presents

Houdini Fundamentals for Generalists 

[USD and Unreal Engine - Live 8 week class, 50+hrs]

Procedural Modeling

Build impossibly complex objects and worlds procedurally, and iterate versions instantly

Pipeline

Learn about the future of connected CG environments.

 

Motion

The future of Motion Capture and animation processing, real time and offline.

FX

Vellum for simpler unified FX, cloth, liquid, grains

Book your place now!

What you will learn

  • Houdini fundamentals - Simplified path to learning how Houdini and proceduralism works
  • Procedural modeling and world building
  • Basic FX like cloth, particles, fluids
  • Motion processing: Mocap and procedural retargeting(live linked)
  • USD and Unreal Engine Integration 

Who is this for?

  • You want to learn Houdini but you feel it is too complicated a program to make progress with
  • You are passionately excited by the raw power of Houdini and want to take it seriously NOW!
  • You are a film maker, artist, designer, visualizer, wanting procedural tools to help your process
  • You may be frustrated by trying to motivate and teach yourself from the hundreds of unstructured videos online
  • You may have some experience but feel you lack fundamentals and feel held back by that
  • You want someone to lead you through solid CG fundamentals and proven production techniques
  • You want live up to date practical instruction and to finish a project in 8 weeks
  • You need to be able to balance this with life and work 

Dates:

  • Sat June 9, 2022 for eight weeks. 8:30-11:30am(ish)
  • Thurs night office hours to answer questions (7:30-8:30) for eight weeks with possible guest takeovers (leave a 2 hour window in your time)
Schedule a live call with Edd

 About Houdini

  • Houdini is the most powerful procedural CG software in the world!
  • Traditionally known as an FX tool it is now a very powerful CG generalist tool and the king of USD
  • Don't be left behind, stay cutting edge! The time to have the skills is NOW as it continues to integrate with Unreal Engine and Virtual Production workflows!

How to book

The time to learn Houdini is now!

Whats included?

  • Live instruction! - each week
    • Live teaching session at the weekend 3+ hrs
    • Office hours is one evening during the week (Pacific time) 2 hrs - (Guest takeovers depending on availability)
  • Forum for feedback during the week
  • Downloadable course material
  • All sessions recorded
  • Top industry special guests TBA
  • Taught live by a top level tech artist/supervisor and environment lead on The Lion King who taught Houdini for years at John Hughes Institute.   

Curriculum

  • Week1: Houdini Foundation Pt 1 - Proceduralism, UI, Operators demystified / contexts,SOPs basics - Points attributes etc, project intro
  • Week2: Houdini Foundation Pt 2 - Attributes deep dive / spreadsheet, VEX, wrangles
  • Week3: USD / LOPs basics - Solaris, USD, creating, Authoring, I/O, Layout
  • Week4: Environment Building - SOPs and LOPS, Landscape, Scattering
  • Week5: FX basics - Vellum quick guide
  • Week6: Motion / KineFX - retargeting + Into Unreal 
  • Week7: Geo (and FX and motion) Output - Unreal Hooks - USD, VertexAnimTex, Landscapes, Houdini Engine
  • Week8: Rendering - Karma and Unreal
Questions? Schedule a live call w/ instructor

Senior Tech/Creative Artist

Accelerate your learning and minimize your frustration

Learn from others

Get support in a private FB group from peers and teachers. 

Guest speakers and bonuses

We are going to be interviewing special guests in the industry!  

Edward Dawson-Taylor

CG Supervisor, Senior Houdini artist, CG Pro Founder

Who he is: 

  • CG Supervisor 15+ years
    • Commercials, Movies, Realtime
    • ILM, MPC, Digital Domain, Method, Zoic
    • The Lion King Virtual Production Environment Lead, Jungle Book, Harry Potter V, Jurassic World and more
  • Active artist, supervisor and teacher
  • Innovator, Software Engineer, TD
  • Teacher, Mentor, Coach
    • John Hughes Institute, One Academy
    • Lighting, Houdini, Unreal
  • Successfully transitioned from a previous career into the VFX industry at age 26
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-dawson-taylor/

Testimonials on Edd's Instruction

 

More testimonials from former students 

Peter Bowles

If you want some teachers that are willing to put the time in to help you and genuinely want you to succeed, this is the right place."

Joshua Sikora

"It has truly been a game-changing experience—Edd and Jackie are wonderful instructors, doing a remarkable job of introducing new users to Unreal, while simultaneously stretching and supporting more experienced artists. The project-based approach means that each person is getting to grow and be challenged in the course, and come out the other side with something to be proud of. I'm amazed by the work of everyone in the cohort and it's encouraged me to push harder and grow more while working on my own short film. All of that, plus some tremendous guest speakers and a great collaborative environment, have made this a very worthwhile and highly-recommended experience. Thanks, Edd and Jackie!" 

Alec Birdman

"Great class! Tons of information for any level of experience with virtual production. Edd and Jackie both come with tons of knowledge and experience as CG filmmakers." 

Sonia Seow

“In the two years of learning under Edd, I've not only garnered precious knowledge but also the skills and courage it takes to thrive, realize my potential and identify my strengths and weaknesses. He always made sure that strong fundamentals and basics came first and foremost which I couldn't agree more with as I am now able to breakdown, study and build complex scenes.  He'd always offer in-depth critique and feedback that challenged me to push further and out of my comfort zone allowing me to grow faster as an artist with a clearer, unbiased mindset. I'd also like to thank him for imparting his wisdom and encouragement with real life experiences to prepare me for the industry and its challenges.”    

Megha Lokuhapuaracchi

"Learning the fundamentals of Lighting from Ed was definitely an eye opening time for me. His in depth technical knowledge, and guidance changed my perspective on how to break down shots. It was a milestone in my journey of becoming a greater artist. I am extremely lucky to have had him as a teacher, and I wish I had met him earlier in my life” 

Schedule LIVE call with Edd!

Houdini Fundamentals for Generalists 

[+USD and Unreal Engine 5 Integration]

 

Keep your momentum going and follow your passion!

 

Book today!