Update on the First SF Houdini User Group Meeting: The inaugural meeting of the Bay Area Houdini User Group will be taking place at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park on October 6th, 2017 from 6:00-9:00pm. It will be hosted by the members of the Visualization Studio at the Academy, the team that makes the shows for the Morrison Planetarium. The team will showcase some of the work they have created using Houdini to illustrate and communicate complex concepts in science storytelling, and offer a sneak peek at their latest production, Expedition: Reef, that is due to premier in March 2018. So if you love Houdini and want to nerd out about it, you will be in good company! Background: The Visualization Studio is a team of artists who create science based stories using real data. They will demonstrate how they have used Houdini for: -Recreating the destruction of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake -Taking viewers through a lush kelp forest ecosystem -Creating an underground world of fungus, tree roots and soil -Visualizing real data on the earth, including airline flights, container ship traffic and whale migrations -Generating an accurate model of the the Solar System using data from NASA -Populating an entire coral reef with thousands of tropical fish -Traveling from the human scale down to the microscopic scale to see things in a whole new way I am quite excited about the event and have seen some of the visuals these artists create - amazing stuff! To RSVP email sfhug2017@gmail.com or sign up as a member of the SF HUG Facebook Group (Events section). URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/300964337051165/

The SF Houdini User Group will have a kick-off meeting at the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences on October 6th (6-9:30pm). We'll discuss everything procedural and listen to a presentation by the team of awesome Houdini artists creating the shows at the Planetarium! Event details can be found at the newly created San Francisco Houdini User Group Facebook Page - so please, join that as well if you live in the area. If you have any questions or want me to add you to the email list for the new SF HUG, let me know. Patricia

Hi everyone! Serjan Burlak, our new GridMarkets Featured Houdini Artist, describes his personal journey towards artistic mastery. His contribution to our series of artist profiles is a must read for anyone who has every struggled with their artistic path. We hope you enjoy the article, Patricia and the GridMarkets Team

Hi all, We are thinking of forming a Northern California Houdini User Group with SideFX's support. Those of you who'd love to join, please PM me. Also, if you have any friends in the Bay Area, let them know that this is in the works. Thanks for spreading the word! A first step to kickstarting the SF HUG will be to open a FB group. More on this soon. Patricia

Hello everyone, Are you curious who our new GridMarkets Featured Houdini Artist is? Meet Saber Jlassi, Senior Cinematic TD at Blizzard and also a great Houdini teacher! Hope you enjoy the feature, Patricia and the GridMarkets Team

Hello everyone! Our new GridMarketsFeatured Houdini Artist is Ehsan Parizi. Learn why he dedicates time to personal projects and discover his colourful Houdini growth patterns! We hope you enjoy the new feature! Have a great week, Patricia and the GridMarkets Team

Hi everyone, We're excited to share our interview with Manuel Casasola Merkle as part of our ongoing GridMarkets Featured Houdini Artist series! He is the cofounder and partner at Munich-based studio Aixsponza and cocreator of the popular Houdini tutorial series Entagma. Enjoy the new feature, Patricia and the GridMarkets Team

Hi everyone, Are you a big fan of the Houdini Tricks website? We are - that's why we invited the man behind Houdini Tricks, motion designer and developer Erwin Santacruz, to be our featured Houdini Artist. He's not only a tireless contributor to the Houdini community, he is also a great teacher. Here, he walks us through building Python shelf tools in Houdini. We hope you enjoy his tutorial as much as we did, Patricia and the GridMarkets team

Hello everyone, Are you into pyro? Then you might like our new GridMarkets Houdini Artist Profile! Alex Halstead , Senior FX Artist at Iloura, shares his workflow for digital fire effects. I hope you enjoy his thoughts on how to create spectacular and believable digital fire, Patricia and the GridMarkets Team

Hi everyone, I'd like to share the second part of Hernan Llano's awesome Houdini tutorial about applied vectors - enjoy! Patricia and the GridMarkets team

Hello everyone! Our new Featured Houdini Artist is Hernan Llano, FX TD at Framestore London. Aside from being a really nice guy and a pleasure to work with, I found his career path fascinating - read our interview with him to find out why. Hernan has also graciously agreed to sharing a detailed video tutorial about using applied vectors in Houdini - I hope you enjoy his helpful tips. Patricia and the GridMarkets team

Hello everyone, Our new Houdini Artist Profile is not a tutorial. Instead, CG Supervisor David Cunningham describes the skills and qualities that he feels make a good FX TD. Technical proficiency is only part of the equation - read on to find out what else matters: www.gridmarkets.com/david-cunningham And before I forget, check out David's amazing reel as well. Have a great week, Patricia and the GridMarkets team

Hi everyone, I love to explore the intersection between art and mathematics; that's why I am particularly happy to share this new Houdini Artist Profile with you. Heribert Raab, Senior FX TD at Image Engine Design, describes his journey through the world of fractals and presents some of his beautiful creations. We hope you enjoy the article, Patricia and the GridMarkets Team

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! We are launching our 2017 series of GridMarkets Houdini artist profiles by featuring talented French Houdini artist Maxime Causeret! Don’t miss the background on his spectacular new Houdini video, "Order from Chaos", created for electronica and techno producer Max Cooper and recently selected as a Vimeo staff pick. We hope you enjoy the article, Patricia and the GridMarkets team