This R&D focuses on creating a real-scale beach wave simulation in Houdini using FLIP.

The main focus is the simulation itself, so I prefer to show the underlying particle data directly. Meshing is a separate stage of the workflow, but here the priority was to develop a convincing ocean wave simulation with realistic motion and scale.

Large-scale water simulations also require a solid technical and caching workflow. Since FLIP can generate a very large amount of particle data, I built an optimized process for storing and managing the simulation on disk efficiently.

The simulation network uses a combination of SOP Solvers, custom forces, and force masking/shaping to control the behavior of the waves and achieve a more natural beach-break motion.

The main goal of this R&D was not to create the highest-resolution water simulation with a complete whitewater pass. Instead, the focus was on building a highly customizable and art-directable force system that could shape the waves while still preserving believable physical behavior.

That balance is especially important for water, because viewers are very familiar with how it should move. Even a small amount of unnatural force can quickly make the result feel stylized or magical rather than physically convincing.