Deborah R. Fowler

P2 — Complex Scene - Breakdown Examples

Updated April 12 2026
Reminder — keep the PDF content concise and to the point: take advantage of bullet points, label what you want to show in diagrams/screencaps, reference figures in the text, and cite any tutorial (including from this site) in your PDF.
Content Required for Your Breakdown PDF or HTML Click to expand
Complex Scene — required content

Header information:

  • Title
  • Name
  • Date
  • Houdini Version

Important statistics:

  • Average render time (include time, resolution, samples, noise value, min/max rays, additional settings)
  • Number of lights in scene
  • Complexity of geometry (approximate)

You are free to reformat this, however the above should be included and be easily readable. A tabular form is suggested.

Brief description of your project:

  • Be concise — a reference picture or final result is fine

Technical guide:

  • "How I did this"
  • Anything unusual in your technique — written for a Houdini peer audience

Description of problems encountered and solutions:

  • Be concise and to the point
  • Include screencaps where appropriate

This document should act as a quick guide to what to expect in your hip file — think of it as "how would I tell someone how to do what I did" if they were a Houdini peer. A technical document, not an essay. Submit as Quarter_Class_P2_LastnameFirstname_Title.pdf (or html).

** No other formats will be accepted.

Stellar Blog Breakdown Example Optional but encouraged

Although website blogs are not required, here is an example of a stellar breakdown:

Visuals on SideFX Gallery Click name for website
Student Examples Previous Quarters