Tristan Brown

Overview

This project is the result of some personal exploration on how Houdini Engine can hook into Unreal's Chaos system for dynamic destruction gameplay.

My Role

I created a tool in Houdini that would take any mesh, cut that mesh into separate pieces using planes, and then return those pieces as their own meshes. I then used VEX to hook those meshes into Unreal's chaos system so that any mesh in Unreal could be made destructible and that destruction could be art directed.

What I Learned

I learned a lot how useful Houdini Engine is for creating tools that can enhance your environments. I also learned how those tools can also be used to create exciting gameplay moments. For testing purposes I set up a breakable glass window next to a breakable concrete wall and just with those two assets alone I could start to see how that level of interactivity could be very powerful.

Challenges

The biggest challenge that I faced was becoming familiar with VEX and how Unreal's chaos system is set up. I relied heavily on the official documentation for both tools, which proved thorough enough to answer nearly every question I encountered.