Road Destruction FX

          ROAD DESTRUCTION

CONTEXT : 

In this project, I continue simulations on Houdini. This time, I wanted to create a road that would destruct in a realistic style. I started by fracturing the road using cutting planes because it was the method that allowed me the most artistic flexibility. This also allowed me to do procedural work so that I could test iterations more quickly. To animate the simulation, I used a point and created a cloud point system that allowed me to preview the animation in SOP without having to run a simulation that would waste my time. Then, with the help of some VEX commands, I set up a node that allows me to manage the rotation and height of the plates, which allows me to give movement to my simulation as I wish. For the debris, I learned to use a "copy to point" in a loop to optimize the display in the viewport as well as the simulation process afterward. For the smoke and particle simulation, it was fairly quick as I simply reused the same systems previously used for the road and the layout below the road, and created my own emission system. For the general LookDev, I started to learn LOP on Houdini. I rendered in Karma in XPU, except for the particles which were rendered in CPU due to compatibility issues.

BREAKDOWN :

Lookdev 

Smoke Emission 

For the smoke creation, I used the transform piece system which allows me to create a customized emission with a customized duration.

Debris creation

For the smoke emission, I used the same process that I set up for the debris. I added a few parameters that allow me to control the emission time with a slider.

Road fracturing 

First pass of road fracturing.

Second pass of road fracturing using cutting planes.

Simulation control

Driving the simulation with a dot that drives a point cloud to help me pre-visualize the simulation in SOP without actually running the simulation.

Rotation and height

Quick modification for rotation and height. Used for all layouts/roads, including those that go under the road.

Modification of parts' rotation based on velocity to give a different meaning to the simulation. Process used for every layout that corresponds to the road.

Optimization

Using a 'copy to point' in a loop to support heavy geometries without slowing down the process for the next steps.