“Advancing VFX Workflows with Houdini Solaris in House of the Dragon Season 2” by Dominik
Conference:
Type(s):
Title:
- Advancing VFX Workflows with Houdini Solaris in House of the Dragon Season 2
Session/Category Title:
- Emotions, Explosions, and Epic Simulations
Presenter(s)/Author(s):
Moderator(s):
Abstract:
The talk will showcase Rodeo FX’s pipeline evolution from traditional workflows to a Solaris-driven USD pipeline. It will also demonstrate Solaris’ efficiency in optimizing asset handling, scene assembly, and shading. Real-world applications will be shared, focusing on House of the Dragon Season 2’s environments, assets, and shots. This will provide an overview of Rodeo FX’s history with Houdini and the transition to Solaris. It will also discuss challenges faced with the previous shader and FX setup and benefits of shifting towards a USD-based pipeline. The next topic will cover Implementing Solaris in Production. This will provide a breakdown of USD structure and Solaris base nodes. It will also discuss department templates and automation tools, including Daiquiri and Triggers, and systems built with Solaris to enhance collaboration across departments. The talk will then turn to a discussion on House of the Dragon Season 2. Exploring the scope of work, key assets, and complex environments. Detailed case studies will be provided, including the King’s Landing build – assembling an intricate, reusable environment; Dragon setup – managing complex animation, shading, and rendering challenges; and shot-specific breakdowns – including many high-profile sequences. Future Advancements and Optimization will finally be discussed. This will include expanding Solaris adoption across Rodeo FX, enhancing layout workflows for greater efficiency, and improving client presentations and asset visualization. This talk will offer a comprehensive look at Rodeo FX’s transformative journey with Houdini Solaris, illustrating its critical role in creating the stunning visuals of House of the Dragon Season 2. By sharing our challenges, solutions, and key learnings, we aim to inspire further innovation and collaboration within the VFX community at SIGGRAPH 2025.
References:
[1] Peter Dominik. 2025. Advancing VFX Workflows with Houdini Solaris in House of the Dragon Season 2. In Peter-Dominik ’25: Advancing VFX Workflows with Houdini Solaris in House of the Dragon Season 2, August 10–14, 2025, Vancouver, BC, CA. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2 pages.
