Working as Houdini freelancer, creating assets and tools for studios

[Saya]

Hi, I was wondering what pipeline is used for freelancers who are working for studios. How the created effect or asset is implemented in into Unity or Unreal.
The Houdini engine is beneficial for the creator but can it still be used by the studio after the freelancer has been gone? Or how do should I see this working?

Does the freelancer create an HDA for the studio. Whereas, the studio loads the HDA with the houdini engine, and is the created tool always available or will
it encounter some license issues.

Thanks in advance,

M

[blackurco]

I don't know If I'm wrong or if you can do something to avoid this but AFAIK, you have to take in count that if the studio for you are working on are using FX licenses you need to have an FX license too, not the Indie one.

[davpe]

as far as i know, producing assets and/or tools as a remote freelancer is not very common. this is something studio TD crew typically do, as they can test everything directly in the studio environment and pipeline, they are expected to maintain their tools over longer time period, and they don't have to care about NDA policies or remote data trasnfers. 

Having said that, I personally have gotten a few requests for building procedural systems in last 6 months, so there certainly is some market for that. But establishing yourself as a freelancer specialized in building Houdini tools/HDAs would be very hard endeavor I think.

this is just an experience of a single person thou. you can always give it a shot and have a backup plan for case it doesn't work     

cheers,  D.

[Saya]

thanks black and dav,

So how would it work for VFX in your experience? Having indeed some trouble finding some jobs. How do you get your requests? could yo recommand some websites? or is it all LinkedIn?

Cheers!

[davpe]

i'm not a freelancer, but here are some thoughts:

from social platforms, Zerply seems to work pretty well for freelancers - i'm getting job offers from time to time even if I'm not actively seeking one. linked-in works too.

if you want a job from a studio, you'll need a good looking showreel and a history of projects/jobs. you are unlikely to land a remote job for a studio without some sort of good looking "professional background"  

for this reason (not only) i'd recommend you to get a few jobs in studios first. that will make your life significantly easier bcs you'll make friends there, they'll seee you're doing good, you'll see what's the style of work in studio, and you'll have a better understanding how to deliver your work when working remotely. i know a few freelancers who can do gorgeous looking commercial or print on their own, but would never be able to work for a studio, bcs they developed a unique style work and software environment over the years, which no studio is compatible with.

hope that helps.

D.

Edited March 11, 2020 by davpe