Introduction to Houdini [US TIMEZONE]

Description

Step into the captivating world of visual effects with Introduction to Houdini. Whether you're an aspiring artist aiming to break into the film industry or a hobbyist looking to enhance personal projects, this course offers comprehensive guidance on leveraging Houdini, one of the industry's premier FX software. This course will cover everything from understanding Houdini's core functionalities to mastering the art of creating a range of effects.

By the end of the course, not only will you have a basic understanding and beginner level at using Houdini, but you'll also understand the underlying principles of creating engaging and realistic visual effects. Take the plunge into the vibrant world of visual effects and bring your creative visions to life.

You will gain exclusive access to our internal Slack channel to send any pressing questions, anytime!

All sessions are live, not pre-recorded, and you can always contribute to the session.

Curriculum

Week 01: Getting Started with Houdini

We’ll begin by exploring Houdini’s user interface, learning how to navigate through nodes, parameters, and understanding the relationship between Object Space and World Space.
- Overview of Houdini
- UI and Navigation
- Nodes and Parameters
- Object Space vs World Space
- Geometry Manipulation
Assignment: Create a simple "cornell Box."

Week 02: Advanced Geometry Techniques

Now that you're familiar with the basics, it’s time to manipulate geometry. Learn how to work with Packed Geometry, PolySoup, and the power of groups, masks, and attributes to control and modify objects.
- Packed Geometry and PolySoup
- Groups, Masks, and Geometry Attributes
- Point and Primitive VOPs
Assignment: Apply color, masks, and attributes to the cornell Box.

Week 03: Shading and Solaris

Enter Solaris, Houdini’s powerful lighting and shading environment. You’ll learn how to set up cameras, work with lights, and create materials using MaterialX for a realistic finish.
- Introduction to Solaris
- Cameras and Lights
- MaterialX Shading
Assignment: Shade the cornell Box.

Week 04: Rendering and Compositing

In this session, you’ll dive into Karma Rendering and learn how to set up AOVs (Arbitrary Output Variables) for compositing. We’ll take your renders into Nuke for compositing magic.
- Karma Rendering and AOVs
- Introduction to Nuke Compositing
Assignment: Render AOVs and composite the scene in Nuke.

Week 05: Final Review

Finally, we’ll review your work, analyze your progress, and fine-tune your skills.
- Review and critique the work, refining details as needed.

Mentor - Albert Szostkiewicz

FX, Scripting, Coding, General VFX

VFX Supervisor, Pipeline Innovator, and SideFX-Certified Mentor Albert combines two decades of on-set and post-production VFX experience with a passion for art-meets-math problem-solving. He’s led teams at Weta Digital, ILM, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and DNEG, contributing to Academy Award–winning films like “Dune” and Oscar-nominated hits like “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” As a SideFX-Certified Mentor, Albert loves demystifying complex Houdini workflows, from advanced simulations to ACES color science and custom Python/C++ tools. He believes in empowering artists with a deep technical foundation, so they can create fearlessly and adapt to the ever-evolving VFX landscape. Whether you’re a newcomer or a mid-career professional, Albert’s mission is simple: help you unlock industry-level artistry and become a self-sufficient problem solver.