Realistic Tree Simulations in Houdini

Mohammed Kamal Ahmed has recently shared an article on his recent project focused on tree modeling and simulating dynamic movements in Houdini.

The artist, working as a Houdini Technical Director and as a Programmer, designed a new method for the efficient simulation of trunks and branches. The method is based on soft-body simulation and dynamic constraint in Houdini for the most accurate and art-directable results. The developer states that this simulation method is significantly more efficient because trees are broken into smaller parts.

The original goal was to make a realistic ree simulation shot based on real footage with the help of procedurally generated models created in SpeedTree. The artist wanted to get better at dealing with large-scale shots and working with different materials like metal, wires, and concrete.

You can learn more about the project here.