Volcano area
Procedural Lava lake
Procedural Lava Lake Creation Through Houdini
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Problem and Benefit:
The main goal was to procedurally generate a realistic lava lake environment for a DLC Vaas volcano area. This included dynamically placing cooled lava rocks near the shoreline and using vertex color to differentiate areas of hot, molten lava from cooler, solidified sections. By solving this, we gain a high level of visual fidelity and automation—allowing the environment to be quickly adjusted, scaled, or updated without manually placing assets, ultimately saving both time and production effort. -
Research and Resolution Process:
To begin, I researched real-world lava flow behaviors by studying reference videos, focusing on how lava cools at the edges and how rocky debris forms near shores. Next, I exported the existing terrain and material data from the game engine. In Houdini, I used Signed Distance Fields (SDF) to accurately identify and mask the lava area. This allowed me to generate a procedural lava surface that matched the underlying terrain. Through iterative experimentation, I refined the shader and vertex color assignments to clearly represent areas of hot, liquid lava versus cooler, hardened regions. -
Challenges and Solutions:
A significant issue arose when placing cooled lava rocks along uneven or bumpy shoreline terrain. If placed naively, the rocks could appear to float above the surface. To solve this, I focused on the shoreline defined by the SDF mask and calculated the terrain’s curvature. By subtracting steep or highly uneven areas from the target shoreline regions, I identified stable, relatively flat zones. This ensured that rocks would spawn properly aligned with the terrain surface, eliminating the floating effect and improving overall realism. -
Result and Review:
The resulting procedural lava lake setup successfully generated a believable volcanic environment with automatically placed cool-down rocks near the shore. The vertex color approach clearly distinguished hot from cooled lava regions, enhancing visual interest and realism. Upon review, the pipeline proved efficient and adaptable. The method can be reused for future environments with minimal adjustments, providing both creative flexibility and significant production benefits.
Procedural Lava Stream Creation and Integration With Lava Lake
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Problem and Benefit:
The goal was to procedurally create a flowing lava stream that seamlessly connects to an existing lava lake. Beyond just linking the two, the lava stream needed to influence surrounding terrain materials—darkening and “burning” the nearby ground for a more authentic volcanic scene. Achieving this procedural setup streamlines content creation, enabling quick adjustments to lava flow direction and environment details without extensive manual rework. -
Research and Resolution Process:
To guide the setup, reference footage of real lava streams was studied, with particular attention to how lava affects adjacent surfaces. After collecting these insights, spline data representing the lava path was exported from the game engine and brought into Houdini. Within Houdini, the spline was converted into a usable mesh representing the lava channel. A camera projection method was then applied to unwrap UVs in the direction of the lava flow. Flow maps and vertex colors were also calculated, providing necessary data to visualize movement and thermal gradients. Finally, the processed data was re-imported into the engine, where it informed terrain materials, adding burned ground textures near the lava stream. -
Challenges and Solutions:
Converting a spline into a properly UV’d and directionally consistent mesh posed a challenge. Ensuring the flow map and UV alignment correctly followed the intended lava direction was complex. The solution involved using a camera projection technique aligned with the lava stream’s direction. This method produced a reliable UV layout that supported a coherent flow direction. Another hurdle was achieving a natural gradient of thermal variation along the stream edges. By calculating vertex colors based on distance to the stream’s edges, a smooth transition from hot lava at the center to cooler, darkened terrain at the boundaries was achieved. -
Result and Review:
The resulting procedural lava stream integrated seamlessly with the lava lake, convincingly burning and darkening nearby ground. Flow maps, aligned UVs, and vertex color variations successfully conveyed a natural flow and thermal transition. This approach proved both efficient and flexible, making it easy to adjust the lava stream’s path, refine terrain interaction, or tweak the burnt material thresholds. Upon review, the technique offered a scalable and visually compelling solution that can be applied to future volcanic or liquid flow scenarios with minimal effort.
Ensuring Optimal Performance While Maintaining Aesthetics in Procedural Environments
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Problem and Benefit:
The primary challenge involves meeting a 30 fps performance target on console platforms while still delivering visually appealing, procedurally generated landscapes. High G-buffer costs, particularly from rendering a large number of tree leaves and grass, significantly strain performance. Reducing these rendering loads without sacrificing too much visual quality is crucial, as it ensures both a smooth gameplay experience and a rich, immersive environment. -
Research and Resolution Process:
To understand the performance characteristics and identify specific bottlenecks, weekly benchmarks of the open-world regions were conducted. This iterative approach helped track changes over time and highlighted where adjustments were effective. By closely examining each tree asset, comparing polygon counts to established budgets, and verifying that the on-screen vegetation looked visually correct, a balance was struck between fidelity and performance. Additional techniques included strategically positioning leaves—raising them slightly so fewer appear within the player’s immediate field of view—and simplifying tree geometry in high-action areas. These adjustments collectively minimized the G-buffer load and reduced transparency rendering overhead. -
Challenges and Solutions:
A key difficulty was maintaining visual appeal while cutting down on detail. Removing or altering vegetation risked making environments feel sparse or unnatural. The solution lay in subtle modifications rather than drastic reductions. Adjusting leaf placement so that fewer leaves were visible at eye level helped maintain a lush appearance while reducing rendering complexity. Similarly, selecting more optimized tree assets with careful polygon counts ensured that performance gains did not come at the expense of environmental authenticity. For combat-heavy regions, reducing overly detailed trees helped stabilize frame times during intense moments without visibly compromising overall scene quality.