Sahar Yousefi: Exploring procedural animation and simulation in Houdini

Could you describe the project you worked on? 

Sahar: ‘The project aimed to develop a procedural tool capable of generating various jellyfish, from geometry creation to simulation, animation, texturing, and rendering, all in a procedural manner. It was part of my second-year block B project, where students are encouraged to choose a topic, conduct research, and devise the most effective workflow to achieve their goals. My focus was on creating a tool that could handle each step procedurally to maximise flexibility and creative potential.’ 

Could you elaborate on the workflow you developed for this project? 

Sahar: ‘The workflow involved a lot of research and experimentation with different methods to achieve the desired results. I divided the jellyfish into five main parts and designed the tool to allow users to create and combine these parts in various ways, providing a wide range of possible combinations.’  

‘The animation aspect was particularly challenging, as jellyfish have diverse movements. I aimed to offer users control over parameters such as speed, bell movement, and tentacle and oral arms motion, with randomised patterns to mimic the natural behaviour of jellyfish.’  

Can you tell us about any issues you faced and how you addressed them? 

Sahar: ‘One issue was the performance of the tool when simulating complex geometry like the oral arms of the jellyfish. This required a significant amount of computational resources and time. I had to optimise the simulation process by simplifying the geometry and implementing techniques to reduce processing time without sacrificing accuracy.’  

‘For rendering, I had to overcome my lack of experience with Houdini and optimise performance to achieve the desired quality within a reasonable timeframe. Collaboration and research were instrumental in finding solutions to these challenges.’ 

What are you proud of, and what do you want to learn more about? 

Sahar: ‘I'm proud of overcoming the challenges involved in animating the jellyfish in a procedural manner, as it was a significant technical feat for me.’ 

‘I'm eager to delve deeper into VFX using Houdini and explore its full potential. My goal is to continue honing my skills and pushing the boundaries of procedural animation and simulation in the realm of visual effects.’ 

If you want to learn more or connect with Sahar, you can find her on LinkedIn and Artstation. Sahar will also be one of the students showcasing her work during Everything Procedural Conference.