RealFlow is a stand alone 3D fluid simulation software (water surfaces, fluid-solid interactions, rigid bodies, soft bodies, etc.). It’s used throughout the TV and movie industry, it’s used in the creation of many movies like; Immortals, The Avengers, Ice Age 4, Resident Evil retribution and Battle of LA. It was also used in the creation of many TV series like; Lost, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. A list of TV shows and movies in which RealFlow was used could be found here.

Learning RealFlow is helpful for anyone working in the computer graphics field, this post is a road map for anyone willing  to start learning RealFlow online for free from scratch, the post will present and compare  between the best online sources where beginners can start from and follow along, the sources stated in this post are full structured.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn RealFlow) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting started with RealFlow for Free from Scratch

RealFlow Labs YouTube Channel

RealFlow Labs YouTube Channel is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning RealFlow through video tutorials, This is the official YouTube channel for RealFlow.

Structure: The training is divided into 5 video tutorials, each video lesson covers various topics in RealFlow.

Interface: Standard YouTube interface.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. Some of the video tutorials are too long which might be a problem for those who prefer chopped down videos.

Verdict: This is the best online outlet for beginners to start learning RealFlow through video tutorials.

3D Tutorials

3D Tutorials is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning RealFlow through video tutorials, as the above source you don’t need to register in order to have access to the training.

Structure: There’s no real structure or organization for the training. The training is divide into 68 video tutorials, these tutorials cover many topics in RealFlow.

Interface: Click on the lesson you’re interested in and the video will start.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. A very big number of tutorials.

Cons

1. There’s no structure or organization for the training.

Verdict: This outlet is a very useful asset for anyone using RealFlow, but it’s not suitable for complete beginners.

Next Limit Website

Next Limit Website is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning RealFlow through a text-based tutorial, it’s worth noting that Next Limit is the company developing RealFlow.

Structure: The training is divided into 24 main sections, each section is divided into lessons and each of these lessons covers a certain topic in RealFlow.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just select the lesson you’re interested in from the menu on the left hand side of the screen and that lesson will pop-up of the right hand side of the screen.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and  organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training is available as text only which might be a problem for beginners who prefer video tutorials.

Verdict: This is the best outlet to learn RealFlow for beginners who prefer text-based tutorials.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning RealFlow for free

1. RealFlow Labs YouTube Channel is the best online outlet for beginners to learn RealFlow through video tutorials.
2. 3D Tutorials is a very useful asset for any RealFlow user.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in RealFlow.