Hi! I am a total beginner in Houdini, trying to replicate the Mandala-style magic shield effect in Doctor Strange.

I can make concentric rotating shapes using the Add SOP and the Circle SOP, but I am a little stuck on all the crazy glyphs (think Klingon alphabet) that surround the effect.

I know I can make a large texture in Photoshop or Illustrator and just rotate a textured quad… but is there a more procedural way to do it?

I am especially interested in type workflows because I would like to eventually design GMUNK-style FUIs with Houdini.


Thanks,
Nick

Illustrator files import into houdini as primitive curves. This allows for any sort of geometry operations.

Plus it may be worth seeking out a font with interesting (non-latin) glyphs in it. I seem to recall seeing a Matrix-style font knocking around somewhere, or you could use Korean or something similar. Then you've got plenty of control of how it looks from within Houdini, rather than sticking with static imported artwork.