Strange Request. Affirmation

[lmayfield]

Hey guys, Im pretty new to Houdini. Now As a 3d person, I have a basic Maya foundation. But I wanted to try out Houdini, and well I dont know what it is, but I really like it. I like it so much, Im considering halting my Maya learning experience and learning only on Houdini. Now I understand that "Its not the tool, its the artist" and I also know that "In the industry, people use a variety of software (Maya, Houdini, Realflow) to get the job done. But, Im not at that point. I want to learn the one really well, then when I have the understanding of it all, then move to another software to compare strengths/weakness'.

Here is where my strange request comes in. Post after post, forum after forum, it seems that MAYA is a absolute "Must" and the top if you want to get the best grip on the way the industry works. But I dont want to do Maya (at least for now). I want to create a nice reel with Houdini. I am kinda discouraged just because of what Im hearing from many sources. They all say Houdini is much harder to learn. I think Im going to stick with Houdini as my first choice, I just dont know why (Other than the fact I enjoy it more) if Maya will get me a job much faster. Can anyone tell me why I made a good choice industry/technically/Newb wise?

[Ezz]

Hi.

It really depends on where you are located I think. Here in Denmark there is absolutly no studios using Houdini. Maybe there is 2-3 persons that have just the smallest idea on how this software work.

So I am in Maya-Land ( allthough Im dreaming of a XSI/Houdini pipeline. )

The best for me is to use Maya and then one day use Houdini in projects where its suited.

If you are in a place where there is a chance to get a job using Houdini I would say that you should follow your heart an learn it. You will get a very firm undestanding on how 3D works if you

learn Houdini and that can be used in other 3D-software.

Just my thoughts :-)

Erik

Edited February 4, 2009 by Ezz