Is it possible to build VFX effect from textures in Houdini?

[ISUther]

Hello, 

Is it possible to build VFX effect from textures in  Houdini?
Here is model what i have at the moment. 
If you look at original concept character has also those blue disease look a like veins under her skin. 
I can sculpt in those veins (or use mari texturing and from that get mask that i can then extrude and have those under skin and build VFX on top of it) 
 

 

[CinnamonMetal]

You could probably do this in most render engines, although if you are using Mantra, I think you may need a noise texture to be below an SSS shader so it can be seen.  I would first attempt to paint this whether in a 2D or 3D painting program (Ps, Mari etc) to understand how the purple veins would move and end under the skin.

By the way, she looks sorta like Medusa.

[ISUther]

I also started to wonder should i make veins as separate OBJ files or polygoups? Can i assign effect on polygroup and not on full model?
Idea regarding effect is this: 
Kerrigan face has clear skin and then the disease creeps in like under skin effect

 

[ISUther]

Something like this: 
But more detailed. 
Note! I did not make the animation one guy helped me out a bit in forum

 

[CinnamonMetal]

You could paint on the mesh where you want the veins then displace the painted attribute, and to animate as show in the video; you could either animate it by means of a dummy object or animate the veins by means of a SOP solver; read that data into a SHOP or MAT shader for the subdermal of the skin of a SSS shader. 

Or you could do it all in ZBrush and export the vein areas and import that into Houdini by means of a texture map.

Edited October 21, 2018 by CinnamonMetal