Initial Curve Tests

As procedural growth was something pretty new to me, I did some tests of how I might create the initial curves/growth.

As this was both before and after deciding on the final look of the character, all these tests don't always relate to the final design. Some are experimental and some are just for fun to be quite honest!

For one of these tests, I had the idea of simulating multiple wires wrapping around my geometry. The wire solver is usually pretty fast and accurate, so I tried it with one wire and just a leg to begin with. However, it seemed inefficient for the amount of curves/cables I needed to create and too 'plain'. So, this idea went on the backup list, here's an example below:

In another test, I used the same theory of wrapping an object round geometry with simulation, however this time, I tested out an idea from someone on the SideFX forums and used the grain solver. It wrapped around the object, and stuck to it using a pop network and some VOPs. However, again, this would prove quite inefficient for the amount of curves I needed and wouldn't quite give the right effect. Maybe if I was creating an ancient Egyptian mummy? Anyway, here's an example of that:

After asking around on forums, there was a great idea from a user on odforce, to use a normal shortest path growth solver, compute the flow direction and then cross the normal position with the flow direction to get a spiraling effect. I'll be honest, this was a little over my head, but after looking what this created, it seemed too robotic and calculated. I'm sure with some noise and variance, it may have been better, but again, not the best solution. Here's how that looked:

Now this next test was extremely useful and something I would later go on to use to create the final thing, after further researching growth, I discovered the space colonization algorithm. This bases growth from a start point through scattered points using the basis of food. With a few parameters stated, the solver grows outwards looking for the nearest food attribute and draws a line between those two points. It keeps going until it reaches a point where there is no more food within it's given reach and stops growing. This creates a really nice look and I'll use it to create the wire armature that grows underneath the cables. Take a look:

That's it for now folks, next post I'll be talking about the final technique I'm using to create the cable growth.

Cheers, see you next time.