Okay umm, first of all let me say that this is my first time ever using Houdini. I have used Maya for 2 years, but I've never touched Houdini before. Our course lecturer basically organized a competition for us and we only have 4 days to create whatever we can in Houdini when none of us have any prior experience at all, so I might ask some very stupid and basic Houdini questions.

Anyway I've decided to do some Meteor-like effect like in this Coke commercial here at 1:35: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpYuy3IueyI&feature=related [youtube.com]



I think it something like this should be manageable. If anyone thinks that it's too advanced, please tell me. (again, I do have 2 years of Maya experience though)


Anyway, my question here is, what kind of effect in Houdini should I use? Burn from Object? Smoke from Object? Flames? Or should I simply use something else?

Another question is regarding the shaders. Obviously I would like this to be as realistic as possible. As a novice with a time constrain, I'm afraid to tinker too much with the shaders. Are Houdini's default shaders good enough to pass as realistic? Do I simply have to tweak them slightly, or would I need to make a big change to it?

Lastly, if anyone else has anything to add, please say it. I'm a novice and I have plenty more to learn in Houdini.

Thanks.