In DreamWorks Animation’s Rise of the Guardians Jack Frost has the ability to cover objects in swirling, magical frost. The frost is an extension of Jack’s character and its performance and appearance a direct reflection of his mood. We needed a system that not only satisfied the visual criteria of looking magical and frosty, but was also controllable enough to both express the character’s emotional state as well as hit hero shapes with specific timing. To achieve this, we built a Houdini based system that allowed for precise control over the frost’s animation and behavior.

Research Paper for Jack’s Frost: Controllable Magic Frost Simulations for ‘Rise of the Guardians’