Exploration of Game Engines for Fluid Dynamics Simulation: A Comparative Study of Houdini and Unreal Engine

Game engines such as Houdini and Unreal Engine are increasingly explored for fluid dynamics simulations (FDS). This study evaluates their highlights, emphasising their strengths and weaknesses, and provides insight into their potential in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), particularly for pre-processing and post-processing applications. A comparison of Houdini’s Pyro Solver and Unreal Engine’s Niagara system is made using a sphere as a test case. The results show that Houdini provides more accurate and controlled fluid simulations, allowing for detailed parameter control and the extraction of usable velocity fields. Unreal Engine, while excelling in real-time visualisation, faces limitations in data extraction. It shows that Houdini is better suited for pre-processing tasks, while Unreal Engine is more suitable for interactive post-processing visualization.