Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A complete look at how I built AURUM No. 1 from scratch —
a luxury CGI perfume scene created entirely in Houdini.
This is the full project breakdown: no commentary, (nearly) no cuts, just the
raw workflow played back at 20x speed. You'll see every stage —
procedural modeling in SOPs, shading and scene assembly in Solaris/LOPs,
lighting, simuations and the final Karma XPU render.
──────────────────────────────────────
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS BREAKDOWN
──────────────────────────────────────
→ Procedural modeling (Houdini SOPs)
→ Material setup & shading (Solaris / USD)
→ Lighting & environment (Solaris LOPs)
→ Curtain Simulation (Vellum)
→ Particle Simulation (DOPs)
→ Final rendering (Karma XPU)
──────────────────────────────────────
TOOLS USED
──────────────────────────────────────
Houdini 21.0.631 · Solaris / LOPs · Karma XPU
──────────────────────────────────────
AURUM No. 1 SERIES
──────────────────────────────────────
This project is part of my ongoing AI-assisted CGI workflow series.
Check out the full playlist: coming soon
──────────────────────────────────────
SUPPORT & TUTORIALS
──────────────────────────────────────
Patreon (in-depth Houdini tutorials): patreon.com/cw/nodeconnector
Website: nodeconnector.com
──────────────────────────────────────
TIMESTAMPS
──────────────────────────────────────
00:00 - Start / SOP Modeling + Layout
03:45 - Basic Lighting 1 (HDRI + Portal)
04:19 - Camera Animation
04:48 - Basic Curtains (Vellum)
07:03 - Basic Lighting 2 (HDRI + Portal)
07:40 - Perfume Bottle Modeling (SOP)
09:10 - Perfume Materials
10:22 - Perfume Lighting
10:38 - Scene Materials 1
13:43 - Particle Simulation (DOPs)
18:40 - Particle Instancing (LOPs Instancer)
18:57 - Background 1
19:21 - Scene Materials 2
19:45 - Additional Room Lighting
20:38 - Scene Layout + Materials (Quixel Assets)
22:54 - Refining Perfume Lighting
26:48 - Refining Camera Animation
27:28 - Refining Curtains Simulation (Vellum)
28:50 - Additional Lighting
29:33 - Background Image Generation with AI (ComfyUI) & Background Setup
31:51 - Refining Particles Instancer & Export Script Automation (Claude AI)
33:30 - Final Scene Layout
34:12 - Improve Lighting
35:21 - Refining Materials (MaterialX & Copernicus)
38:27 - Improve Lighting
38:58 - Final Result
──────────────────────────────────────
MUSIC
──────────────────────────────────────
Rainy Day
Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: 7QNYSPQREVRY5ECB
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
Moonlight Drive
Music by: Bensound
License code: FH4V2H1VAWQQEAIT
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
Floating garden
Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music
License code: WIUJ4SWVY9WSZIGG
Artist: : Aventure
Echoes from the Mountain
Royalty Free Music: bensound.com
License code: 00Y1IJJRWEFZBTEZ
Artist: : Sound EGO
River in the Ice
Royalty Free Music: Bensound.com
License code: BMLTGJJVXQAJUMZX
Artist: : Diffie Bosman
Sway
Music I use: Bensound.com
License code: MOLVWF5F8COYBKTT
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
──────────────────────────────────────
#Houdini #CGI #ProductVisualization #SideFX #Solaris #KarmaXPU
#3DMotionDesign #HoudiniTutorial #CGIWorkflow #MotionDesign
A complete look at how I built AURUM No. 1 from scratch —
a luxury CGI perfume scene created entirely in Houdini.
This is the full project breakdown: no commentary, (nearly) no cuts, just the
raw workflow played back at 20x speed. You'll see every stage —
procedural modeling in SOPs, shading and scene assembly in Solaris/LOPs,
lighting, simuations and the final Karma XPU render.
──────────────────────────────────────
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS BREAKDOWN
──────────────────────────────────────
→ Procedural modeling (Houdini SOPs)
→ Material setup & shading (Solaris / USD)
→ Lighting & environment (Solaris LOPs)
→ Curtain Simulation (Vellum)
→ Particle Simulation (DOPs)
→ Final rendering (Karma XPU)
──────────────────────────────────────
TOOLS USED
──────────────────────────────────────
Houdini 21.0.631 · Solaris / LOPs · Karma XPU
──────────────────────────────────────
AURUM No. 1 SERIES
──────────────────────────────────────
This project is part of my ongoing AI-assisted CGI workflow series.
Check out the full playlist: coming soon
──────────────────────────────────────
SUPPORT & TUTORIALS
──────────────────────────────────────
Patreon (in-depth Houdini tutorials): patreon.com/cw/nodeconnector
Website: nodeconnector.com
──────────────────────────────────────
TIMESTAMPS
──────────────────────────────────────
00:00 - Start / SOP Modeling + Layout
03:45 - Basic Lighting 1 (HDRI + Portal)
04:19 - Camera Animation
04:48 - Basic Curtains (Vellum)
07:03 - Basic Lighting 2 (HDRI + Portal)
07:40 - Perfume Bottle Modeling (SOP)
09:10 - Perfume Materials
10:22 - Perfume Lighting
10:38 - Scene Materials 1
13:43 - Particle Simulation (DOPs)
18:40 - Particle Instancing (LOPs Instancer)
18:57 - Background 1
19:21 - Scene Materials 2
19:45 - Additional Room Lighting
20:38 - Scene Layout + Materials (Quixel Assets)
22:54 - Refining Perfume Lighting
26:48 - Refining Camera Animation
27:28 - Refining Curtains Simulation (Vellum)
28:50 - Additional Lighting
29:33 - Background Image Generation with AI (ComfyUI) & Background Setup
31:51 - Refining Particles Instancer & Export Script Automation (Claude AI)
33:30 - Final Scene Layout
34:12 - Improve Lighting
35:21 - Refining Materials (MaterialX & Copernicus)
38:27 - Improve Lighting
38:58 - Final Result
──────────────────────────────────────
MUSIC
──────────────────────────────────────
Rainy Day
Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: 7QNYSPQREVRY5ECB
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
Moonlight Drive
Music by: Bensound
License code: FH4V2H1VAWQQEAIT
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
Floating garden
Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music
License code: WIUJ4SWVY9WSZIGG
Artist: : Aventure
Echoes from the Mountain
Royalty Free Music: bensound.com
License code: 00Y1IJJRWEFZBTEZ
Artist: : Sound EGO
River in the Ice
Royalty Free Music: Bensound.com
License code: BMLTGJJVXQAJUMZX
Artist: : Diffie Bosman
Sway
Music I use: Bensound.com
License code: MOLVWF5F8COYBKTT
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
──────────────────────────────────────
#Houdini #CGI #ProductVisualization #SideFX #Solaris #KarmaXPU
#3DMotionDesign #HoudiniTutorial #CGIWorkflow #MotionDesign
