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Dynamic Cloth Simulation for Production

Professional Houdini Workflow with Salah Hussein

Description

Learn how to create complex material simulations using a tried-and-tested production workflow. This step-by-step character FX workshop is taught by Salah Hussein, a senior FX and CFX artist with over 8 years of production experience. Salah’s 4-hour workshop guides artists through his professional workflow using the Houdini Vellum Solver to simulate 3D materials.


Using Salah’s unique and innovative techniques, he breaks down the entire process to show how to take character assets and animations – including multiple layers of cloth and different types of objects – and convert them into proxy geometry that works efficiently for a simulation. He also details how to build a constraints network to help artists fine-tune and debug simulations quickly while also advising how to address fixes with professional tips and tricks. To conclude the workflow, Salah demonstrates how to keep all the essential point deforms and the original geometry with a clean export without changing or damaging any attributes or topology.


By completing this workshop, artists will be confident in creating clothing assets for characters and understand how to make them dynamic using realistic cloth simulation in Houdini. Salah’s helpful Alembic and Houdini (Indie) files are provided as a downloadable resource for subscribers.


Duration: 4h 25m

Format: HD 1920x1080
CC: English

Salah Hussein

Sr. CFX Artist / TD at Untold Studios

Salah Hussein is a senior FX and CFX artist with more than 8 years of experience in production, working in a wide range of styles across advertising, television, and game cinematics. He has worked for companies including MPC, Od Studios, Jellyfish Pictures, Folks VFX, Axis Studios, Rodeo FX, Reel FX, Agora Studio, and Passion Pictures He is currently working at UNTOLD Studios on projects such as Spirit Untamed, Mother Land, Marvel Snap, and the Diablo Immortal launch trailer. Salah has also worked on the Secret Level “Concord” episode, plus much more.

  • Salah was a senior CFX TD at Axis. While he did not report directly to me on a day-to-day basis, his leads and supervisors have showered accolades on his technical solutions and speedy performances. He worked on projects that varied in style and scope. He exceled in providing creative solutions on complex one-off hyperreal cinematic shots. He was also fast and efficient working with multiple shots and characters in a large-scale episodic show with stylized characters. For shows large and small, hair or cloth, hyperreal or highly stylized, Salah will deliver high-quality work fast and with a minimal supervision needed.

    - Edwin Ng
    Head of Rigging/Rigging Supervisor at Jellyfish Pictures

  • Salah has been a fantastic addition to the CFX team at Passion, working on several of our advertising projects. We tasked Salah with FX, cloth and groom tasks, including a complex bird character in which he excelled. Salah's work is very fast; he produces good quality work managing to overcome problems given to him very efficiently. We asked him to use Houdini 20 feathers with a very short setup time, and we have been very pleased with the results. Great fit for the fast-paced project!

    - Colin Perrett
    Head of FX at Passion Pictures

  • Salah is a great CFX artist. He is fast, efficient, and a very hard worker. I had the pleasure of working with him and would always love to have him on my team. I recommend him 100%; he will be a very valuable asset for any team or project.

    - Javier Sanz
    VFX Supervisor at Wild Child Animation

  • Having worked with Salah on three projects now, I can confidently say he would be an asset to any Houdini team. Salah's transition from FX to CFX was a breeze and made working with him a blast. I wish him the best and look forward to working together again in the future!

    - Ryan Hartmann
    Senior CFX Artist at Pixar Animation Studios