FX Simulation
This R&D explores using custom forces and a SOP Solver inside a DOP Network to read data from outside the simulation, process it, and feed the result back into the simulation over time.
Understanding this workflow gave me much more direct control over how the simulation evolves, allowing external geometry, attributes, masks, and procedural data to influence the result dynamically.
Instead of relying only on the default solver behavior, I could build custom logic to control the simulation at a much more granular level, including per-point or per-voxel control, depending on the type of effect.
The main goal was to create a more art-directable simulation framework, where motion and behavior could be driven precisely by custom data rather than only by built-in forces and solver settings.
This was a very simple fracture tool, created mainly to test Houdini’s updated HDA workflow and asset management system.
The focus was less on the fracture effect itself and more on testing how HDAs could be saved, versioned, updated, and edited during production.
The newer HDA management workflow is much more flexible and makes it easier to push changes at the digital asset level rather than updating every shot manually.
This means improvements to the HDA can propagate through multiple shots and setups, allowing artists to receive updated behavior or functionality with minimal additional work.
The main goal of the R&D was to explore how a well-structured HDA can support faster iteration, easier version control, and more efficient shot updates across a production.