We present Pahi, a unified water pipeline and toolset for visual effects production. It covers procedural blocking visualization for preproduction, simulation of various water phenomena from large-scale splashes with airborne spray and mist, underwater bubbles and foam to small-scale ripples, thin film and drips, and a compositing system to combine different elements together for rendering. Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution, Pahi encompasses a number of state-of-the-art techniques from reference engineering-grade solvers to highly art-directable tools. We do a deep dive into the technical aspects of Pahi components and their interaction, and discuss practical aspects of its use on Avatar: The Way of Water. We were honored to be awarded the Visual Effects Society (VES) 2023 Emerging Technology Award for this work.

Alexey Stomakhin, Steve Lesser, Joel Wretborn, Sean Flynn, Johnathan Nixon, Nicholas Illingworth, Adrien Rollet, Kevin Blom, Douglas McHale

DigiPro 2023