Houdini (6 weeks)

Module 1 – Introduction to Interface and Modelling 

Day 1 – Introduction to interface and 3D pipeline 

• Modelling a simple project 

Day 2 – Modelling 

• Traditional modelling 
• Procedural modelling 

Day 3 – Procedural modelling and VEX/VOPS

• Procedural tool making
• Modelling techniques 
• Intro to coding in Houdini with VEX and VOPS

Day 4 – Procedural asset creation (HDA’s) and intro to Houdini engine

• Intro to digital asset creation pipeline
  

Day 5 – Texturing and Materials

• UVs
• Materials  
• Shaders
  

Day 6 – Lighting/ Rendering

• Lighting techniques for photo-realism 
• Rendering engines and optimisation 

Module 2 – Introduction to DOPS and RBD

Day 1 – Intro DOPS, POP’s and RBD’s

• DOP network 
• Create particle sims with POPS
• Create a RBD sim with colliders

Day 2 – Fracturing and constraints

• Pre-fracturing techniques
• RBD constraints
• SOP solver
  

Day 3 – Look at RBD SOP techniques and rendering RBD

• Look at SOP only sim workflow and setup
• Explain pros and cons

Day 4 – Adding debris and secondary simulations

• Add secondary simulations for creating debris and dust from the main RBD sim
  

Day 5 – Project Day

Module 3 – Introduction to Pyro effects

Day 1 – Introduction to pyro in DOPS 

• Mist 
• Smoke 
• Fire effects 
• Collisions
• Controls 
• Caching 
• Sparse solver

Day 2 – Using custom micro- solvers and fields

• Creating custom micro-solvers and fields to control the fire/smoke simulation

Day 3 – Look at PYRO SOP techniques

• Look at SOP only sim workflow and setup for pyro
• Explain pros and cons

Day 4 – Rendering smoke and fire sims

• Add secondary simulations for creating debris and dust from the main RBD sim

Day 5 – Project Day

Module 4 – Introduction to Water Effects (FLIP)

Day 1 – Introductio to FLIP in DOPS

• Intro to FLIP 
• Create water effects
  

Day 2 – Flat Tank introduction

• Creating a flat tank and interacting with colliders
• Intro to optimisation with narrow band

Day 3 – Ocean tools introduction and other custom forces

• Look at ocean tools to create large bodies of water
• Look at ocean spectrum in detail
• Look at adding custom forces to drive the waves

Day 4 – Adding white-water effects and rendering

• Look at adding secondary simulations for white-water effects such as bubbles, spray and foam
• Look a caching and surfacing the fluids
• Look at rendering water, foam etc.

Day 5 – Project Day

Module 5 – Introduction to Vellum

Day 1 – Introdutcion to Vellum

• Introduction to vellum and cloth simulations

Day 2 – Vellum SOP setup and drape workflow

• Using Vellum SOP tools
• Looking at the drape workflow for making clothing for characters

Day 3 – Other uses for Vellum (Hair, balloons, tearing etc)

• Look at Vellum hair for dynamic curves
• Look at pressure and fracture settings

Day 4 – Vellum soft bodies

• Look at Vellum soft bodies for CFX/organic character flesh workflows

Day 5 – Project Day

Module 6 – Introduction to  Environments

Day 1 – Introduction to height field

• Create terrains

Day 2 – Populating terrains with geometry

• Understanding masking and scatter tools to populate environment with trees, rocks etc.)

Day 3 – Applying textures and lighting to terrains

• Rendering and lighting heightfields in Houdini and applying materials using tri-planar mapping

Day 4 – Project day

Day 5 – Project day, delivery and feedback