BUTTERFLIES explores the use of motion capture and retargeting within Houdini. The motion data was recorded using the university’s OptiTrack system, with the acting performed by us.

The project features a fully Houdini-based character setup, including procedurally created and simulated hair and cloth. The environment was built using heightfields for the cliffs and Ocean Spectrum for the sea, creating a landscape inspired by the southern English coast. A central focus of the project was the dissolve-into-butterflies effect, which was created with a POP simulation. Through careful timing and a simple technical trick, the transition from small skin flakes into butterflies becomes visually seamless.

The project was rendered with Karma XPU.