Houdini FX : Creating An Avalanche Rig

Learn all the steps needed to setup a High resolution Avalanche VFX rig in Houdini and create a final comp.!

Created by: Eric Ebling
Freelance Visual Effects Artist, Photographer, Painter

What Will I Learn?

• We will cover all the steps needed to create a high resolution Avalanche simulation down the side of a mountain.
• We will review a trick to turn a still image into a moving sequence for use as our Background and discuss parallax and why it is important.
• We will use grains and meshing to create the mass bulk of our setup and regular particles for additional FX elements.
• We will use the sparse solving method to create parts of the Avalanche Simulation.
• We will cover setting up render layers and using Redshift to render out our passes.
• Mantra versions of the shaders will be supplied for students without access to Redshift.
• We will create a final comp using Natron, or you can use Nuke if you like.

Requirements

• You should have some experience with Houdini before starting this course. This is not a course for total beginners.
• A recent release of Houdini(18+) with Sparse solving tools. You can still use the old (dense) method if you wish
• A powerful enough computer to run Houdini and a good internet connection for 1080HD streaming.
• This course will be using Houdini 18.5.499 on a windows 10 based system throughout the videos.

Target audience

• Anyone interested in seeing to create a Large scale Avalanche VFX shot inside Houdini from an FX artist with 20+ years experience in post production.
• Aspiring FX artists and current working professionals looking to learn new skills or see another approach to rig creation.