FX simulations

About FX simulations

A Houdini FX simulation recreates physical phenomena that are too dangerous, expensive or simply impossible to shoot: fire, smoke, explosions, splashing liquid, collapsing buildings or swirling particles. VFX studios, film and series productions, ad agencies and brands need them for spectacular moments and product shots alike, such as a drink bursting from the bottle in slow motion. This specialty is part of the Film, Animation & VFX category on hi-3d.

FX artists mostly work in Houdini, using its Pyro solver for fire and smoke, FLIP for liquids, RBD for destruction and its particle systems, occasionally turning to EmberGen or Blender for lighter jobs. Rendering happens in Karma, Redshift, Arnold or Mantra. Depending on your pipeline, you receive multilayer EXR sequences with separate passes for compositing, VDB or Alembic caches to light in-house, or fully rendered shots ready for the edit. To get it right, the artist needs plate footage and camera tracking data, the 3D scene or asset involved, real-world scale, exact timing and video reference of the effect you have in mind. Let them know your target frame rate and resolution up front, as both affect simulation settings.

On hi-3d, browse the simulation services offered by artists, compare reels, rates and turnaround, then invite someone whose specialty matches your effect, whether fluids, pyro or destruction. In the project conversation you first approve a low-resolution version of the motion, then revision rounds and the high-resolution sim lead to final delivery.

Simulations are compute-heavy, so lock timing and framing early to avoid rerunning expensive caches. Pick an artist who has already handled your medium, since water and fire call for very different setups. Explore the specialists and get your Houdini FX simulation underway, from first wedge tests to the final cache.