For a little under a year I have been learning Houdini and exploring it's capabilities to create simulations, dynamic effects and procedural generation. These are a few of my favourite results from that experience. I have also been exploring Solaris and it's ability to create large scenes and lighting quickly using Universal Scene Descriptions (USD) in Houdini. The shots were all composited in Nuke where I focused on seamless integration to create a photoreal result.
Most of these plates were photographed by me with the intention of avoiding green screens for better integration and accurate scene lighting. The only exception is the RCMP officer with a lightsaber which was provided by Sheridan College.
I am actively working on breakdowns for these shots. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Breakdown
CG Clouds
I used Houdini to create a cloud volume generator. My goal was for the clouds to look quite fluffy and live between the world of stylized and realistic images. Aside from real clouds, a main point of reference for me were surrealist paintings by Rene Magritte. I also wanted the shape to subtly mirror the silhouette of a tree which led to to create an organic and rounded triangle shape.
