by Ignacio Matey·Simulation
Images © Ignacio Matey. Used for product review; image policy.
Real Time Ship Simulator stands out in the superhive library for keeping its controls to a small set of physically based parameters, rather than the larger option sets found in Blender's standard cloth, fluid, and rigid body simulations.
Real Time Ship Simulator is a Blender add-on from Ignacio Matey that runs a physically based solver for ship dynamics, or any floating object, in real time. It works with Blender 3.1 and later, ties into the ocean modifier, and also supports other customizable oceans. Working in real-life scale is recommended.
To set up a simulation, you select the objects you want to use as the ship and the ocean. The solver builds a guide geometry to handle the rigid body dynamics, and a Show Guided Geometry button lets you view it, which helps with complex shapes. A Use Water Material option applies a premade ocean material. For now, one floating object can be simulated at a time, and higher poly counts can slow the solver down.
Parameters are kept to a small set: Initial Frame, Flotability for object density, Buoyancy for velocity damping, and Velocity and angle for initial conditions. Place your object, click Set as Initial Conditions, then Simulate to run it. Results can be baked into keyframes for export, and baking is required before rendering. A demo video is available, and planned additions include multiple floating objects and metaball splashes.
Real Time Ship Simulator is best for blender artists who need to simulate floating objects or ship dynamics on an ocean surface in real time.
Real Time Ship Simulator is completely free to download and use.
Real Time Ship Simulator works with Blender 3.1 and later. It integrates with Blender's ocean modifier, and it can also work with other customizable oceans rather than being limited to a single ocean setup. The solver accounts for the geometry of the floating object, so higher poly counts on the ship or the ocean can make it run slower. For the smoothest results, the developer recommends working in real-life scale. If you're on an earlier Blender release, check the developer's page before installing.
Real Time Ship Simulator installs the same way as most Blender add-ons: install the provided zip file through Blender, and the add-on then appears in the sidebar of the viewport, which you open by pressing N. From there you select the objects to use as the ship and the ocean and begin setting up the simulation. If you run into any trouble during setup, the developer invites contact for problems, suggestions, or feedback through the developer's page.
Real Time Ship Simulator is built to simulate in real time, but that isn't guaranteed in every scene. If your Blender scene isn't optimized, the solver won't run at its optimal capacity — a high poly count on the ocean or the ship, or a lot of objects and high-resolution textures, can all slow it down. The solver also takes the ship's geometry into account, so keeping poly counts reasonable helps. When you need consistent playback for export, you can bake the result into keyframes.
Real Time Ship Simulator currently supports one floating object at a time. Support for multiple floating objects is listed among the developer's planned future improvements, along with fuller incorporation into geometry nodes once solvers and loops are available there, metaball-based splashes, efficiency gains, better materials, and a procedural ship builder. For now, the solver relies on scripting. If you need to export or render your single-object simulation, bake it into keyframes first — rendering without baking will crash Blender.
Real Time Ship Simulator is listed as free in this catalog. Pricing and licensing can change over time, so it's worth checking the developer's page for the current terms before you download. Beyond licensing, the add-on works with Blender 3.1 and later and integrates with the ocean modifier, so confirm your Blender version there as well. The developer also welcomes questions and feedback if you have any issues getting started.
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