Hello;

I am trying to understand the way of making explosions effects in Houdini, you know like Maya's fluid effects but I don't get what I want. I use particles to make them.

I have two questions,

1. How can I assign the glow effect to my explosions and also the light at detonation?

2. Is there any other way of creating these kinds of effects in Houdini?

Thank You.
Best Regards.

as long as we talk about particles the issue is straightforward. You must prepare particles simulation for your exploision.

But later on cames the tricky part. Particle is a POINT in space. It has, for its own, NO surface like qualities. It is your trouble to turn it to something what can interact with light and this way would be visible in render. There are some options about it in Houdini and there is no simple answer which is the best. All depends on your needs.

- 3d texture
- metaballs
- volume shader rendering
- simply geo with funcy shader
- sprites with animated textures
… ?

On the other hand particles can get, carry, change during its lifetime some variables which after all can be used by you to control colour, opacity, glow-like effect etc etc. But this is end of the story. For a beginnig try to do
some i3d tutorials placed in Houdini's doc and SESI webside. Sorry, but it hard to be more specific on this. Lots of people here and on odforce got some pieces on volumetric effects… try it.

cheers,
SY.

Wow!!

Very fast, thank you,

Can you tell me more about 3d texture?

Everything you need to know to start playing with 3d texture is in the tutorial. Look in to Houdini's help cards:

“hdox/houdini/content/base/tutorials/fm_10_guide_effects_1022337.html”

more specific questions for sure will find the answers here


cheers,
SY.

Hello;

Thank You “SYmek”, but I can not found this part “fm_10_guide_effects_1022337.html”

I have Houdini 8.0.383 commercial version installed.

What can I do?

Thank You.

Hi mmtpour,

If you use particles for your explosion try to use metaballs, there is a help card about to do a shockwave ( I love those help cards…and people think there is no help in Houdini, tttt ). Expand it to 3D and you should get something in no time. Thereafter, you will need to get a shader… smoke type shader with some glow, let say based on the $LIFE attribute of the particles and/or any customized attribute.
I am not saying it is easy, some trial and error is needed there.

mmtpour
Hello;

Thank You “SYmek”, but I can not found this part “fm_10_guide_effects_1022337.html”

I have Houdini 8.0.383 commercial version installed.

What can I do?

Thank You.

Simple find i3d tutorial in tutorials section in Houdini Help! First page -> tutorials-> chapter “Volumetric Effects”

godd luck

Yes my mistake ops:
Thank you “SYmek” and “Le_monkey_butt”.


Can you guys tell me how much learning Houdini is going to cost me (to be a pro.. Animator); in US or Canada? (./“$MONEY”) :!:

Regards.

Hi
I dont think it will cost you money. Ok you can say it will if you learn Houdini full time and you can go and work elsewhere
It may cost you some time, but it is an investment. So like everything; pratice until your hand or/and mouse bleeds Dont be afraid to ask if you dont know the forum is here for that.
Put a nice reel together and hopefully a studio will pick you.

Ok;

So its going to cost me some TIME, yes the most important one. Thanks.

Now, you know i'v finished the “Volumetric Effects” tutorial. I know now how the I3d works but how can I animate it! (The “cloudGen” (meta)).
I can't see it in my render; why?

I always see this:


:? (A little actually)


Any help :wink: ???

Thanks.
Best Regards.

Ok, ok I got it; :idea:

The $F yes it worked

Filename. $F.i3d <- The code
Thanks any way but I am not going to close this topic because I still have more questions and maybe you guys could help me.

Hello;

And Welcome to the second part:

Ok, please look at the picture everyone; As you can see I have a ramp color POp assigned to my particles and also a material to my meta particles, So that I could see it in my render, and I have setup a I3d generator Too. But wait, why I can't see that in my render, as you can see.

You know I don't think I've done the right thing, and this is normal right?


Can some one help me, please?


Thank You.
Regards.

I can be wrong but.. maybe you need to transfert attributes from metapolys to i3d texture color….

No i dont think so.
What can i do?

all depents on shader! If it uses Cd attrib. from metaball you're ok, and the problem is somewhere else. But this kind of things is not automatic (unless shader do that)! Shader must be designed to use geo attrib. If it uses its own colour, the effect is like yours.

I can be wrong but I also cannot see any shading on your trail. It can be motionblur or “no-details” shader/i3d settings or whatever… does it interact with light at all? Where does its colour came from?

Share a hip file

SY.

here is the .hip file.

what do you suggest ?

Thanks.

The problem is that you are using the default i3d shaders shiped with Houdini.
These shaders doesn't use color or alpha, from your particles.
You have to develop your custom shaders by yourself.
First you need and i3d shaders that saves both Alpha and Cd attributes, and then develop a fog shaders or surface shaders, depending how you are rendering you volumetrics, that use these attributes to control the color and density of the fog.
Maybe this helps you:
http://www.sidefx.com/exchange/info.php?fileid=186&versionid=186 [sidefx.com]

I don't uderstand why SESI doesn't include a decent i3d shader. Maybe the same problem as with the glass shader

hope this helps.

yep! Lisux is right. Sorry, but this is not Maya Fluids. Everything must be made step by step on your own… In Maya it would be the same if someone hadn't dacided to make “fluid sampler” on top of the system…

loops, samples and so on!

cheers,
SY.

PS SESI should include decent shaders? I agree! Who else will to that!?

thanks guys.

im going to try that


Regards.