SideFX, makers of Houdini, a software known for its procedural tools that allow artists to easily iterate complex models and simulations, have teamed up with Unreal Engine and KitBash3D to demonstrate the upcoming capabilities of Houdini Engine's plugin for Unreal Engine 5! While the plugin remains in Alpha, it’s already incredibly powerful, as exemplified by the trailer and breakdown below.
Codenamed Project Titan, this in-house tech demo puts Houdini's procedural workflows to the test by creating a 3D environment that leverages the latest technologies in Unreal Engine 5. So far, Houdini Engine features 19 procedural tools, including solutions for infinitely customizable foliage, object stacking, buildings, electric cables, platforms, cloth, pipes, ivy, fences, and more! Using these tools, along with geometry from KitBash3D, a small team of artists was able to achieve an impressive amount of detail in a short period of time.
“I loved the KitBash3D assets! They helped a lot to create a base foundation - we could either take them as they were or modify them to our liking to fit the scene. It helped us as a smaller team to push the scene more - to spend more time art directing and creating the overall picture/scene. The Houdini tools worked very well with the assets by either instancing them or modifying them procedurally.” – Robert Schröer, Environment Artist
Beyond just showing the end results, the Project Titan team created an overview video that dives into the artistic process they used to create the 3D environment shown above, from concept art, by Three Marks Founder and longtime KitBash3D collaborator Mike Golden, to research and procedural iteration.
We couldn’t be more excited for what these tools will mean for the future creators of the virtual frontier! Over the next few months, the Project Titan team will also be releasing discussions and tutorials to further explore the production techniques used in this demo. Click below for the latest updates, more information about the team, procedural tool overviews, and more!
