VFX 721  /  Spring 2026  /  Fowler

Project 2 – Procedural Modeling: Complex Scene

Date Assigned: Class 1 (out for reference) / Class 8 (start)
Reference Due: Class 8
Date Due: Class 13
Optional Redo: Class 15

Checklist

Goals

To learn how to use and understand procedural approaches when creating objects and scenes. This assignment will focus on the student becoming familiar with Houdini and mastering the use of copy / foreach or instancing (repeated elements with variation). Be aware of the power of packed primitives.

The emphasis for Project 2 is on procedural variation in a complex scene — you should have visual variation whether you are using copy / for-each / instancing or other methods. The goal is to create a scene with complexity using procedural techniques.

Requirements

Examples of scenes could be: a forest with variation (L-systems not required), a field of corn, lily pads in a pond, groceries or toys on a store shelf, a city street with a variety of buildings, candy on a table, and so on.

These are the minimum requirements.

All aspects are to be completed in Houdini.
(Nuke for compositing, Substance for textures allowed.)

Considerations

The scene should be complex enough to serve as a good context for the goals of the assignment. A simple example where the proper technique is used would be better than a very complex example not properly presented.

Visual variation can be achieved by manipulating attributes such as pscale, orient, materials, textures and possibly having variations on the objects — usually 5 variations combined with attribute changes will eliminate the "Where's Waldo" effect.

You should allow time for this assignment to apply lighting, simple shaders, and rendering. Be aware that a complex scene can be built very quickly — make sure that you can render it, do test renders as you are building to avoid any surprises.

Use Karma.

You may be required to present and explain your work in class on or near the due date.

Submission Guidelines

The project will be submitted to your dropbox in a directory named:

S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title/

The directory must contain the following files:

Expected Directory Structure: 
S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title/
├── S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title.hipnc
├── S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title.pdf
├── S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title.jpg
├── S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Compare.jpg
├── S26_V721_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title.mp4  (optional)
├── reference/
│   └── sources.pdf
└── tex/
    └── (your textures here)

Additional Required Files

Naming conventions constitute 5% of your grade. This is the naming convention that will be used for all projects. Failure to comply will also affect your professionalism grade.

Grading

Refer to the grading rubric posted on the class website or Blackboard.