Cici Zheng
VFX ARTIST
Pumpkin Bomb
Pumpkin Bomb is a real-time FX project I made in Unreal using both Niagara and Houdini. I want to make something playful and fun to watch. I used a combination of trails, cards, particles and debris to support the magical feeling of this unpredictable pumkim bomb.
Responsible for all aspects.
Software: Unreal Engine, Niagara, Houdini, Adobe PhotoShop, Davinci Resolve.
Breakdowns
Lead-up Sequence
Trails were used to help the audience follow the pumpkin's movement, and sparks and droplets aim to give the pumpkin more personality. For the charge-up, I used 3 layers of point-attracted setups coming from different directions to build up the power and suspense of the upcoming explosion.
Explosion
The hardest part of this project is getting the timing right. So the audience can effectively feel the energy burst from the explosion.
At the moment of impact, I manipulate the velocity curve in Niagara to make the effect elements emit fast and sharp to capture the burst of energy. With time, those elements slow down and gradually fade away, showing the residue of the energy left behind.
Between Houdini and Unreal
I used Houdini Flip to create a water droplet simulation, cleaned it up to the desired shape, retimed and imported it as an almbic into Unreal.
To add more art direction to the explosion, I used Houdini to fracture the pumpkin into to desired shapes and sizes. Then import some of the more defined pieces into Unreal and instance them as the major debris using Niagara.
