Fixing white triangles and overlapping faces in RealFlow mesh imported to Maya

Published on January 08, 2026 | Translated from Spanish
Problem of white triangles in RealFlow mesh imported to Maya showing overlapping faces and render errors

The Mystery of Ghost Triangles in RealFlow

This issue of white triangles rendering black is more common than you think when working with RealFlow meshes in Maya. You've correctly diagnosed the issue: it's duplicated or overlapping faces that RealFlow generates during the meshing process, which Maya interprets conflictively during rendering. These ghost triangles appear and disappear in different frames because RealFlow's meshing system doesn't always generate consistent topology frame by frame.

The problem arises because RealFlow's meshing algorithm sometimes creates redundant geometry when calculating the liquid surface, especially in areas of high turbulence or where particles rapidly change density. These duplicated faces compete with each other during rendering, causing the visual artifacts you describe.

In RealFlow, ghost triangles are like duplicated fingerprints: Maya doesn't know which is the real one and which is the copy

Solution in Export from RealFlow

The best solution is to prevent the problem at the source. Adjust the meshing parameters in RealFlow before exporting to generate cleaner geometry.

Optimized Meshing Configuration

Meshing parameters in RealFlow are crucial to avoid corrupt geometry. An overly aggressive configuration can create these artifacts.

Reduce the Blend factor value and slightly increase Radius. This produces a more stable surface with fewer problematic faces 😊

Geometry Cleanup in Maya

Once the mesh is imported into Maya, you can use native tools to automatically clean the geometry.

Select the mesh and go to Mesh > Cleanup. Configure the options to remove duplicated faces and non-manifold geometry.

Automatic Cleanup Script

For long sequences, manually cleaning frame by frame is unfeasible. This MEL script can automate the process.

Copy this script into Maya's Script Editor and run it to clean the entire sequence of imported meshes.

// Script to clean RealFlow meshes
string $meshes[] = `ls -type "mesh"`;
for ($mesh in $meshes) {
    select -r $mesh;
    polyClean -constructionHistory true;
    polyTriangulate -ch 0;
    polyCleanupArgList 4 { "0","2","1","0","0","1","0","0","0","1e-05","0","1","0" };
}

Method with Alembic Instead of OBJ

The OBJ format can exacerbate these problems. Consider exporting from RealFlow in Alembic (.abc) format, which handles animated geometry better.

Alembic preserves topology better between frames and has better handling of problematic faces during import into Maya.

Material Configuration in Maya

Materials can exacerbate the problem. A material with high reflectivity makes these artifacts more visible.

Use more diffuse materials during development and add reflectivity only in the final render once the geometric problem is solved.

Prevention in Simulation

Sometimes the problem comes from the simulation itself in RealFlow. Poorly distributed particles generate problematic meshes.

Check that your simulation has no areas with excessive density or isolated particles that can cause artifacts in meshing.

Post-Processing Solution

If the problem persists, consider rendering with the artifacts and cleaning them in post-production. Sometimes it's more efficient.

Render an object ID or material ID pass that allows you to easily select problematic triangles in your compositing software.

Normals Verification

Inconsistent normals can cause similar rendering problems. Verify that all normals point in the correct direction.

Use Mesh Display > Reverse to correct inverted normals and Mesh Display > Set to Face to reset problematic normals.

Preventive Workflow

Implement this workflow to avoid the problem in future projects. Prevention is more efficient than correction.

Establish a consistent pipeline from RealFlow to Maya with quality checks at each step.

After applying these solutions, your RealFlow meshes should import cleanly into Maya without those ghost triangles that ruin the render... though you'll probably develop a critical eye for detecting geometric problems that previously went unnoticed 🔧