This is a mini project on creating fluids in Maya and having them suited for game usability. Fluids can be created in Maya using Bifrost or nParticles, each of which have their own pros and cons. Examples of both are in the videos below.

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Bifrost

Pros

1. Very high quality fluid animations

2. high control-ability

Cons​

1. file size is big - very expensive for game engines

2. Cannot (as far as I know) be looped

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nParticles

Pros

1. Good quality fluid animations (not as good as Bifrost)

2. High control-ability

3. Can be looped using Trax. Perfect for games

Cons​

1. Looping is a fiddly process (requires patience). Windows don't always update and animations are prone to breaking when clicking in the Trax editor too quickly.

2. File size is big - but can be reduced significantly through looping.

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Fluids are supported in game engines through the alembic format. In unreal, the animation is created through a 'flipbook' process, meaning a new mesh is generated for each frame (similarly to stop-motion animation). It is a highly-costly process and should only be used when absolutely required. A VFX method using particles/textures/ materials, etc., would probably be a much more game-friendly solution for fluid animation.