Fluid simulation FAQs
Fluidsimulation.net is a free WebGL fluid simulation in your browser. Tap Start, then paint with mouse or touch and watch dye move through a real-time fluid field. Nothing to install. Open the live simulation when you want to paint.
Yes. The simulation runs free in the browser. You do not need an account.
The simulation begins after you choose to start it. That keeps the page light until you are ready to paint, and it avoids running the GPU when you only came to read. After Start, drag or touch the canvas as usual.
Yes. Use one finger to paint. Quality can step down automatically if the device struggles. Try Calm on older phones.
No. This is a real-time interactive fluid for play and learning. It is not a lab solver for engineering sign-off. Read CFD vs browser fluid simulation for the difference.
On your device, in the tab. The fluid math stays local. We do not upload your strokes. See the Privacy Policy.
Current Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Samsung Internet with WebGL. Keep the browser updated. If the canvas fails, try another browser.
Modes change several fluid settings at once so Water, Fire, Ink, and Calm feel different. Browse all modes.
Use the Screenshot control on the live page, or press S when the simulation is focused. The image downloads as a PNG. A longer capture routine for still frames lives in capturing fluid frames for wallpaper.
Pressure shapes how the field stays incompressible. Swirl adds vorticity so motion curls. Details are in fluid simulation controls.
Yes. Copy link stores the active preset and quality in the URL, so anyone who opens it lands on the same starting mode without seeing any of your actual strokes.
The solver runs a real-time 2D fluid field on the GPU, not a volumetric 3D simulation. Dye moves across a flat canvas while velocity and pressure update every frame. That 2D approach is what keeps Fluidsimulation.net smooth on phones and laptops. The steps are in how WebGL fluid simulation works.
Yes. Press Record on the live dock to capture the canvas, then press Stop to save the clip. Recordings keep going until you stop them, with a 3 minute safety limit. Recording runs smoother when quality is stable, so close other heavy tabs first. For a single still instead of a clip, use Screenshot rather than Record.
Explain field is a toggle on the live dock that highlights the structure of the velocity field while you paint, so swirl and flow lines stand out instead of blending into the dye. Turn it on when you want to see what advection and vorticity are doing under the hood.
Press Clear on the live dock to remove dye and velocity and start from an empty field. Random drops a few fresh splats if you want a quick new composition instead of a blank canvas.
Yes. Use Music on the live dock to pick an audio file from your device, then press Play. Turn on Sync with audio if you want the fluid to react to the track. The file stays in your tab and is never uploaded. Sync listens for beats and soft sustain in the track, so slow songs stay calm and louder hits move the fluid more. It is not a music production tool.
Live sound lets you hold a button and paint the fluid with hums, claps, or soft blows into your microphone. The browser asks for mic access only when you hold Live sound, and the stream is processed in your tab. Release the button to stop listening immediately. It reacts to loudness and attacks, not words or speech meaning.
Camera and precise location are never requested. Optional Music uses a file you choose on your device. Optional Live sound may ask for the microphone only while you hold the Live sound button, and that audio stays in your tab and is not uploaded. See the Privacy Policy.
Fluidsimulation.net builds its own interface, presets, and modes on top of an MIT licensed real-time fluid solver. The original license and full credit are listed on the Credits page.