I explored the Houdini software (Apprentice, Non-Commercial) that is used by the film and television VFX departments almost exclusively for simulations and particle systems. I've had great admiration for Houdini FX artists all along, and their works constantly amaze me. I'm still trying to understand the different network types and nodes inside the software, and most simulations I've done are merely quick tests to understand how the different nodes and parameters work with each other.

Viscosity tests:

FLIP Tank/Fluid with RBD Object/Collision:

POP nodes exploration with Velocity & Scale, Rendered with Mantra & Quick Comp in AE:

During my first attempt, I realised that my particle sizes were not varying according to age. I had a bit of trouble achieving that with the Attribute Create node, but following a tip from another Houdini forum member, I created an Attribute Wrangle to normalize age over life, where I made use of a ramp to shape growth throughout the life of the particles.

Vellum Cloth Wave (Windows 11 Theme Inspired):

Thanks for looking!