Off Road Diving
Just wrapped up a challenging and rewarding VFX project: a 10-second off-road dive into the unknown! This one was a deep dive (pun intended!) into Houdini and Solaris, and feels like a fitting metaphor for the current state of the VFX industry as I'm finishing my program. Here's a glimpse into the process:
Tracking & Environment: The original shot was meticulously tracked to build a realistic ground using Heightfields and basic geometry, creating accurate reflections on the water's surface.
First Sim: The Humvee's motion was animated using RBD car rig running through the terrain built
For the water interaction, I used an efficient Low-Res/High-Res FLIP simulation combo in SOPs. A broad low-res sim provided the base, while a focused high-res sim captured the detailed splashes around the vehicle, blended seamlessly with FLIP Volume Combine. Finally, the white water sim in SOPs was a fun R&D challenge!
A key decision driven by the fact that this was rendered with Karma XPU was to avoid heavy textures. Instead, the Humvee's look was entirely driven by MaterialX in Solaris, taking attribute maps generated directly in Houdini SOPs. This procedural approach allowed my GPU to efficiently handle the rendering while still providing nuanced control over properties like dirt accumulation and wetness, driven by the simulation itself.
For the lake, I filled the water mesh with a volume in Solaris, using vorticity and velocity attributes from the FLIP simulation to introduce dynamic variations and realism. Finally, white water elements and subtle fog were added to enhance the visual depth.
The final touch was compositing in Nuke. I leveraged AOVs to precisely blend the rendered CG water with the original footage, ensuring a seamless and believable integration.
For the lake, I filled the water mesh with a volume in Solaris, using vorticity and velocity attributes from the FLIP simulation to introduce dynamic variations and realism. Finally, white water elements and subtle fog were added to enhance the visual depth.
The final touch was compositing in Nuke. I leveraged AOVs to precisely blend the rendered CG water with the original footage, ensuring a seamless and believable integration.
Thank you for making it to the end!
