During the first week of the project, I was tasked with developing several ideas for possible projects spanning a 10-week period, during which time, I would receive guidance from an Industry Professional.

My MFA thesis focuses on controlling FLIP fluid simulations using a SOP solver and a custom VOPSOP; I am very interested in fluid simulations and learning how to control them using more standard methods, so for this project I really wanted to work with FLIP fluids and custom force fields. I am also interested in one of the new features implemented in Houdini 12, which is a variable viscosity in FLIP fluids. I've worked with this feature before, and it's tremendously fun to play around with.

So for this project, I decided to go with:

Gummy Bears

More specifically I wanted to make a big pile of gummy bears that began as separate solids and then melted together. This would give me a chance to have fun with FLIP fluids, RBDs, caustics, custom fields and controlling particles.

Initially my idea was just to have a a large pile of gummy bears that fall into frame and then melt, forming a big gelatinous mound of multicolored, gummy goo, but when I presented this idea to my industry mentor, he thought that it was lacking a narrative device, a punchline. What was the purpose of these gummy bears melting together, why was this narrative of the many becoming one. I agreed that there was not enough of a conclusion to the narrative, so after some additional brainstorming, I came up with the idea that after the gummy bears melt into a cohesive goo, they then begin to reform into one giant gummy bear. This will give me a chance to work with custom fields to control the movement of the FLIP fluids as well as making the fluids form into a predefined shape.

Thus far I've completed a preliminary RBD simulation as well as a test FLIP simulation which colors the particles of each gummy bear and then mixes the colors together. The next step is to get the FLIP particles to form a predefined shape (the giant gummy bear). After that, everything has been roughed in, and I can move on to refinement. First refining the RBD simulation, then the FLIP melting, and finally, the FLIP formation of the giant gummy bear.

I am also considering adding an opening shot where we can see the one gummy bear precariously dangling out of the plastic bag of gummies before it falls out, I am undecided as to whether or not this is necessary, but I think it might add a nice narrative element to the piece. It suggests that one gummy bear was trying to escape the bag, only to be covered in an avalanche of his brethren and then melted into one giant bear.