Houdini 20.5 Shelf tools

Lava from Object shelf tool

Creates a lava object from geometry.

On this page

Overview

This tool turns a geometry object into a particle fluid with defaults appropriate for simulating lava. It also applies a lava shader to the result of the simulation. You would typically use this tool if you want an object made from lava which will cool off and harden over time.

Note

The difference between this tool and Melt Object is that this tool assigns a shader to get a basic glowing lava look, while Melt Object doesn’t apply any shader.

Using Lava from Object

  1. Create a geometry object to be converted into lava.

  2. Click the Lava from Object tool on the Viscous Fluids tab.

    For specific parameter information, see the FLIP Object and Gas Temperature Update help pages.

Tips

To...Do this

Change how quickly the objects starts to melt

Modify the Temperature parameter on the Physical tab of the FLIP Object. This parameter sets the initial temperature of the object. The default value is 0.5, which will cause it to melt immediately, since the object starts off quite warm. A higher value will give you very hot, free-flowing liquid which cools over time and a lower value would give you cool, highly viscous fluid that heats up and melts.

Change the look of the fluid

Adjust the Minimum/Maximum Viscosity parameters on the Gas Temperature Update node. A value of 100,000 is very stiff, which should retain it’s shape, and a value of 0 is completely liquid, like water.

Control how quickly a hot temperature will cool off

Modify the Outer/Inner Cooling Rate parameters on the Gas Temperature Update node. The Outer Cooling Rate refers to the rate of change on the surface of the object, while the Inner Cooling Rate refers to how fast the temperature changes inside the fluid. Generally, the inner cooling should be lower than the outer, since the inside of the object is insulated and retains more heat, as opposed to the exterior which loses heat more quickly due to the surrounding air.

Shelf tools

Using the shelf

  • Customize the shelf

    How to change the look of the shelf, change and rearrange its contents, and create your own shelf tools.

Technical