LogInJeremy YeoKhoo experimented with the software's new Muscle and Tissue system.
Lead Rigger at Digital Domain Jeremy YeoKhoo has recently experimented with Houdini's new Muscles and Tissue system, introduced with the Houdini 20 release in late 2023, employing it to set up an intricate, anatomically-correct shoulder girdle rig.
For those unfamiliar, the Muscles and Tissue system allows you to import polygonal models, generate a multilayered simulation that mimics realistic muscle movements and skin effects from that geometry, and then export the simulation to your high-resolution geometry for integration into your shots. The system was designed to easily import models and animations from any source and rapidly configure a simulation with high-level SOP-based HDA nodes.
Utilizing the system, Jeremy has achieved a fully-functional setup 100% in Houdini, proving that a high-quality anatomical rig, whether realistic or stylized, can be made without any additional programs or add-ons. Going forward, the creator plans to bake the deformations into Houdini's ML deformer through a quasi-static tweak to the Vellum Solver.
"The key takeaway from this exercise proves that a high-quality anatomical rig (realistic or cartoony) can be achieved without third-party software," noted Jeremy. "The new system makes it straightforward to implement, and being a vellum solver makes it extendable to other creative applications, which is just great. Credit to Andy van Straten's muscle and skin model from his tutorial in CG Circuit."
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