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Fluid Simulation R&D Case Study

“This project began as a personal challenge to push Maxon Cinema 4D’s brand-new fluid simulation system to its limits. I’ve been a C4D user since around 2010, and while the platform has grown remarkably over the years, one long-standing gap has always been true fluid simulation. We’ve all relied on SDF hacks, Volume Builder tricks, and clever workarounds — but never a native solution that felt production-ready.”

Overview

When Maxon announced their integrated particle-driven fluid system in 2025, I jumped in immediately. My goal: create a short, punchy, 10-second spec spot for a fictional cookie commercial, exploring viscous icing, sugar bursts, and stylized food-cinematic motion.

Project Goals

Put the new C4D particle + fluid system through a real production workflow

Build three shots in under one week, including R&D

Focus on viscous icing, dripping/splash behavior, and stylized dynamics

Test how well the system integrates with Redshift AOVs and a compositing-first workflow

Create a polished, commercial-ready teaser that feels like high-end food cinematography

Concept & R&D

Earlier this year, I created a simple animation of a cookie flipping in the air with sugar scattering off it. That test became the seed for something bigger. For this new piece, I expanded the idea: additional shots, more dynamic movement, and a stronger commercial narrative — all within an intentionally brutal timeline.

Because the fluid system had just launched, most of this project was equal parts experimentation and production. I spent the first stretch pushing viscosity settings, exploring solver stability, and stress-testing how fluid particles interacted with animated geometry.

The short timeline forced quick decision-making and encouraged playful discovery — a mix that actually made the project more inventive.

Animation & Simulation Workflow

Working with the new fluid system revealed a surprising depth right out of the gate. I found myself learning far more about the updated particle system than expected — especially how fluid behavior blends with standard emitter logic.

Key notes from the animation/simulation phase:

Fluid viscosity & icing behavior: dialing in the right “caramel cream” feel

Layered particle events: mixing sugar granules with thicker icing passes

Collision testing: ensuring the cookie surfaces interacted cleanly with fluid particles

Iterative caching: rapid sim-test-adjust cycles to fit the compressed schedule

Even though this was a spec spot, I approached the shot structure like a real commercial: focus on texture, motion clarity, and mouth-watering detail.

Look Development & Color

The original renders featured a green icing palette, but in compositing I pivoted entirely toward a warmer “caramel cream” palette — something that felt richer, tastier, and more aligned with high-end dessert advertising.

Because I worked with a full Redshift AOV setup, this shift was seamless. I built the renders to maximize flexibility:

Diffuse, specular, emission, and subsurface passes

Depth, environment, and lighting AOVs

Isolated icing layers for color re-grading

Independent control over depth of field and glare

This is exactly where C4D + Redshift shines. With proper AOV planning, the look could evolve dramatically in post without re-rendering sims.

Compositing

All compositing was done in After Effects. With clean AOVs, I could:

Re-light the icing highlights

Push caramel tones without flattening the image

Control micro-detail and texture contrast

Adjust DOF independently from the beauty pass

Add subtle environmental haze and glow to build atmosphere

The compositing phase was crucial in elevating the entire piece, especially given the condensed timeline.

Rendering & Technical Setup

3D: Cinema 4D + the brand-new native fluid system

Renderer: Redshift

Hardware: Dual GeForce 2080 Ti GPUs

Timeline: ~1.5 weeks total (R&D → animation → sim → lighting → render → comp)

Post: Adobe After Effects

Despite the complexity of the fluid passes, the dual-2080Ti setup held up remarkably well. Careful AOV planning and selective caching kept render times predictable.

Results

What started as an experiment quickly became a polished little spec piece — a micro-commercial that highlights both the capability of Maxon’s new fluid system and the flexibility of a modern C4D/Redshift pipeline.

It was a satisfying blend of technical exploration and creative problem-solving, and it opened up a lot of new ideas for future food-cinematic and fluid-driven projects.