Inspired by a personal visit to Yosemite National Park’s Vernal Falls, this piece was developed as a fluid FX and environment simulation study—recreating the scale, motion, and atmosphere of a powerful waterfall using procedural workflows in Houdini. The project explores multi-scale fluid behavior, combining large-scale bulk motion with fine surface detail to evoke both the raw energy of cascading water and the intricate turbulence at play.

From a simulation perspective, the core water body was generated using Houdini’s FLIP solver to capture high-velocity flow, collision dynamics, and large-scale vortices. Secondary effects including splashes, mist, and foam were driven by custom particle systems and data-driven attribute fields tied directly to solver outputs, allowing the look development phase to respond logically to physical metrics such as velocity and curvature. This ensured that each element—whether churning whitewater or fine airborne droplets—felt like a natural extension of the underlying simulation.

Lighting and shading were designed to reinforce the sense of immersion and scale. Data-driven shaders translated simulation attributes into surface responses: deep water refractive properties, specular highlights on breaking edges, and volumetric light interaction within the rising mist were all tuned to create depth and atmosphere without overpowering the base fluid motion. Compositing then integrated these layers into a cohesive sequence where motion, light, and environment exist in dynamic harmony.

Creative Goals

• Produce a physically credible waterfall simulation that balances large-scale dynamics with detailed surface behavior
• Build a procedural FX pipeline where secondary detail (foam, mist, droplets) is driven by solver attributes
• Convey a sense of place and motion that evokes natural phenomena rather than stylized spectacle

Outcome

The final animation stands as both a technical demonstration of advanced fluid simulation techniques and a visual interpretation of a natural landmark, illustrating how procedural workflows can be harnessed to translate real-world inspiration into expressive digital imagery.