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CFX Pipeline
Ramen for Two

Cloth Simulation, Houdini Vellum, CFX Pipeline

I worked as CFX Co-Lead alongside Marta Castañé on the animated short film Ramen for Two. We were responsible for the cloth simulations throughout the film, from developing the workflow to preparing and fixing the final shots.

We worked mainly with Maya and Houdini Vellum, creating a reusable setup that we could adapt to different garments and animations.

CFX Workflow

Before starting the final simulations, Marta and I spent time testing different approaches and documenting the workflow for the team. We worked with Maya and Houdini Vellum, dividing the process into three main stages: garment preparation, simulation and post-simulation fixes.

In Maya, we prepared the characters and garments with their final animation before exporting them as Alembic caches.

In Houdini, we organized the setup into four parts:

  • Import: Alembic import and animation unpacking.

  • Prep: Geometry cleanup, garment grouping and collision setup.

  • Simulation: Vellum constraints adjusted for each garment, including material properties, weights and pinned areas.

  • Post-Sim: Smoothing, wrapping back to the original topology and final Alembic export.

This structure made it easier to reuse the setup across different shots and adjust individual garments without having to rebuild everything from scratch.

Cloth Simulations

Couch Sequence

I worked on four shots involving the characters sitting on a sofa, with different outfits depending on the day.

The main difficulty was managing the collisions between the clothing, the characters and the sofa itself. Some garments also had several overlapping layers, which needed additional adjustments to prevent them from intersecting during the animation. I worked on the simulation settings and fixes for these shots, adapting them to the different garments and character movements.

Clothes Falling

I also worked on a shot where a piece of clothing falls to the floor. This required a different setup from the couch simulations, since the garment had to move freely and interact with the floor.

Final Thoughts

Working on CFX gave me a better understanding of how much preparation goes into cloth simulation before the actual simulations begin. One of the most useful parts was learning to build and organize reusable setups, especially when working on several shots with different garments and collision requirements.

It also helped me understand how decisions made during modeling and retopology can affect the simulation process later on, something I now keep in mind when preparing character clothing.

Software

Marvelous Designer · Maya · Houdini (Vellum)

Credits

  • Lead CFX: Laura Blázquez Rodes & Marta Castañé
  • CFX Supervisor: Mercè Prats
  • Project Supervisor: Josep Maria Sáez Sendra
  • Production: HotDogs Studio, Brooderlab

Need an artist who understands the pipeline beyond the asset?

My hands-on experience with CFX helps me anticipate deformation, simulation and production needs when building and preparing 3D assets.

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