🎉Velocity Forces has been UPGRADED!🎉
Same great content as before and MORE!
➡️ Now in 4K 💪🏻
➡️ Vellum sim builds added!
➡️ Updated workflows
➡️ Updated illustrations and explanations
🔗 Link in bio 🔗
#houdini #houdinifx #houdinischool #fendrafx #velocityforces #mdcommunity #mdcommunity3d #vfx #visualeffects #digitalart #class #learning #vellum #particles #rbd #pyrosolver
FFX Collection NOW AVAILABLE!
🔗🔗🔗 Link in bio 🔗🔗🔗
A simple yet powerful Houdini HDA plugin. This collection includes a wide range of scene builds for intermediate Houdini users who want to learn more areas of the software, especially those interested in VEX coding and curious about different workflows.
The FFX Collection includes features such as a geometry components explainer graphic, organized and labeled network boxes, easy to use UI, and options to create the builds with helpful annotated notes or without. These builds are also categorized by the primary technique used to create each build, making it easy to find areas you’d like to focus on.
The HDA includes FLIP, POP, RBD, Vellum, SOPs, VOPs, VEX, COPs, advection setups, particles, volumetrics, fluid, cloth, two-way coupling, matrices, LOPs, Karma, and MaterialX. With over 50 builds, this collection aims to offer you many options.
#houdini #houdinifx #houdinikarma #houdiniparticles #fendrafx #volumetrics #particlefx #particles #particlesystem #learning #houdinischool #vfx #visualeffects #mdcommunity #mdcommunity3d #motiondesign #animation #3d #3dart #simulation #digitalart #digital @sidefxhoudini@dmalosangeles@lahoudiniusers@gridmarkets@houdini.school
This looks really useful David Torno! 👏 @davidtornovfx has been assisting @keentools with refining and testing their new public beta Houdini plugin, GeoTracker. “GeoTracker is a fully integrated matchmove tool for geometry-based object and camera tracking in Houdini. Capture animation from 2D footage directly inside your scene with zero app switching. Built for VFX artists, motion designers, and generalists.”
David Torno is a self-taught visual effects professional with over two decades of experience. David has worked on a variety of projects for DC Comics, Linkin Park, Disney, Microsoft, Paramount, Google, BET, Marvel, ComicCon, Amazon, ABC, and more. He is also one of our instructors, check out his courses at Houdini.School.
Join our Discord to meet many Houdini artists worldwide.
Link in bio.
#sidefxhoudini #fxartist #procedural #geotracker #computerart
Collection of all my GeoTracker test tracks so far.
I plan to do more fun example clips as I get free time.
Tasks I’ve found it can be useful for (so far):
- Rigid Object Tracking
- Tracked Camera extraction (when a track camera not supplied to artists, assist in scene recreation)
- Camera focal length estimation
- Motion extraction (handheld camera, wave generator, character sway)
- Motion for collision geo
- Motion for simulation emitters
- Aligning 3D geometry ( backplate projection, shadow/light catcher, 3D holdout mattes)
- Unique 3D velocity fields based on footage motion
The list keeps growing each time I use GeoTracker.
Now that @keentools GeoTracker is in public beta, go and check it out, it’s a fun, easy to use tracker.
Full disclosure too, Keen Tools did commission me to record the tutorial media for the Quick Start and Deep Dive guides.
#houdini #keentools #geotracker
GeoTracker used to extract a tracked camera, then I built proxy geo of the environment based on that camera perspective for sim collisions, and shadow catching.
Vellum grains were then used for the “dirt’plosion”.
This plugin is so simple to use, yet wields such great results quickly, that making FX clips like these are fun. I get to focus on the creative part much more.
I should mention that all of the examples I’ve posted so far are rendered in camera with Karma XPU. In some cases “comp” (being used very loosely here) was done with Copernicus, but mostly the clips were rendered straight from Karma XPU as is, backplate and all.
Full disclosure too, Keen Tools did commission me to record the tutorial media for the Quick Start and Deep Dive guides.
#houdini #keentools #geotracker
Using GeoTracker for driving collision objects is pretty powerful. You can track a proxy geo, and then apply the track data to a high res hero asset, or even a completely different geo or camera if you just want the motion in world space.
In this example a proxy truck geo was used as a collider for FLIP and POPs sims.
While hard to see in this particular example, the proxy also doubled as a projection surface for the truck in the backplate. This means relighting and shadow catchers can also be done.
I know in design projects there’s always the need for some kind of rigid object interaction in a scene. Having a tool like GeoTracker helps so much for shots like this. All without leaving Houdini.
#houdini #keentools #geotracker
Some more early testing I did.
For many months now, I have been playing around, and assisting Keen Tools with refining, and testing their new Houdini plugin, GeoTracker.
Straight from the website…. “GeoTracker is a fully integrated matchmove tool for geometry-based object and camera tracking in Houdini. Capture animation from 2D footage directly inside your scene with zero app switching. Built for VFX artists, motion designers, and generalists.”
After using this tracker for months now, I can honestly say that it will be a tool I use on the regular, just to quickly get track data for sim setups. Not just colliders, and emitters alone, but also just natural motion in general. One example is the the age old trick of 2D tracking handheld footage for that handheld motion, well now it’s possible in 3D space.
Plus I can get quick camera tracks as well. It’s a crazy plugin.
I’m honestly loving this plugin, because I don’t have to leave Houdini to use it. It’s such a natural addition to my workspace.
Full disclosure too, Keen Tools did commission me to record the tutorial media for the Quick Start and Deep Dive guides.
#houdini #keentools #geotracker
Another test setup I did during the Alpha.
For many months now, I have been playing around, and assisting Keen Tools with refining, and testing their new Houdini plugin, GeoTracker.
Straight from the website…. “GeoTracker is a fully integrated matchmove tool for geometry-based object and camera tracking in Houdini. Capture animation from 2D footage directly inside your scene with zero app switching. Built for VFX artists, motion designers, and generalists.”
After using this tracker for months now, I can honestly say that it will be a tool I use on the regular, just to quickly get track data for sim setups. Not just colliders, and emitters alone, but also just natural motion in general. One example is the the age old trick of 2D tracking handheld footage for that handheld motion, well now it’s possible in 3D space.
Plus I can get quick camera tracks as well. It’s a crazy plugin.
I’m honestly loving this plugin, because I don’t have to leave Houdini to use it. It’s such a natural addition to my workspace.
Full disclosure too, Keen Tools did commission me to record the tutorial media for the Quick Start and Deep Dive guides.
#houdini #keentools #geotracker
For many months now, I have been playing around, and assisting Keen Tools with refining, and testing their new Houdini plugin, GeoTracker.
Straight from the website…. “GeoTracker is a fully integrated matchmove tool for geometry-based object and camera tracking in Houdini. Capture animation from 2D footage directly inside your scene with zero app switching. Built for VFX artists, motion designers, and generalists.”
After using this tracker for months now, I can honestly say that it will be a tool I use on the regular, just to quickly get track data for sim setups. Not just colliders, and emitters alone, but also just natural motion in general. One example is the the age old trick of 2D tracking handheld footage for that handheld motion, well now it’s possible in 3D space.
Plus I can get quick camera tracks as well. It’s a crazy plugin.
I’m honestly loving this plugin, because I don’t have to leave Houdini to use it. It’s such a natural addition to my workspace.
Full disclosure too, Keen Tools did commission me to record the tutorial media for the Quick Start and Deep Dive guides.
#houdini #keentools #geotracker
Here are most of the example side-by-side wedging tests I showed in my Intro to MPM class last weekend. I rigged up a wedge system that I could run through all the MPM key Behaviors, and each related parameter for that behavior. Phase was the only parameter I didn’t run since I only setup for a single phase. Maybe next time.
I also noticed after the fact my auto comma insertion function messed up on my particle counts in the first clip. The resolutions are ~1K, ~13K, ~204K and ~1.6M
I did initial scale tests first from 0.5 to 5 for object scale, and those above particle resolutions to find a starting point for quality. I settled for 2.5M scale, and ~1.6M particles for the tests, and ultimately my jello class example.
With MPM though you want to hit at least ~20M particles or higher to get the accuracy and detail of what this solver can do. It’s not aimed at low res work as what I’m showing here. Most of Side Fx’s examples are in the 40M + particle range. And take around 10 minutes a frame to sim on a 4090 RTX GPU as a reference. MPM needs beefy resources. #houdini #fendrafx #gnomonschool
Last weekend I taught “Simulating Matter: Intro To MPM” for the Houdini Hive Ignite 2026 event at Gnomon School.
Lots of great students, and wonderful new people to meet as always. Thanks to Anthony and Marco at Gnomon for their assistance with setting up, and of course a great thank you to Debra Issac and Side Fx for the opportunity to participate in this event for a second year.
#houdini #houdinihive #gnomonschool #fendrafx #houdinischool
