Basic RBD Scene Setup with Glue Constraints in Houdini

Download Houdini File: RBD_Basic_Setup.hiplc

Fractured Wall with adjusted Glue Constraint that can stand on its own against gravity in Houdini

Stable Fractured Structure

This is a super basic setup where I demonstrate how to setup an Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD) scene with glue constraints. The glue strength value is adjusted to withstand the gravity force that is also added into the scene. By adjusting the glue strength to a level where the fractured object can stand on its own with only the glue constraints holding it together against the gravity provides a great starting point for a destruction scene.

Starting Off Right

Simple RBD (Rigid Body Dynamics) Dopnet Setup in Houdini

Of course, the next step would be adding more forces into the simulation to make it more interesting, but I believe as a first step it would be a good idea to give the structure some stability before proceeding onward. It is easier to debug one thing at a time and when you add more forces into the dopnet, it gets harder to control and will make parameter tweaking a lot harder.

This tutorial video may not be the most interesting, but will provide a very good fundamental starting point for the next videos I have planned out. I will also be reusing this RBD_Basic_Setup.hiplc file as a template for other future videos on topics that cover destruction to avoid recording the same scene setup again and again.

I’m hoping this will cut down on production time and allow me to produce more videos in the future.