BEST GAME ART TOOL | SUBMISSIONS
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- rmagee
- Staff
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- Joined: July 2005
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- Gand
- Member
- 28 posts
- Joined: June 2020
- Offline
I want to present the Decal Atlas Generator. This toolset focuses on creating optimized decals for 3d models inside Unreal Engine. In short, it automatically creates a decal atlas and mesh based on provided textures or a custom 2D model. Created decals can be integrated with the mesh (if you need a height map, for example) or hover above the model. With some custom data provided in the vertex color, it can also be used for varying VFX effects. For a more detailed explanation, I recommend watching the showcase video. Provided HDA was created with Indie Edition, so the corresponding Houdini Engine is required.
Showcase Video:
Example usage in the Unreal Editor:
Unreal Project (5.5), Source files, Hda, and QuickStart
ElderwoodChallenge.zip [drive.google.com]
Showcase Video:
Example usage in the Unreal Editor:
Unreal Project (5.5), Source files, Hda, and QuickStart
ElderwoodChallenge.zip [drive.google.com]
Edited by Gand - July 11, 2025 12:04:38
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- Filippo2804
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- 2 posts
- Joined: Oct. 2024
- Offline
Hello,
This is my entry - Columnar Rock Tool. My main inspiration and reference were geological structures that can be found in Iceland, on British Isles or in some parts of USA. While igneous rock is cooling and contracting it can create such incredible forms. It looks more like a part of another planet or some fantasy world rather than a landscape we are familiar with. It definitely could be a part of the forests of Elderwood, creating some magical environments.
Tool takes simple geometry input from scene and transform it into rock structure. When I was working on it I tried to stand in position of a artist working inside engine. User experience, optimization and game-readiness were things as important for me as visuals. User can control it with bunch of parameters, which allow to adjust final output and art direct it.
Drive link(Unreal project, HDA file, source file, pdf presentation):
ColumnarRockTool [drive.google.com]
I invite you to watch videos I prepared.
Unreal Engine video:
Explanatory video:
Thank you and good luck for all participants
This is my entry - Columnar Rock Tool. My main inspiration and reference were geological structures that can be found in Iceland, on British Isles or in some parts of USA. While igneous rock is cooling and contracting it can create such incredible forms. It looks more like a part of another planet or some fantasy world rather than a landscape we are familiar with. It definitely could be a part of the forests of Elderwood, creating some magical environments.
Tool takes simple geometry input from scene and transform it into rock structure. When I was working on it I tried to stand in position of a artist working inside engine. User experience, optimization and game-readiness were things as important for me as visuals. User can control it with bunch of parameters, which allow to adjust final output and art direct it.
Drive link(Unreal project, HDA file, source file, pdf presentation):
ColumnarRockTool [drive.google.com]
I invite you to watch videos I prepared.
Unreal Engine video:
Explanatory video:
Thank you and good luck for all participants
Edited by Filippo2804 - July 10, 2025 19:59:13
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- timelessjang
- Member
- 7 posts
- Joined: Oct. 2020
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I’d like to share my submission for the 2025 Houdini Game Art Challenge.
This is a stylized procedural ruin generator created in Houdini Indie (v20.5) and used in Unreal Engine 5.4.
------------------Features include--------------------
* Ruin wall generator with switchable door/window/solid wall options
* Two different brick styles and adjustable wall size
* Optional fallen bricks and wall cutout variations
* Toggleable grass, ivy, flowers, and glowing runes
* Foliage decal created with COPS
* Vertex colors for wind animation in UE
Additionally, I used this Ruin Wall Generator to build a small scene, which I submitted to the Environment category of the challenge. Feel free to check it out there!
Unreal project folder, the HDA, and the Houdini project files [drive.google.com]
This is a stylized procedural ruin generator created in Houdini Indie (v20.5) and used in Unreal Engine 5.4.
------------------Features include--------------------
* Ruin wall generator with switchable door/window/solid wall options
* Two different brick styles and adjustable wall size
* Optional fallen bricks and wall cutout variations
* Toggleable grass, ivy, flowers, and glowing runes
* Foliage decal created with COPS
* Vertex colors for wind animation in UE
Additionally, I used this Ruin Wall Generator to build a small scene, which I submitted to the Environment category of the challenge. Feel free to check it out there!
Unreal project folder, the HDA, and the Houdini project files [drive.google.com]
Edited by timelessjang - July 14, 2025 23:02:18
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- LyohaSh
- Member
- 16 posts
- Joined: March 2017
- Online
Friends, I am glad to present my work for the Challenge.
I tried to create a special asset for artists so that when creating an environment they could use this asset to generate beautiful rocks with a waterfall. The idea was that the asset would do all the main work to generate the environment. The artist, in turn, would create only the main forms, as he imagines the future composition. I also understand very well that many artists who work on the environment are not very familiar with effects, so I tried to remove this moment from the pipeline. The artist does not need to go to the effects artist and ask him to make waterfalls for his environment. Waterfalls are created automatically based on the artist's sketches. I also tried to make many settings available so that the artist could create countless variations to his taste. This applies to the settings of the asset itself and the settings of the UE materials that are used in the asset. For the presentation, I generated several examples of the environment and tried to demonstrate different types of waterfalls so that you get the maximum idea of what things can be done.
I hope you like my work and find many useful and interesting solutions for yourself.
All materials in one archive 21Gb (UE5.5, .hip, .hda, manual, renders, references):
SideFX_Challenge.zip [drive.google.com]
I tried to create a special asset for artists so that when creating an environment they could use this asset to generate beautiful rocks with a waterfall. The idea was that the asset would do all the main work to generate the environment. The artist, in turn, would create only the main forms, as he imagines the future composition. I also understand very well that many artists who work on the environment are not very familiar with effects, so I tried to remove this moment from the pipeline. The artist does not need to go to the effects artist and ask him to make waterfalls for his environment. Waterfalls are created automatically based on the artist's sketches. I also tried to make many settings available so that the artist could create countless variations to his taste. This applies to the settings of the asset itself and the settings of the UE materials that are used in the asset. For the presentation, I generated several examples of the environment and tried to demonstrate different types of waterfalls so that you get the maximum idea of what things can be done.
I hope you like my work and find many useful and interesting solutions for yourself.
All materials in one archive 21Gb (UE5.5, .hip, .hda, manual, renders, references):
SideFX_Challenge.zip [drive.google.com]
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- luk4m4
- Member
- 2 posts
- Joined: April 2019
- Offline
Hi!
I'm happy to introduce you to my “NewByzance” project, as well as its pipeline developed for its “Undini” needs.
NewByzance is a smart procedural content generator, designed to create an entire “turnkey” environment with simple input primitives, combining the power of Houdini for intelligent scattering and Unreal's PCG for low-cost display.
Undini is a custom pipeline I've developed on the side, allowing me to bypass the Houdini Engine to have more control over the data I pass between Houdini and Unreal. It runs in background, and is driven from a Unreal widget. No need to keep going back and forth, and total control over the data communicated between the software.
Undini is open-source, and available here: https://github.com/luk4m4repo/luk4m4_Undini_framework [github.com]
For this project, my plan was clear: to have the most challenging procedural game enviro possible. To achieve this, I developed a whole range of tools on Houdini, from a simple UV wizard to a deck-generating multi-ray launcher. All in all, a whole lot of VEX. Handy for practicing!
All the wrangles have remained hard-coded in the Houdini project for lack of time to write an include file.
On Unreal, despite the reduced time available, I paid maximum attention to detail, keeping performance at the heart of my build. PCG limits drawcalls to a minimum and lets me customize my assets as needed in BPs. Very nice to use.
In the end, I did my best to be efficient but keep to my original intention, which was to have something technically interesting, innovative and pretty all in one, despite a full-time job as TD Houdini during the day, and the fact that I had to move in the middle of the competition (which messed up my schedule quite a bit). I learned a lot, didn't sleep much, but had a lot of fun!
I hope you'll find something in this project that interests you as much as it did me.
Don't hesitate to contact me on Linkedin if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them!
Here [drive.google.com] is the GDrive containing all the source files, .hip, UE ZIP, renders, and walkthrough videos.
Procedurally yours,
Luka Croisez Ventura
I'm happy to introduce you to my “NewByzance” project, as well as its pipeline developed for its “Undini” needs.
NewByzance is a smart procedural content generator, designed to create an entire “turnkey” environment with simple input primitives, combining the power of Houdini for intelligent scattering and Unreal's PCG for low-cost display.
Undini is a custom pipeline I've developed on the side, allowing me to bypass the Houdini Engine to have more control over the data I pass between Houdini and Unreal. It runs in background, and is driven from a Unreal widget. No need to keep going back and forth, and total control over the data communicated between the software.
Undini is open-source, and available here: https://github.com/luk4m4repo/luk4m4_Undini_framework [github.com]
For this project, my plan was clear: to have the most challenging procedural game enviro possible. To achieve this, I developed a whole range of tools on Houdini, from a simple UV wizard to a deck-generating multi-ray launcher. All in all, a whole lot of VEX. Handy for practicing!
All the wrangles have remained hard-coded in the Houdini project for lack of time to write an include file.
On Unreal, despite the reduced time available, I paid maximum attention to detail, keeping performance at the heart of my build. PCG limits drawcalls to a minimum and lets me customize my assets as needed in BPs. Very nice to use.
In the end, I did my best to be efficient but keep to my original intention, which was to have something technically interesting, innovative and pretty all in one, despite a full-time job as TD Houdini during the day, and the fact that I had to move in the middle of the competition (which messed up my schedule quite a bit). I learned a lot, didn't sleep much, but had a lot of fun!
I hope you'll find something in this project that interests you as much as it did me.
Don't hesitate to contact me on Linkedin if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them!
Here [drive.google.com] is the GDrive containing all the source files, .hip, UE ZIP, renders, and walkthrough videos.
Procedurally yours,
Luka Croisez Ventura
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- parrtizan
- Member
- 2 posts
- Joined: April 2022
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Hey, here's my Pillar Generator Tool.
The Pillar Generator Tool creates a variety of pillar styles inspired by Greek architecture, including end caps and decorative elements.
Key Features:
- 3 Pillar Styles
- Simple round pillar
- Pillar with segmented sections
- Pillar with segments and fluting
- Toggleable detail mode for adding edge damage
- Optional decorative elements for pillar caps
- Toggleable brick base for the bottom of the pillar
- Integrated ivy system for natural overgrowth effects
Houdini 20.5.613 Unreal 5.4.4
HDA: Your text to link here... [drive.google.com]
The Pillar Generator Tool creates a variety of pillar styles inspired by Greek architecture, including end caps and decorative elements.
Key Features:
- 3 Pillar Styles
- Simple round pillar
- Pillar with segmented sections
- Pillar with segments and fluting
- Toggleable detail mode for adding edge damage
- Optional decorative elements for pillar caps
- Toggleable brick base for the bottom of the pillar
- Integrated ivy system for natural overgrowth effects
Houdini 20.5.613 Unreal 5.4.4
HDA: Your text to link here... [drive.google.com]
Edited by parrtizan - July 14, 2025 03:23:09
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- SoloLera
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- 38 posts
- Joined: March 2025
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Hi! That`s my Skywoods project. Since I`m submitting the idea for 2 different categories, the explanation will be splitted into 2 forum branches to respect the rules. Hope I`ll manage to follow the general line though
Part 2.
Digital assets: paths.
Created bridges (or paths) assets because how else, when living on air?
Focused on the idea because staircases and ladders seem to be a chronic annoyance for architects and civil engineers. Simple idea, but extremely sensitive calculation. Spoiler: watching how the asset precisely recalculates steps number and height real-time feels like a miracle
:P
The general idea was to create light functional constructions. Pretty simple design to be able to add any amount of them and not to overload the image.
2 very basic assets: one for small heights with comfortable steps and another one with a ladder. Basic functionality, width changing, middle position varying.
I can imagine that with the asset development various replaceable handrails and some visually randomsing details can be added. Also some climbing foliage on them would add even more charm.
Video: https://youtu.be/NEnOssVwK0w [youtu.be]
Files:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iO8bgbwC5BTmwQFjpGuw0welFDmtlU1l?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
Part 2.
Digital assets: paths.
Created bridges (or paths) assets because how else, when living on air?
Focused on the idea because staircases and ladders seem to be a chronic annoyance for architects and civil engineers. Simple idea, but extremely sensitive calculation. Spoiler: watching how the asset precisely recalculates steps number and height real-time feels like a miracle
:PThe general idea was to create light functional constructions. Pretty simple design to be able to add any amount of them and not to overload the image.
2 very basic assets: one for small heights with comfortable steps and another one with a ladder. Basic functionality, width changing, middle position varying.
I can imagine that with the asset development various replaceable handrails and some visually randomsing details can be added. Also some climbing foliage on them would add even more charm.
Video: https://youtu.be/NEnOssVwK0w [youtu.be]
Files:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iO8bgbwC5BTmwQFjpGuw0welFDmtlU1l?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
Edited by SoloLera - July 13, 2025 13:09:38
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- wolfwood
- Member
- 4315 posts
- Joined: July 2005
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Hi, for my Game Art Tool submission I created Cappy's Quest.
The full details are available in the forum post here [www.sidefx.com].
To create this game I used Houdini to fully create all the art and level building tools in order to push the data into the Playdate console... sorry someone is knocking at the door.
The full details are available in the forum post here [www.sidefx.com].
To create this game I used Houdini to fully create all the art and level building tools in order to push the data into the Playdate console... sorry someone is knocking at the door.
if(coffees<2,round(float),float)
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- joshua_oberlaender
- Member
- 1 posts
- Joined: May 2023
- Online
Hey everyone!
This is my submission for the challenge. I made a rainpipe tool that comes with:
- generated player collision
- consistent texel density
- vertex colors with different masks for shading
- generated LODs
- environment interaction (fixations)
You can control whether a pipe should be openend for rain or not, with a variety of options. In the videos you get a more detailed explaination of how it works
Demo:
Thought Process:
Here are the HDA, the UE files and the 3 shots:
GoogleDrive [drive.google.com]
Shot01:
Shot02:
Shot03:
Thank you for reading and feel free to leave some feedback.
Good luck everyone!
This is my submission for the challenge. I made a rainpipe tool that comes with:
- generated player collision
- consistent texel density
- vertex colors with different masks for shading
- generated LODs
- environment interaction (fixations)
You can control whether a pipe should be openend for rain or not, with a variety of options. In the videos you get a more detailed explaination of how it works
Demo:
Thought Process:
Here are the HDA, the UE files and the 3 shots:
GoogleDrive [drive.google.com]
Shot01:
Shot02:
Shot03:
Thank you for reading and feel free to leave some feedback.
Good luck everyone!
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- Nuuk
- Member
- 9 posts
- Joined: April 2020
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Here's my Strangler Fig Generator. It was created to simulate this entangled banyan tree that “strangles” ruins, cliffs, or temples with its adaptive aerial roots, to enhance desolate, ancient, or overgrown wildscape scenes.
It's optimized, and with Lods and ucx collisions ready. All the hanging roots / leaf clusters were created in Houdini. It also includes companion elements like moss and wrapping roots for added environmental integration.
Unreal 5.5
Houdini 20.5.613
This video is a clean submission, showing how the submitted scene was built:
This shorter video used third-party environment assets, but only to demonstrate how the tool works in a game scene and how it interacts with environment objects:
Source files: https://1drv.ms/u/c/79453959d1dcf11e/EeY1l8gRd7lJkbAIyX-3V_wBDV1JMHLFu_N5nDxJNt4ZWQ?e=RDkfkV [1drv.ms]
Edited by Nuuk - July 13, 2025 23:58:45
Lei Wu
Technical Artist / Parametric Architect
Toronto
Open to work
Technical Artist / Parametric Architect
Toronto
Open to work
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- john.leo.dinass
- Member
- 1 posts
- Joined: Jan. 2024
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This is my Vine Growth Tool for Houdini Game Tool Challenge 2025 Here you can get my files ... [drive.google.com]
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- vicifx
- Member
- 39 posts
- Joined: Nov. 2019
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Hey everyone!
For this challenge I decided to create a building generator inspired by alpine architechture and folklore.
Here is the link to the project files and videos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KNhEvX0er9uStXL6YtqI-r3wXPIl97-4?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
For this challenge I decided to create a building generator inspired by alpine architechture and folklore.
Here is the link to the project files and videos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KNhEvX0er9uStXL6YtqI-r3wXPIl97-4?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
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- col bo
- Member
- 12 posts
- Joined: May 2018
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Hey everyone!
I'm really excited to be part of the 2025 SideFX Game Art Challenge with a procedural tool that I’ve adapted for the contest — even though I’ve actually been working on it for quite some time. It’s a fully procedural house generator built in Houdini and brought into Unreal Engine.
If you're into procedural logic and Houdini-driven tools, I’d be happy to hear your thoughts!
The core idea behind the setup is based on assigning facing and type attributes to different elements of the house (walls, windows, roof parts, trims, etc.) — using facing i was able to create condition in which any architectural elements are being spawned or not, creating a solid and versatile logic.
At some point I figured it would be nice to add a procedural ivy system too — something that could grow dynamically around the structure based on which surfaces are exposed. The main structure is based by a "Find Shortest Path" node, combined with a collision skin of the building to simulate a natural spread, taking in count which part to avoid and which not.
To bring the result into Unreal Engine, I used a workflow I picked up from one of the procedural modeling courses I took in the past: I built a separate Houdini loader file that reads the cached version of the house, splits the geometry by "type", and exports each element as an FBX. That way the mesh stays clean and modular, and if anything changes, I can just re-cache the main file, re-export, and reload in Unreal — fast and straightforward.
Along the time i've been studing procedural modeling in different courses, and studying as much techcnic as possible to be able to create powerfull tools like this ones.
As a bit of personal feedback: I do wish I had more time to refine certain details — especially when it comes to the Unreal side of things like shaders and performance optimization. In particular, the procedural ivy setup, while capable of generating, vellum simulating, and exporting a plant in just a few minutes, could definitely be faster. With a bit more time, I think the waiting time could have been at least cut in half.
I'm always really glad to take part in these challenges — they make me feel connected to the whole SideFX and 3D world, even if I’m just sitting in front of my PC. And even though I don't always have much time to dedicate to personal projects outside of work, these contests are always super rewarding.
Good luck to everyone taking part, and I’d love to hear any feedback or impressions!
link to HDA, Houdini's hips, UE project:
Drive Folder [drive.google.com]
I'm really excited to be part of the 2025 SideFX Game Art Challenge with a procedural tool that I’ve adapted for the contest — even though I’ve actually been working on it for quite some time. It’s a fully procedural house generator built in Houdini and brought into Unreal Engine.
If you're into procedural logic and Houdini-driven tools, I’d be happy to hear your thoughts!
The core idea behind the setup is based on assigning facing and type attributes to different elements of the house (walls, windows, roof parts, trims, etc.) — using facing i was able to create condition in which any architectural elements are being spawned or not, creating a solid and versatile logic.
At some point I figured it would be nice to add a procedural ivy system too — something that could grow dynamically around the structure based on which surfaces are exposed. The main structure is based by a "Find Shortest Path" node, combined with a collision skin of the building to simulate a natural spread, taking in count which part to avoid and which not.
To bring the result into Unreal Engine, I used a workflow I picked up from one of the procedural modeling courses I took in the past: I built a separate Houdini loader file that reads the cached version of the house, splits the geometry by "type", and exports each element as an FBX. That way the mesh stays clean and modular, and if anything changes, I can just re-cache the main file, re-export, and reload in Unreal — fast and straightforward.
Along the time i've been studing procedural modeling in different courses, and studying as much techcnic as possible to be able to create powerfull tools like this ones.
As a bit of personal feedback: I do wish I had more time to refine certain details — especially when it comes to the Unreal side of things like shaders and performance optimization. In particular, the procedural ivy setup, while capable of generating, vellum simulating, and exporting a plant in just a few minutes, could definitely be faster. With a bit more time, I think the waiting time could have been at least cut in half.
I'm always really glad to take part in these challenges — they make me feel connected to the whole SideFX and 3D world, even if I’m just sitting in front of my PC. And even though I don't always have much time to dedicate to personal projects outside of work, these contests are always super rewarding.
Good luck to everyone taking part, and I’d love to hear any feedback or impressions!
link to HDA, Houdini's hips, UE project:
Drive Folder [drive.google.com]
Edited by col bo - July 14, 2025 18:52:11
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- Robin Cai
- Member
- 19 posts
- Joined: Sept. 2020
- Offline
Hello there!
I have made a castle generator inspired by Stormveil Castle of the game Elden Ring as my submission to Best Game Art Tool. More details in the video!
Project File (unreal, hda, reference, render results):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oVlZQ2hUAktTSxUqFui4rwCrW3BnUzec/view?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
Unreal Engine version: 5.6
I have made a castle generator inspired by Stormveil Castle of the game Elden Ring as my submission to Best Game Art Tool. More details in the video!
Project File (unreal, hda, reference, render results):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oVlZQ2hUAktTSxUqFui4rwCrW3BnUzec/view?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
Unreal Engine version: 5.6
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- rje683
- Member
- 1 posts
- Joined: July 2023
- Offline
Howdy! So here is my tool that I created for the Game Art Challenge using Houdini Indie 20.5.332 and Unreal Engine 5.4.4
The Modular Piece Ruins Builder!
This is a HDA that is meant to be used inside of Houdini to create high-poly, very art directable, game ready, modular pieces.
This features of the tool are as follows:
-8 Total Pieces including; Wall, Broken Wall, Tile, Broken Tile, Stairs, Archway, Window, and Floor
-Procedural Exporting and Wedging
-Control over Each Pieces’ Stone Shapes, Sizes, Fracturing, and many other highly art directable parameters
-All Pieces have UVs, UCX Collisions, and baked Vertex Colors
-Red Vertex Color can be used to add a Fill Material
-Each Stone has a unique Green Vertex Color which can be remapped to add color variation in Engine
-Tiles and Broken Tiles have Red and Green Vertex Colors mapped from 0-1 on the X and Y axis respectively, allowing them to be remapped in Engine to create Tile variations with only Material Instances and without having to create new Geo
-Pieces are Set Up to use Triplanar Projection for Texturing, allowing them to be scaled if needed without compromising Texture Quality
-Each Exported Piece gets its own baked Mesh Map, which includes an AO Map, Curvature Map, and Seams Map, all baked into one Texture
-Can create 3 Different Textures including a Rock, Dirt, and a Mossy Rock
-Each material exports out a Base Color, Normal, Roughness, AO, and ORM Map
-Can create fill geo pieces to blend areas between Modular Pieces in Engine
Showcase Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jojuBiZYyyQ [www.youtube.com]
Demo and Explanation Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUZXFTnd3s [www.youtube.com]
Google Drive Link with HDAs, Renders, and UE Project : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12OKTlogCGWHUvid8Upm9UNpiRvwGZYZ9 [drive.google.com]
Google Drive Link with HDAs, Renders, and UE Project [drive.google.com]
Notes:
When creating this tool, I created 3 helper HDAs to assemble my final HDA. So if you use the tool, make sure you download and install all 4 HDAs. However, you will still only need to create and use the Modular Ruins Piece Builder.
Personally, I am quite proud of what I was able to create for this challenge. I had to solve a lot of complicated problems, from figuring out how to procedurally select uv seams on high poly meshes to never having used PDG or TOPS networks before, but I was able to learn a lot and improve my Houdini skills! For some personal feedback, I originally wanted to create a broken variation of all of the pieces, but I was unable to do so because of the deadline, so I would love to continue working on it to create all of those variations. I also wish I was able to optimize the tool more as it can take a minute to cook in some areas. But all in all, I think I can call this tool a success.
Thank you all for reading and considering my tool!
The Modular Piece Ruins Builder!
This is a HDA that is meant to be used inside of Houdini to create high-poly, very art directable, game ready, modular pieces.
This features of the tool are as follows:
-8 Total Pieces including; Wall, Broken Wall, Tile, Broken Tile, Stairs, Archway, Window, and Floor
-Procedural Exporting and Wedging
-Control over Each Pieces’ Stone Shapes, Sizes, Fracturing, and many other highly art directable parameters
-All Pieces have UVs, UCX Collisions, and baked Vertex Colors
-Red Vertex Color can be used to add a Fill Material
-Each Stone has a unique Green Vertex Color which can be remapped to add color variation in Engine
-Tiles and Broken Tiles have Red and Green Vertex Colors mapped from 0-1 on the X and Y axis respectively, allowing them to be remapped in Engine to create Tile variations with only Material Instances and without having to create new Geo
-Pieces are Set Up to use Triplanar Projection for Texturing, allowing them to be scaled if needed without compromising Texture Quality
-Each Exported Piece gets its own baked Mesh Map, which includes an AO Map, Curvature Map, and Seams Map, all baked into one Texture
-Can create 3 Different Textures including a Rock, Dirt, and a Mossy Rock
-Each material exports out a Base Color, Normal, Roughness, AO, and ORM Map
-Can create fill geo pieces to blend areas between Modular Pieces in Engine
Showcase Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jojuBiZYyyQ [www.youtube.com]
Demo and Explanation Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUZXFTnd3s [www.youtube.com]
Google Drive Link with HDAs, Renders, and UE Project : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12OKTlogCGWHUvid8Upm9UNpiRvwGZYZ9 [drive.google.com]
Google Drive Link with HDAs, Renders, and UE Project [drive.google.com]
Notes:
When creating this tool, I created 3 helper HDAs to assemble my final HDA. So if you use the tool, make sure you download and install all 4 HDAs. However, you will still only need to create and use the Modular Ruins Piece Builder.
Personally, I am quite proud of what I was able to create for this challenge. I had to solve a lot of complicated problems, from figuring out how to procedurally select uv seams on high poly meshes to never having used PDG or TOPS networks before, but I was able to learn a lot and improve my Houdini skills! For some personal feedback, I originally wanted to create a broken variation of all of the pieces, but I was unable to do so because of the deadline, so I would love to continue working on it to create all of those variations. I also wish I was able to optimize the tool more as it can take a minute to cook in some areas. But all in all, I think I can call this tool a success.
Thank you all for reading and considering my tool!
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- maitlandvt
- Member
- 46 posts
- Joined: April 2024
- Offline
Well, the idea was to make a Mushroom City generator. Which, i basically did, but Unreal Editor has managed to melt down 2 computers, and i can't get it to actually run long enough to make a video...
I will upload HDAs and hips and pictures and my unreal project.
Here is the basic outline (with an outline post process in unreal). I basically thought of it as a giant mushroom tower in the center, and then spiral streets which squiggle out from the center.
Here is shot from under the tower.
I made a few different assets which are supposed to work together.
A mushroom house generator can bake out variations,
A spiral street generator can instance the houses (and it should also be able to carve into or project onto terrain, but right now the terrain is just a flat grid.). This was built with spiral+solver node with a relax/blur trick.
I made the mushroom tower generator by modifying the spiral sop to implement an "atom spiral" which i found a formula here:
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Atom-Spiral.html [mathworld.wolfram.com]
I also started a plant/flower tool
And a cops based mushroom tool which is intended for baking out trippy texture maps for the mushrooms.
Here is a google drive where I'm uploading all the files I've made for this.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dfyteAowxI8LKljeDInvzWrx0xe4nDI3?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
I don't know if i can make a video in unreal tho, my computer just does a hard shutdown/reset after about a few minutes of unreal editor. it's sad.
I will upload HDAs and hips and pictures and my unreal project.
Here is the basic outline (with an outline post process in unreal). I basically thought of it as a giant mushroom tower in the center, and then spiral streets which squiggle out from the center.
Here is shot from under the tower.
I made a few different assets which are supposed to work together.
A mushroom house generator can bake out variations,
A spiral street generator can instance the houses (and it should also be able to carve into or project onto terrain, but right now the terrain is just a flat grid.). This was built with spiral+solver node with a relax/blur trick.
I made the mushroom tower generator by modifying the spiral sop to implement an "atom spiral" which i found a formula here:
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Atom-Spiral.html [mathworld.wolfram.com]
I also started a plant/flower tool
And a cops based mushroom tool which is intended for baking out trippy texture maps for the mushrooms.
Here is a google drive where I'm uploading all the files I've made for this.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dfyteAowxI8LKljeDInvzWrx0xe4nDI3?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
I don't know if i can make a video in unreal tho, my computer just does a hard shutdown/reset after about a few minutes of unreal editor. it's sad.
Edited by maitlandvt - July 14, 2025 23:13:39
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- Ivan Gadioli
- Member
- 1 posts
- Joined: March 2020
- Offline
Hello all! My name is Ivan Gadioli and this is my submission fot the Challenge
The piece is a column generator, where you choose the design of each segment, how many segments you want, in how many places it will be broken or eroded, whether you want just one part or the pillar already in the ground, all of this procedurally. What you need is 1 2d geometry for each type of segment you want and to choose whether you want it with vines or not.
Images in Unreal:
This is the all the Geo generated:
Network for the creating all the variations, fbx, materials, etc:
Colision test:
https://youtu.be/guFSgvyfKZA [youtu.be]
Explanation:
https://youtu.be/NBZxn-tu5P4 [youtu.be]
Project Arquive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17o1PhjtHR557eRlPHDdbehIeUaSanQsN?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
The piece is a column generator, where you choose the design of each segment, how many segments you want, in how many places it will be broken or eroded, whether you want just one part or the pillar already in the ground, all of this procedurally. What you need is 1 2d geometry for each type of segment you want and to choose whether you want it with vines or not.
Images in Unreal:
This is the all the Geo generated:
Network for the creating all the variations, fbx, materials, etc:
Image Not Found
Colision test:
https://youtu.be/guFSgvyfKZA [youtu.be]
Explanation:
https://youtu.be/NBZxn-tu5P4 [youtu.be]
Project Arquive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17o1PhjtHR557eRlPHDdbehIeUaSanQsN?usp=sharing [drive.google.com]
Edited by Ivan Gadioli - yesterday 18:20:35
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- mialana
- Member
- 1 posts
- Joined: Feb. 2025
- Online
Hello!
My project files and demo video are hosted at this Github link: https://github.com/mialana/houdini-ruins-terrain-toolset.git [github.com]
Here is also a quick write-up for my project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jSWnZ_gDXJQLv0jFUekZ-3nnOXG32zWq/view?usp=drive_link [drive.google.com]
My project files and demo video are hosted at this Github link: https://github.com/mialana/houdini-ruins-terrain-toolset.git [github.com]
Here is also a quick write-up for my project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jSWnZ_gDXJQLv0jFUekZ-3nnOXG32zWq/view?usp=drive_link [drive.google.com]
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