modeling demands

[Tomoka]

Hi, I'm a VFX student, specializing in environment art, with a focus on Houdini.

I have a question for Houdini users: Is there a specific need to use Houdini as a modeling tool?

I'm currently working on a project that involves modeling architecture for an environment. However, I'm starting to wonder if it's essential to study modeling specifically in Houdini.

I chose Houdini because I'm not very skilled at modeling in Maya, but I want to know if there are professionals who use Houdini for modeling and if there's a demand for it.

[Atom]

I rarely model in Houdini. Houdini is used to manipulate existing models and apply effects. Quite frankly, with the pace of AI development, modeling, like rotoscoping, may become a thing of the past.

Edited July 31 by Atom

[ryew]

It's more common to see Houdini used for Procedural Modeling, particularly in gaming.  For example creating a row of buildings with different roofs, doors, windows, different boulders/rocks, barricades, etc. for environments and set dressing - look online and you will see examples of these sort of asset generators which Houdini is very good for. 

You could use Houdini to model single objects like characters, props, etc. but it is much slower than I believe you will find programs like Maya, Modo, Blender, etc that have quick hotkeys and purpose-built interfaces for modeling that make them quicker and easier to use.

[Tomoka]

Thank you for your response. Yes, I agree; I find it inefficient to create high-resolution models for VFX in Houdini. I think I'll try other tools as well.

[masonward]

Hi,

As far as I know, Houdini is a powerful tool for procedural modeling, especially for complex environments, architecture, and assets that need to be easily adjustable or scalable. I have a good experience working with this tool.

While it's not traditionally the go-to for direct modeling like Maya or Blender, many professionals use Houdini for its procedural workflows, which can be highly efficient in a VFX pipeline. If you're already comfortable with Houdini and interested in creating complex, adaptable models, it's worth investing time in mastering it. The demand for Houdini modelers is growing, particularly in studios that value procedural techniques.

 

Thanks

[Tomoka]

On 8/22/2024 at 8:39 PM, masonward said:

Hi,

As far as I know, Houdini is a powerful tool for procedural modeling, especially for complex environments, architecture, and assets that need to be easily adjustable or scalable. I have a good experience working with this tool.

While it's not traditionally the go-to for direct modeling like Maya or Blender, many professionals use Houdini for its procedural workflows, which can be highly efficient in a VFX pipeline. If you're already comfortable with Houdini and interested in creating complex, adaptable models, it's worth investing time in mastering it. The demand for Houdini modelers is growing, particularly in studios that value procedural techniques.

 

Thanks

Thank you for your response. I tried modeling architecture in Houdini and found it quite challenging to do everything procedurally. However, I'm very interested in geometric modeling using VEX. As you mentioned, I also believe that mastering modeling in Houdini is worthwhile. I’m eager to continue learning. Thank you again for your guidance.

[animatrix]

8 hours ago, Tomoka said:

Thank you for your response. I tried modeling architecture in Houdini and found it quite challenging to do everything procedurally. However, I'm very interested in geometric modeling using VEX. As you mentioned, I also believe that mastering modeling in Houdini is worthwhile. I’m eager to continue learning. Thank you again for your guidance.

In Houdini you have to plan out all these steps and generalize the entire procedure if you want to model successfully. For very manual modeling, that's not necessary but then you will still have to carry some of the burden of procedural modeling.