Houdini 22.0 Nodes Copernicus nodes

HeightField Slump Copernicus node

Simulates loose material sliding down inclines and piling at the bottom.

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Since 22.0

A slump is form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or rock layers moves a short distance down a slope. Slumping is when an unstable pile of rubble settles into a more stable configuration, often bounded by its angle of repose.

This node slumps a debris layer by simulating a number of slump Spread Iterations all at once using a method selected by the Slump Mode. The debris layer is scaled by the Debris Scale prior to slumping. This allows you to wire in a mask generated from the HeightField Mask by Feature COP and then use the Debris Scale to adjust the depth of the debris. If the debris input is unwired, the node uses a constant depth of debris equal to the Debris Scale.

This node is also useful for generating flow fields. The HeightField Flow Field tool script sets defaults for generating the output flow layer. Then you can use the Debris Scale and Spread Iterations to adjust the intensity and continuity of the flow lines. You can use any Slump Mode to generate flow fields, though the Rainfall or Smooth methods are likely preferred. If using Smooth slumping for generating a flow field, you should set the Repose Angle to 0 and increase the Spread Iterations.

Parameters

Slump Mode

The method used to slump the input debris layer.

Smooth

Slump the debris using smooth diffusion. This models liquid-like transport mechanisms.

Granular

Slump the debris using chunky slumping with randomization. This models granular flow transport mechanisms.

Rainfall

Slump the debris by suspending and transporting the debris in streams. This models hydraulic erosion transport mechanisms.

Debris Scale

The scale factor applied to the debris layer before simulating the slumping processes. This allows you to convert a mask into a depth of debris. If the debris input is unwired, the simulation begins with a constant depth of debris set by this Debris Scale.

Spread Iterations

How many iterations of material transport to simulate.

Repose Angle

The maximum slope, measured in degrees from the horizontal, at which loose solid material will remain in place without sliding.

Spread Rate

Controls how fast material spreads across the terrain in each iteration.

Random Seed

The seed used to randomize the slumping process.

Flow Force

When Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, controls how strongly streams erode the debris.

Rainfall Coverage

When Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, the amount of rainfall to simulate each frame as a proportion of the terrain’s surface.

Slope Influence

When Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, controls how closely streams will follow the slope of the terrain. Lower values will result in straighter channels. Higher values will result in winding channels.

Erosion Rate

When the Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, the rate at which a stream erodes and accumulates material from the terrain.

Deposition Rate

When the Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, the rate at which a stream deposits its excess accumulated sediment.

Removal Rate

When the Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, the rate at which a stream’s accumulated sediment decays. Higher values will reduce the amount of deposited sediment, allowing hydro erosion to cut deeper into the terrain, creating a rocky appearance.

Evaporation Rate

When the Slump Mode is set to Rainfall, the rate at which a stream’s sediment capacity decays. Lower values will create more prominent channels that persist across longer distances with a rocky appearance. Higher values will create smaller local depressions with a soil-like or sandy appearance.

Remove Debris from Input Height

Before simulating the slumping process, remove the input debris from the input height.

Add Debris to Output Height

After simulating the slumping process, add the slumped debris to the input height.

Inputs

height

The height layer to slump debris across.

debris

An optional debris layer scaled by the Debris Scale which sets the initial depth of debris. When unwired, the debris layer has a constant value of 1.

Outputs

height

The output height layer, potentially combined with the slumped debris.

debris

The resulting slumped debris.

flow

A UV layer containing the flow of slumped material.

Copernicus nodes