Real-time CUDA fluid simulation as a Windows desktop wallpaper. The fluid reacts to your mouse, and the rest of the desktop (icons, windows, taskbar) keeps working normally on top of it.
Get the latest installer from the Releases page and run it. No admin rights needed; the installer drops the app into your per-user Programs folder.
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
- NVIDIA GPU with CUDA support (Turing / RTX 20-series or newer recommended; Pascal works at reduced perf)
- ~50 MB disk, ~150 MB RAM at runtime
- Download
fluid-wallpaper-setup-<version>.exefrom the Releases page. - Run it. You can optionally tick Start with Windows and Create desktop shortcut in the wizard.
- The wallpaper starts at the end of install and a one-time welcome dialog points you at the tray icon.
To uninstall: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Fluid Wallpaper → Uninstall. The autostart entry and app settings are removed cleanly.
The tray icon (look for the fluid droplet near the clock) is the main control surface. Right-click it for:
- Pause / Resume — freezes the simulation; wallpaper stays visible
- Clear simulation
- Next visual mode — cycles through plasma, inferno, viridis, cool, velocity, velocity-colored
- Bloom — toggle the bloom post-process
- Idle motion — self-stir when the cursor is idle for >3 s
- Start with Windows — toggles the autostart registry entry
- About — version + GitHub link
- Exit
Keyboard shortcuts (also work without focusing any particular window):
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
M |
next visual mode |
B |
toggle bloom |
I |
toggle idle motion |
C |
clear simulation |
Esc |
quit |
The app paces itself based on visibility and power source:
| State | FPS |
|---|---|
| Default (visible, AC power) | 60 |
| On battery | 30 |
| Desktop fully obscured by a window | 5 |
| Fullscreen app running / monitor off / paused | 2 (heartbeat) |
Prerequisites: Visual Studio 2022 (with Desktop C++), CUDA Toolkit 12+, CMake 3.20+.
cd wallpaper
cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64
cmake --build build --config Release
Output: wallpaper/build/Release/fluid-wallpaper.exe (plus a shaders/ subdir).
To produce the installer (requires Inno Setup 6):
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" installer\fluid-wallpaper.iss
Output: installer/output/fluid-wallpaper-setup-<version>.exe.
To regenerate the placeholder icons (overwrites wallpaper/resources/{app,tray}.ico):
python3 wallpaper/resources/_gen_icons.py
Important Make sure Windows Defender allows you to download the app in the first place!
Nothing happens after install. Open Task Manager → Details and confirm fluid-wallpaper.exe is running. If it's not, the most common cause is a missing CUDA runtime: install the latest NVIDIA driver.
Wallpaper shows behind a black rectangle / icons disappear. This is an interaction with virtual-desktop tools or third-party shell replacements. Try right-clicking the desktop → View → Show desktop icons to toggle.
Tray icon missing. Windows hides "rarely used" tray icons by default. Open the tray overflow (the ^ arrow) or pin it via Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Other system tray icons.
GPU usage seems high. Check the tray menu — if "Pause" isn't checked and you're plugged in, you should be at ~60 FPS. On a laptop unplug-and-replug to confirm the battery detection is working (you should see GPU usage halve).
MIT. See LICENSE.