Shaders and VFX

Combining Houdini’s generative capabilities with Unity’s interactivity, these tools enable rapid iteration for XR and game-ready content.

Shaders and VFX

Combining Houdini’s generative capabilities with Unity’s interactivity, these tools enable rapid iteration for XR and game-ready content.

Ground Burst and Rock Debris FX

A hybrid destruction effect combining Houdini simulation and Unity VFX Graph to visualize the moment a goalkeeper breaks apart on impact — with sand deformation and debris burst.

In Houdini:

The sand trail beneath the goalkeeper was simulated using velocity-driven displacement.

A secondary simulation for rock bursts ejected debris from the point of impact. The sand trail was baked into a displacement/normal mesh, while the rocks were exported as a Vertex Animation Texture (VAT). Both simulations were synced to the goalkeeper’s animation and optimized for runtime.

In Unity (VFX Graph):

A GPU-based mesh particle system recreated the rock burst effect in real-time.

Particles were driven by animation events or position triggers. Each rock had random rotation, velocity, and scale with forces like curl noise and drag applied. The VAT mesh deformation and VFX Graph particles were blended for a single, grounded impact effect.

Why this matters:

This hybrid FX setup combines physical simulation and real-time GPU effects.

It illustrates how character motion can dynamically influence the environment — ideal for real-time, mobile, or XR projects where both realism and performance matter.

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Spreading Fire and Wind FX

Wildfire Magic Leap: A layered fire propagation system combining procedural shader ramps with GPU-driven wind simulation to evoke an aggressive wildfire effect.

In Unity (Shader Graph + VFX Graph):

A stylized fire shader was built using UV scrolling and layered noise.

It uses Perlin, Voronoi, and Simplex noise blended through animated color ramps to simulate stages like ignition, burn, and fade. Vertex offset adds flicker depth. Separately, a wind effect in VFX Graph uses swarm-like particles with trail motion, curl noise, and turbulence—driven by wind vectors and object lifespan. Both effects scale contextually and support ambient or narrative triggers.

Why this matters:

This setup merges procedural shading with dynamic FX to drive cinematic moments.

The fire shader highlights Shader Graph’s capacity for stylized effects, while the wind particles add emotion and flow. Together, they deliver a rich visual system ideal for storytelling across real-time platforms and XR.

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Portal and Assets Style

Teleportation effect built with Unity’s VFX Graph and custom shaders to support asset transfer in the Magic Leap Assist application.

Unity Shader Graph (for Assets):

A stylized shader was created to unify the look of assets in the Magic Leap Assist app.

It uses Fresnel rim lighting with fine falloff control to boost edge clarity and glow. The shader enhances silhouette readability for AR, ensuring clarity against real-world backgrounds while maintaining elegant highlights.

Unity VFX Graph (for Portal Effect):

The teleportation portal was built using swirling particles and motion trails.

Designed with Unity’s VFX Graph, the portal blends sci-fi energy with real-time performance. The system supports immersive transitions during asset transfers, delivering both narrative weight and responsive clarity in spatial AR.

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Electric Fence

A Shader Graph setup designed to drive the electric flow of a destructible fence system, fully integrated with your procedural Houdini tool for Unity.

In Unity (Shader Graph):

A stylized electric current shader was developed using Shader Graph to drive the look of the procedural fence system.

It uses scrolling UVs, gradient maps, and color pulses to simulate directional energy flow. Fresnel highlights and noise masks produce a soft glow, while sine-driven emissive bursts add dynamic sparks. The shader supports runtime intensity, color overrides (e.g., warning vs. lethal), and per-segment UV variation. It integrates directly with the Houdini fence tool, auto-assigning materials to generated wires and poles.

Why this matters:

The shader enhances interactivity and feedback by clearly distinguishing fence states.

Its modularity and runtime customization make it scalable for mobile and XR. Combined with the procedural workflow, it supports visual polish across gameplay, simulation, or narrative contexts.