Whitewater Simulation: Alien in a River
Personal project, 2024 – whitewater simulation in Houdini, assembled in Cinema 4D, compositing in After Effects.
About the project
This personal project from 2024 centers on a whitewater simulation: an alien crawls through a river, its movements generating realistic, dynamic effects in the water – including the characteristic foam and spray of whitewater dynamics.
The goal was to show skills in Houdini fluids, specifically whitewater – one of the more demanding areas of fluid simulation.
Technique
The riverbed was first built in Cinema 4D and exported as an OBJ into Houdini, where it served as a collider and container for the simulation. The alien was imported as an FBX and also acted as a collider, its motion displacing the fluid.
The simulation itself used DOP-based FLIP Fluids in Houdini. Everything was then assembled, shaded and lit in Cinema 4D, with final compositing done in Adobe After Effects.
More stills
