP: 7.x or later
We also added a new sample scene for mobile devices in the latest release, supporting all iOS versions, starting from iPhone 6s. And, of course, many other cool features that deserve to be highlighted. Among them:
- force fields
- liquid detectors
- liquid initial state baking
- fixed time step option
- downscale option to decrease liquid render resolution
- new analytical colliders – capsule, torus, cylinder
- liquid shader customization
- multi-object editing
- separate liquid and container movement
What’s so special about these features? Let’s guide you through them step by step.
- Force fields are the objects that can apply force to the liquid. They are customizable. Users can choose in which direction the force is applied, and how much of it will be used. Zibra Liquids has three types of force fields – radial, directional, and swirl (more about them here). But keep following our updates, and maybe you will see more of them.
- Liquid detectors are objects that are capable of detecting the presence of liquid. These detectors are extremely useful for creating unforgettable game mechanics. Do you want to create a puzzle using liquid as a part of your gameplay? With Zibra Liquids 1.4 it’s never been easier.
- Liquid initial state baking this is the option many of you have asked us to do, and we came through. Now the liquid container is filled from the start. You can set exactly how the container will be filled with liquid, simulate it, and then save the result in the editor — no need to do the same work all over again.
- Fixed timestep option synchronizes liquid simulation with physics simulation in Unity and makes the simulation more stable. In the previous version, the simulation stability was directly connected to the FPS. The new option makes the simulation behavior much more predictable, regardless of FPS. It comes in handy for creating different puzzles, where the simulation needs to be identical for all users.
- Analytical colliders allow you to add simple geometric figures, like liquid reservoirs. In the previous versions, you could use objects such as a cube and sphere. After the latest update, torus and cylinder analytical colliders are also available.
- Downscale option allows you to decrease the liquid render resolution. It reduces the quality with which the image displays on the screen and increases the frame rate.
- Liquid shader customization option allows you to adapt shaders however you like. Now you can modify every aspect of the liquids visual, creating a look unique to your game.
- Multi-object editing option allows you to select a group of objects and edit them all simultaneously.
- Separate liquid and container movement is a feature that allows you to seamlessly move the simulation area. For example, you can now make liquid volume follow the player, and don’t need to simulate the whole level. In a previous version, when you moved a liquid container, liquid moved with it. Now, when you move the container, the liquid stays in the part of the scene.
- Rotating liquid emitter without additional transforms. Its quality of life improvement makes it easier to manage your emitters, allowing you to more easily set them up on the scene.
Apart from all of these, we also added many other improvements. Check out the complete list here.
Nowadays, we are focused on making Zibra Liquids available on the most popular platforms, mobile devices, and Unreal Engine 4 and 5. Nevertheless, we continue to monitor your requests and are constantly working to improve the performance of the Unity version. For example, we are currently going to implement a mesh renderer and optimized SDF.
If you have any ideas on how to improve our plugin, feel free to share them via mail, support@zibra.ai, or in our Discord community. In terms of development, we are following our roadmap, but your comments help us accurately choose the priority of our tasks and provide us with new ideas.
