Download SideFX’s free Physics Painter tool for Houdini
SideFX has released Physics Painter: a neat free add-on for Houdini that lets you paint physics objects into a scene, then use the results for new round of simulations.
The tool provides an intuitive way to scatter objects like rocks across a terrain in games or VFX projects.
Paint objects across a terrain and have them settle naturally under gravity
Physics Painter enables users to select sets of meshes, paint them over a terrain, and have them settle automatically under the influence of gravity and drag.
Once the simulation is finished, the results can be ‘dried’, making the meshes static collision objects, and a new set of scattered objects painted in on top.
In each round of simulation, users can control the density with which the scattered objects are painted in; their initial spacing, scale and rotation; and physics properties like mass and friction.
The tool is based on PhysX Painter, Clovis Gay’s commercial plugin for 3ds Max.
Availability and system requirements
Physics Painter is provided as a Houdini Digital Asset, and works with Houdini 16.5.
It can be downloaded from the tutorials section of SideFX’s website, along with several other new free HDAs, including a neat tool for converting simulations to lightweight bone-based animations.