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I'm very new to blender but keen to learn more. I have used a lot of 2 and 3D modelling packages as well as a number of GIS applications.

I'm just trying to work out if I can model a fluid flow over a surface, ie a DTM (digital Terrain model) which I understand needs impotent as a tiff or similar image file.

What I want to do is simulate flood water across a surface/DTM.

If so, is there somewhere that would help me get started?

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    $\begingroup$ Will you add more to your question, making it more specific? Also when you say DTM do you mean "demographic transition model"? $\endgroup$
    – David
    Apr 22, 2015 at 14:01
  • $\begingroup$ I don't understand what exactly you mean by flow, but maybe this answer will help you: blender.stackexchange.com/a/26048/1853 $\endgroup$
    – user1853
    Apr 22, 2015 at 18:57
  • $\begingroup$ Blender has no built in support for most of the formats used in GIS software. DEM, DTMs and other geo-referenced formats need to bee converted to somehting blender can read. If you can get Elevation Maps as Tiff, JPEG or PNG then you can use those to displace a plane to recreate terrain elevation. See blender.stackexchange.com/questions/27451/… $\endgroup$
    – user1853
    Apr 23, 2015 at 1:23

2 Answers 2

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Starting with a landscape.

enter image description here

Place a plane where your water should be.

enter image description here

(It doesn't have to be that big I just made it big for clarity, all you need is the plane to be as big as the water surface.)

In Edit Mode subdivide the plane.

enter image description here

Add a subdivision Surface modifier and a Displace modifier.

In the display modifier select Texture. (A new one will be created if there are none)

Assign the texture to be used as displacement. I used a wood Texture, but it's up to you how you want the water to flow.

Play with the Strength settings to get the right height for the displacement.

enter image description here

enter image description here

To animate the displacement.

Create an Empty and add a couple of keyframes for the motion.

enter image description here

On the displace modifier set the Texture coordinates as Object and Assign the Empty as the object.

enter image description here

enter image description here

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A different way to do this in a less computationally-intensive way is not using a displacement for the geometry, but simulating the displacement on the plane.

On the material node use a Texture and connect it to the displacement input.

enter image description here

enter image description here

And animate the texture coordinates to simulate the water flow.

enter image description here

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