How to defy physics in animation with Houdini, Blender, EmberGen, Maya, After Effects

🚨 Latest Industry Updates 🚨 SideFX Releases Houdini 21 — Packed with 360+ Features, Focused on Production-Ready Tools Houdini 21 is here, and it’s SideFX’s biggest release yet — with over 360 new features spanning modeling, rigging, animation, VFX, rendering, and more. The update emphasizes production-readiness, refining existing toolsets rather than introducing experimental ones. Five Key Highlights from Houdini 21 1. KineFX Autorig Builder Drag-and-drop rigging components directly in the viewport Automatically maps joints to characters Create custom rig components without scripting Transfer rigs across characters using new rig templates 2. Animation Catalog & Motion Mixer Save and reuse poses or animation clips across projects Apply partial animations (e.g., just facial expressions) Motion Mixer enables layering, trimming, and blending clips Supports ragdoll dynamics for hybrid animation/simulation workflows 3. CFX: OTiS Solver for Muscles & Soft Tissue GPU-accelerated solver for organic deformations Speeds up simulation of muscles, skin, and soft body dynamics Ideal for character FX in high-performance pipelines 4. Copernicus Framework: New Flow & Pyro Solvers Adds image-processing capabilities to Houdini’s VFX toolkit Enables advanced fluid and fire simulations with procedural control 5. Neural Point Surface Tool Machine-learning-based meshing of point clouds Converts simulation data into usable geometry Bridges AI workflows with procedural modeling 👉 Houdini 21 is a milestone release — not just in scale, but in maturity. It’s built to empower artists with faster, smarter, and more intuitive tools across the entire CG pipeline.

Creating 3D worlds from a single image — and it actually works! I’ve been experimenting with World Labs, and I have to say — I’m impressed. You just upload one photo, and it generates a full 3D Gaussian splat environment. It’s not always perfect, but the results can be surprisingly good. The quality is already more than usable for backgrounds, and we’ll be testing it soon in a virtual production setup. Can’t wait to see where this technology will be a year from now. Things are moving fast! Here’s my quick workflow for this project: - Generated a .ply file in Marble Worlds from a single photo - Imported it into Unreal Engine using Volinga - Relit the scene Unreal with Volinga (the relighting tools are getting really solid!) - Added a MetaHuman and a simple camera animation — and that’s it The result? Fast, creative freedom — I can still choose exactly how to frame and move the camera, or place characters where I want. That’s a big advantage compared to fully AI-generated videos. Exciting times ahead for 3D and virtual production! Thomas More Research #UnrealEngine #VirtualProduction #Volinga #GaussianSplat #Worldlabs

💥 Exploring Blender’s Rigid Body Physics! 🎨 Recently, I’ve been diving into Rigid Body simulations in Blender – and wow, the possibilities are endless! From realistic collisions and dynamic interactions to creating epic destruction scenes, Rigid Body physics adds that next-level realism to any 3D project. It’s amazing how you can control gravity, friction, and mass to make objects behave exactly like they would in the real world. Perfect for animation, VFX, and even interactive visualizations. 🏗️ I’m always excited to experiment and push the boundaries of what Blender can do. If you’re looking to bring physics-driven realism into your projects, let’s connect and collaborate! #Blender3D #RigidBody #VFX #3DAnimation #Simulation #BlenderCommunity #CreativeTech

Here's a quick recording of a simple yet realistic Unity/URP water shader I wrote for my ShaderGraph course at TheSIGN - Comics & Arts Academy . Not the simplest example for aspirant 3D Tech Artists, but I believe that this shader has everything needed to teach my students some basic nodes and graphic techniques, along with the idea that complexity is just an extension of simplicity: this shader may appear complex at first sight, but it is made of a bunch of simple blocks of nodes, each adding a specific feature. Another way to understand this is the concept of Divide et Impera: a complex problem can be subdivided into smaller problems that are simple to solve, just to put them together again to solve the main, complex problem. Shader's features include: - Reflections by probes - Fake refraction, background distortion - Animated waves via normal maps - Depth fade (color or gradient) - Caustics projection - Animated foam on intersection between water and other objects - Keywords to enable/disable features Possible improvements: - Vertex displacement - GPU tessellation (ShaderGraph doesn't support it, code needed) - Ripples/Movement effects for 3D interaction - World Space projection (non UV-based, useful for oceans) #unity #shadergraph #vfx #shader #rendering #realtime #CGI #3DArt #dev

It’s fascinating how much simply adding the logo of the software you used can boost engagement on a post. I get it - but to be honest, it’s never been a major factor for me. Personally, I believe the software an artist uses is secondary - what really matters is the creator behind it. I regularly watch tutorials not just for Blender, but also for Houdini and Cinema 4D, because many techniques are transferable across different programs. For example, I could have created this flower animation in Houdini, using simulations to direct the movement of branches and petals with wind forces. But at the same time, I could achieve a similar result with a deformation modifier and some displacement - and that’s what I did here. Of course, if I needed a close-up shot or had to procedurally animate many plants at once, Houdini would definitely be the more powerful tool. But when I know I only need to gently move a single plant, and most of the finer details won’t even be that visible in the final shot - I find it more efficient to save time and focus on the elements that truly enhance the final frame.

Here's my workflow to create 3D characters for my games in 5 minutes. This workflow is ideal for game devs with zero artistic skills who want to validate their MVP with quick first assets.  1. Generate the concept art (Midjourney) ↳ Start with a reference image and ask ChatGPT to draft a prompt ↳ Refine the prompt with precise style/pose/details ↳ Generate designs in Midjourney and iterate with variations 2. Create a high-poly model (Hunyuan 3.0) ↳ Use the Hunyuan 3.0 model and select the max polygons (1.5M) 3. Retopologize (Hunyuan 3D Studio) ↳ Retopo down to <10k polygons for game use 4. UV unwrap (Hunyuan 3D Studio) ↳ Not sure if it's mandatory, but if you need the UV map, this step is powerful 5. Texture painting (Hunyuan 3D Studio) ↳ Feed the concept art as reference to generate full textures 6. Rig the character (Mixamo) ↳ Mixamo’s auto-rigging is better than Hunyuan’s (for now) 7. Import into your engine ↳ Drop it into Unity/Unreal/Godot and test in-game! --- This workflow isn’t about perfect art. It’s about speed to playable. Get your 3D models in-engine fast, validate your core loop, then upgrade assets once the MVP is proven. You’ll find the full YouTube walkthrough in the comments ✨ I would love to know what workflow you guys are using. Please share your workflow in the comments!

Update: Part 2 of the course is live now! New Course Release - Beginner’s Guide to Product Rendering in Unreal Engine & DaVinci Resolve Creating professional-looking product renders involves matching brand colors, setting up realistic lighting, designing strong compositions, and refining every small detail to make the hero asset shine. That’s exactly what this course teaches. I’m excited to announce my new course - “Beginner’s Guide to Product Rendering in Unreal Engine & DaVinci Resolve.” A complete step-by-step learning experience designed for students and artists who want to level up their skills in product visualization. 🎯 What you’ll learn: Unreal Engine fundamentals - interface, materials, lighting, and camera setup Real-world photography lighting recreated in Unreal Engine Product lighting principles - reflections, fall-offs, and brand color matching Integrating live footage with CGI Color correction and grading in DaVinci Resolve Film emulation and cinematic finishing techniques 💡 Who this is for: Beginners and intermediate 3D Artists, Unreal enthusiasts, and students looking to combine cinematic lighting and post-production workflows for professional-quality renders. This course includes 15+ hours of on-demand content, project files, lifetime access, and direct support from me for any Q&A. It’s available now on at a special early-access price! 👉 Check out the full course details and join now - link is in the comment! #UnrealEngine #DaVinciResolve #ProductRendering #CGI #3DVisualization #LightingDesign #LookDevelopment #ColorGrading #3DArtists #LearnCGI #UnrealEngineCourse #OnlineCourse #ProductRenderingCourse #IndiArtVisualStudios #IndiArtStudios #IndiArt

Excited to share our new course - Beginner’s Guide to Product Rendering in Unreal Engine & DaVinci Resolve! 🎨 Learn to create professional product renders with cinematic lighting, realistic reflections, and post-production workflows. Perfect for beginners and intermediate 3D artists. 👉 Early-access pricing available, full course details in the comment! #IndiArtVisualStudios #IndiArtStudios #IndiArt #UnrealEngine #ProductRendering #CGI #DaVinciResolve #3DArt #CinematicRendering #PostProduction

⚡ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. Every project, no matter how brilliant, hinges on a single moment: hitting Render. And yet, even the best artists skip small checks… and pay for it later. I’ve seen it first-hand: A missing texture. A misaligned light. An overlooked typo. The difference between a polished final shot and a post-production headache? Preparation. 📊 Here’s the framework: 12 critical checks before you render: 1️⃣ File backups ✅ 2️⃣ Scene organization ✅ 3️⃣ Texture & shader check ✅ 4️⃣ Light balance & exposure ✅ 5️⃣ Camera angles & framing ✅ 6️⃣ Animation smoothing ✅ 7️⃣ Particle & simulation review ✅ 8️⃣ Audio sync & levels ✅ 9️⃣ Effects & compositing ✅ 1️⃣0️⃣ Resolution & aspect ratio ✅ 1️⃣1️⃣ Cache & optimization ✅ 1️⃣2️⃣ Final preview ✅ ✨ Master these, and you cut errors by over 70%, saving hours and stress. 💬 Which of these checks do you skip most often—and why? ♻️ Tag a colleague who’s always meticulous before render. Adobe Autodesk Epicgames23 UnrealEngine BeginnerOverlap Pixar Animation Studios NVIDIA DigitalIndia-india #animation #VFX #productionhouse #rendering #creativeworkflow #filmproduction #futureofwork

⚡ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. Every project, no matter how brilliant, hinges on a single moment: hitting Render. And yet, even the best artists skip small checks… and pay for it later. I’ve seen it first-hand: A missing texture. A misaligned light. An overlooked typo. The difference between a polished final shot and a post-production headache? Preparation. 📊 Here’s the framework: 12 critical checks before you render: 1️⃣ File backups ✅ 2️⃣ Scene organization ✅ 3️⃣ Texture & shader check ✅ 4️⃣ Light balance & exposure ✅ 5️⃣ Camera angles & framing ✅ 6️⃣ Animation smoothing ✅ 7️⃣ Particle & simulation review ✅ 8️⃣ Audio sync & levels ✅ 9️⃣ Effects & compositing ✅ 1️⃣0️⃣ Resolution & aspect ratio ✅ 1️⃣1️⃣ Cache & optimization ✅ 1️⃣2️⃣ Final preview ✅ ✨ Master these, and you cut errors by over 70%, saving hours and stress. 💬 Which of these checks do you skip most often—and why? ♻️ Tag a colleague who’s always meticulous before render. Adobe Autodesk Epicgames23 UnrealEngine BeginnerOverlap Pixar Animation Studios NVIDIA DigitalIndia-india #animation #VFX #productionhouse #rendering #creativeworkflow #filmproduction #futureofwork