Live 2022.09.13
Random Walk SSS Sculpture
Taking a look at the new random walk SSS model recently added to Redshift Render
After seeing Saul Espinosa share some really impressive demonstrations of the new SSS model, 
I wanted to give it a try as well. I used VOPs and a an iterative displacement process as well as the detangle SOP to try to procedurally generate some organic blob looking form.
Scene File
Summary
Using some VOP nodes to build a pattern
Distorting the pattern using curl noise applied to the input position, the pattern is then used to displace the mesh along it's surface normal. This can be done iteratively using a for loop with feedback enabled.
Applying a detangle SOP inside the loop produces nice wrinkling and helps to prevent overlaps or penetration in the mesh.
Below you can see a render comparison with grey shaded and the displaced random walk SSS shaded.
Video On Demand
- 0:00:00 SSS random walk example render
- 0:00:52 SOP modeling begins
- 0:06:00 remesh to grid SOP
- 0:07:00 VOP pattern generation
- 0:09:00 displace mesh using VOP
- 0:14:10 modeling the plinth
- 0:18:20 placing the camera
- 0:19:00 redshift render and lighting
- 0:20:00 redshift shader building
- 0:21:00 SSS random walk settings
- 0:26:00 iterative displacement using for loop
- 0:27:40 fix penetrations using detangle SOP
- 0:47:40 add rectangle area light
- 1:11:25 adding another rect light
- 1:14:00 building shader for the plinth
- 1:18:50 copying rest coordinates initial geo
- 1:19:50 adding shader noise based on rest coords
- 1:28:30 layering materials in the shader
- 1:34:00 adjusting render postFX
- 1:40:30 final render
