Most optimal learning path for VFX using Houdini?

[magneto]

What's the best learning path to take inside Houdini for someone new to Houdini to become good at VFX? Houdini covers a very large ground and at times I find it hard to approach certain areas like DOPs. Should I become good at SOPs (for the most part) before moving onto POPs, etc?

Most SOP stuff makes a lot of sense to me and I increase my familiarity quickly, but when I see volume related SOPs for instance, I feel like lost because it's a new thing for me. That's why I am having a hard time to see a clear path.

Like in Max, it's easier to plot a mental learning path depending on what you want to do. For vfx you could say, modifiers > spacewarps > particle flow (or thinking particles) > afterburn, fumefx, krakatoa, etc. Each of them are more or less isolated from each other, which I don't like to be honest

Can a similar learning path be made for mastering VFX inside Houdini? Should I learn SOPs first, and then move onto POPs, and then when I am good, then move onto DOPs? Should I master VOPs/VEX while I learn SOPs?

How much time should one assume this would take, given 100% dedication to learn Houdini like a full-time job, day-in and day-out? I was sort of thinking a year of this should get me to a level where I can get an entry level VFX TD position at a good studio? I have 7 years of game dev experience as a pipeline technical artist at a major AAA studio, so my 3d technical skills are rock-solid.

What are resident Houdini masters here have to say about this? How did you get to your level? How long did it take you till you finally felt very comfortable to take on any challenge?

There are very skilled artists here. Especially when I read Symek's, Eetu's, and some other people's posts here, it just blows my mind. I really admire their Houdini knowledge and dedication. They are true stars in this community and inside Houdini IMO.

Edited March 11, 2012 by magneto

[hopbin9]

What's the best learning path to take inside Houdini for someone new to Houdini to become good at VFX? Houdini covers a very large ground and at times I find it hard to approach certain areas like DOPs. Should I become good at SOPs (for the most part) before moving onto POPs, etc?

SOP to POP is a good path. The two are similar.

Start with RDB in the DOP network and learn everything there before moving onto fluids or pryo. I see to many jumping into fluids/pyro to early, and then they really are just learning how to run a simulation not really control one.

How much time should one assume this would take, given 100% dedication to learn Houdini like a full-time job, day-in and day-out? I was sort of thinking a year of this should get me to a level where I can get an entry level VFX TD position at a good studio? I have 7 years of game dev experience as a pipeline technical artist at a major AAA studio, so my 3d technical skills are rock-solid.

I've been doing it for about a year. You seem like a smart guy, so I don't think that's an unrealistic time frame. There are people who simply plateau when learning this kind of stuff, but I don't think you'll have the problem.

There are very skilled artists here. Especially when I read Symek's, Eetu's, and some other people's posts here, it just blows my mind. I really admire their Houdini knowledge and dedication. They are true stars in this community and inside Houdini IMO.

I don't get a star. This sucks.

[gaurav]

Very good question, I too would love to see what masters suggest.

IMHO learning Houdini and learning visual effects (which is art) using Houdini are two different questions.

For the first one i think the advantage we don't have now is growing with the application/tool as it evolves.

H has quarter century of rich history and has become software so wide and deep that its intimidating,even for seasoned folks in other tools, to do something useful with it initially.

Its even tougher for the folks who don't have strong technical background. So they are at ease learning Computer Graphics using it. That essentially means learning required Math, Physics, and Programming, which demand time and dedication.

Manual, video tutorials, tips and tricks help with learning the tool but for the second question unfortunately there aren't many books* or resources available. So one is better off under the tutelage of a master or group, where one can learn the art and craft ,discuss various approaches, get direct feedback on the work done and improve.

* ( http://elementalmagic.blogspot.in/ ) is the only book i know which talks about the art of special effects animation.

Would be great to have material/resources which talk of both aspects.

Any suggestions ?

Edited March 11, 2012 by vectorblur

[magneto]

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback.

@Hopbin, thanks man. lol I was gonna mention you and some others but didn't want to make a huge list. Otherwise your knowledge is really solid too especially given the timeframe you learnt Houdini

[Neil78]

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback.

@Hopbin, thanks man. lol I was gonna mention you and some others but didn't want to make a huge list. Otherwise your knowledge is really solid too especially given the timeframe you learnt Houdini

Hi - im learning Houdini - have been for 2 years now -

I think it depend upon how you personally like to learn - for me i just threw myself into anything i could get hold off - which was a lot when you think Peter Quint - cmivfx etc - and somehow my brain started to picture all the areas as a whole.

So my advice to anyone starting in Houdini is immerse yourself in chaos - and then dig your way out if it - its working for me !

[magneto]

Thanks for your feedback. I gathered pretty much every Houdini video tutorial I can get my hands on, and it's actually a lot. There are very good ones and very bad ones

The good ones like Kgoossens' road series, David Gary's dvds, Sidefx ones, Peter Quint's ones are gold. I haven't finished watching them all, so I hear you.

When I watch certain ones just to get exposure like Digital Tutor's rbd or fluids dvd, they seem unintuitive. Like seeing which nodes you need to use for an rbd or fluids if you didn't use the shelves, etc. Also with fluids, there is also stuff that's changed, that makes it harder to follow them.

[hopbin9]

When I watch certain ones just to get exposure like Digital Tutor's rbd or fluids dvd, they seem unintuitive. Like seeing which nodes you need to use for an rbd or fluids if you didn't use the shelves, etc. Also with fluids, there is also stuff that's changed, that makes it harder to follow them.

I agree with Digital Tutor's. I had a subscription when I first started with Houdini and did most of their tutorials. I found that it really did help fast forward my learning, but they do stick to the shelf and never really dive into deeper explanations of things. Peter's tuts are great but they are very focused on a topic.

The best and only way to learn Houdini is to do a project yourself, and by that, you will be forced to learn everything in order to finish the project. It will take you 3 times as long to complete the project, cause you're learning at the same time but when you're done the experience/knowledge will be there. It's not easy, few people finish and often what you've produced at the end isn't that great, but you will have learned much.

[magneto]

Yeah Peter Quint's ones are very focused but liked that he knows what's talking about. Because there are also a lot of videos out there where it's clear the person doesn't know the tools well.

I enjoyed your tutorials too

I also find it useful to solve small problems related to what I learnt, so that it's repeated and I am forced to come up with a solution.

[Neil78]

Yeah Peter Quint's ones are very focused but liked that he knows what's talking about. Because there are also a lot of videos out there where it's clear the person doesn't know the tools well.

I enjoyed your tutorials too

I also find it useful to solve small problems related to what I learnt, so that it's repeated and I am forced to come up with a solution.

Yes i agree - because of the all the updates - many of the tutorials are outdated in context - but i struggled on and it became clearer the theory behind most of the examples

I think cmivfx Houdini tutorials are really excellent - quite deep - real world stuff. especially david gary for some hyper theory stuff.

I found the jonah hall ones in digital tutors very cool - he really shows the creative flow in houdini

i also think the cgmasters ones really simplify things - not uber complex setups but the render and lighting ones for example are great clear overviews..

[magneto]

Yeah real world stuff is very useful. I see some tutorials that have nothing to do with real world stuff and if it's a short one, it's ok, but a 3hr one is not very good to follow IMO

Which one's are Jonah Hall's? Are you talking about the rigging ones? I have only seen Sunder's ones.

I only saw the asteroid one from cgmasters. It's very cool to know that they are actually made by our own Houdini community

[Neil78]

Yeah real world stuff is very useful. I see some tutorials that have nothing to do with real world stuff and if it's a short one, it's ok, but a 3hr one is not very good to follow IMO

Which one's are Jonah Hall's? Are you talking about the rigging ones? I have only seen Sunder's ones.

I only saw the asteroid one from cgmasters. It's very cool to know that they are actually made by our own Houdini community

Yeah and lystems - the recent ones