Category: Personal

Title: Revival

A Visual Journey of Reflection and Resurgence

Introduction:

Welcome to my blog, where I invite you to explore the captivating process behind the creation of “Revival,” a VFX showreel that transports viewers to a world where the past guides us towards the future. Join me as I unravel the intricate steps taken to bring this mesmerizing project to life, using the powerful software, Houdini.

Step 1: Setting the Stage with Heightfields

To capture the essence of a snow-capped mountain landscape, I harnessed the power of Houdini’s heightfield tools. By manipulating erosion algorithms and adjusting the parameters, I meticulously sculpted the terrain to create realistic snow-covered peaks and valleys. These heightfields formed the foundation for the breathtaking scenes that follow.

Step 2: Texturing with COPS

To enhance the visual impact of the snow-capped mountains, I utilized Houdini’s Compositing Operators (COPS) to generate intricate and realistic textures. By blending multiple layers of procedural noises and applying color grading techniques, I created a sense of depth and detail, elevating the overall visual quality of the scenes.

Step 3: Unleashing the Power of Flip Simulation

To bring the stormy waters and the mesmerizing maelstrom to life, I employed Houdini’s powerful Flip simulation capabilities. By meticulously defining the boundaries and parameters of the water simulation, I unleashed a torrent of realistic waves and currents, capturing the chaotic beauty of a tempestuous water. The swirling maelstrom was sculpted using a combination of fluid dynamics and particle systems, carefully choreographed to evoke a sense of awe and wonder.

Step 4: Adding Detail with White Water and Bubbles

To infuse authenticity and enhance the immersion of the water scenes, I employed Houdini’s white water and bubble simulations. By meticulously fine-tuning the particle behavior and adjusting forces and parameters, I created dynamic splashes, foam, and bubbles that react realistically to the turbulent forces within the maelstrom. These subtle yet essential details added depth and realism to the scene, captivating viewers with their mesmerizing motion.

Step 5: Creating a Snow Storm Simulation

To simulate the intensity of a snowstorm, I employed Houdini’s particle systems and dynamics. By meticulously defining particle behavior, wind forces, and collision properties, I brought to life a flurry of swirling winds, engulfing the landscape in a mesmerizing dance of storm. The intricate interplay of particles and fluid dynamics captured the essence of a snowstorm, immersing viewers in its relentless energy and beauty.

Step 6: Harnessing the Power of Nuke for Compositing

To unify the various elements and refine the visual aesthetics, I turned to Nuke, a powerful compositing software. By seamlessly blending the rendered passes, applying color grading, and adding atmospheric effects, I achieved a harmonious composition that accentuated the overall mood and narrative of each scene. Nuke’s extensive toolset allowed me to fine-tune the final visuals, ensuring a captivating and cohesive visual experience.

Conclusion:

“Revival” is the result of a meticulous and creative process that seamlessly blends Houdini’s powerful tools and techniques. From sculpting the heightfields and generating realistic textures to simulating dynamic water and snow effects, every step was carefully orchestrated to capture the essence of reflection and resurgence. Through the masterful integration of Houdini’s capabilities and the creative potential of Nuke, “Revival” invites viewers to immerse themselves in a world where the past holds the key to a brighter future.

Revival

Shots 006 Nuke

Week 12

Rendering

Week 11

I try to render water. The real challenge is finding the right shade.

I imported the reference image for realistic rendering.

It’s getting closer to the right shade.

Week 10

Mountains

modeling

For mountain, I started with heightfield 2000×2000

Using draw curve, I’ve drawn outline of mountains

And by creating curve in those curves, Poly wire can be controlled like this

And you can project it on the heightfield using add

Also I created a geometry for lake to subtract from heightfield

Adding a bit of distortion and noise, HF looks close to terrain

And after 3 times eroding and creating slump and flow field, It matched the snow mountain reference

By using these fields from heightfield, I was able to create textures and mask it correctly

The textures are 8K and procedural

This is the noise used for base mountain rock texture

Week 9

Water Simulation

Since this project is part of my last final project, I will not close the storyboard yet. I’ll get back to it soon. First, I focus on water simulation.

Since the ocean tank method was not efficient, I decided to simulate the water in a flat plane and then deform it like a maelstrom

I deformed it using distance to origin and created gravity vector

Using point deform, I got the gravity back to the flat plane and this is ready to simulate

I also created rotational force

After setting up all the nodes on dops, I was able to simulate in higher resolution than before in less time

Using point cloud, I got the forces into action

But there created a problem. Points were allocating in the middle. So I am deleting the points in the middle

After simulation these points are so dense. Very high res

I applied the same deformer I created

But these didn’t give me proper white water. So I had to create surface and velocity fields for white water

And I created my own white water solver

Using this source, I was able to create white water like this

I also used the same points in smoke sim to create bubbles under water

Week 8

All objects must stick together.

I created spheres and animated them.

Unpack to see the fracture

I break everything separately because I don’t want to break the steel too much.

I imported each piece separately.

My homework

I imported my museum from Maya. I modeled it in Sketchup and remodeled it in Maya.

Our instructor animated the spheres in the transform node to smash the box. He asked us to do something similar for homework.

I need points in Geo to fractured the box – to breaking it to pieces.

Week 7

Instead of simulating the water in the tank, I made a grid (plate). I thought that the simulation in the whole tank would slow down the computer a lot in terms of rendering as well.

That’s how I deformed it by using  Attribute VOP.

I compressed the distance using the Fit Range Node.

I’m just wondering how to make stairs out of clouds in Houdini. This will also be part of the personal project.

Week 6

At the end I will export the geometry to Maya for texturing and final rendering.

I imported the points into Polygram .