How does a massive shipping container behave when it crashes into the ocean? 🌊🚢
In this simulation, I experimented with different fluid dynamics, white water setups, and rendering techniques in Houdini to create a realistic ocean impact. While the final result didn’t fully capture the cinematic feel I aimed for, it was a valuable learning process.
By testing both manual white water setups and Houdini’s built-in solver, I explored different approaches to balance foam, splash, and wave behavior. This project helped refine techniques for large-scale water simulations and their interaction with solid objects.”*
Adjusting Container Buoyancy
🔍 Observations:
✔ Initially, I animated the Density parameter to gradually increase, expecting the container to sink after floating for a while.
✔ However, this had no noticeable effect on buoyancy.
✔ As an alternative, I adjusted Feedback Scale, which successfully influenced the container’s interaction with the water and achieved the desired sinking effect.
White Water Generation Using Speed & Turbulence
🔍 Observations:
✔ I extracted particles based on water speed and vorticity to simulate splashes and foam.
✔ This method worked well for distant shots, where foam appears as airborne spray.
✔ However, in close-up views, it failed to generate foam on the water surface, causing an unnatural look.
Combining Custom White Water with Houdini’s White Water Solver
🔍 Observations:
✔ To fix the issue where foam only formed in the air and not on the water surface, I ran an additional White Water simulation using Houdini’s built-in solver.
✔ I then combined both foam simulations to balance airborne splashes with surface foam.
✔ This hybrid approach improved the overall realism, making the interaction between the container and water look more natural.
Final Rendering with Karma
🔍 Observations:
✔ The final render was done using Karma Renderer.
✔ Unfortunately, the result didn’t fully match my expectations in terms of realism.
✔ I realized I need to explore more advanced shading techniques to achieve a more natural look for water and foam.
💡 Next Step: Studying Karma shading and water rendering techniques to improve future simulations.