Avalanche! snowy FX for XXX

Introduction Digital Domain was approached with the challenge of creating a fully computer-generated avalanche for the feature film XXX. The hero Xander cage races down a mountain ahead of an avalanche of his own creation. To our knowledge it was a natural phenomenon that had never been attempted before in CG. Compounding the problem was our short delivery schedule – 6 months from initial R&D to delivery. Recreating a violent, inherently simulationbased natural phenomenon is always a difficult task, and we knew from the start it would require the development of new technologies, as well as making full use of Houdini’s procedural capabilities. This sketch will cover the technique used to bring the avalanche to the screen.