Houdini Resources

Updated on Sept 1  2022

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• Introduction
• Sidefx
• Sidefx Documentation

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• Overview
  
• Troubleshooting
  
• Windows 11 Note
  
• Redshift and Houdini
  
• Tips and Tricks (pictoral)
• Command Line Render

• Math for VSFX (all)
  
• Intro Tutorials (350/721)
• Advanced (428/728)
• VEX/VOPS /a little Python
• Wrangle nodes
• Wrangle node examples
• Wrangle Syntax Quick
  
• RBD | Bullet
• Particle Dynamics
  
• Fluids - liquid
  Fluids - pyro
  Oceans
  OpenVDB
  
• Crowds
• Height Fields
• Material Style Sheets
• Fur
• 3D Printing

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• C++ Resources (375)

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• Houdini in Motion Media
• Houdini in Games

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copyright © Deborah R. Fowler

Deborah R. Fowler

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Houdini Introduction

Updated on Oct 24  2022

• Advanced Users see section topics
• Beginner Users see also Quick Guide
  

A rapidly changing list: SideFX's fantastic digital library summary
Another google list I have recently started here
My previous list here (here for my archive)

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Resources

• Houdini Tips and Tricks This section of my website contains tips from class and frequently asked questions as appropriate
• SideFX Learning Paths
  
• Houdini 16.5 Mantra Users Guide by Scott Keating (Useful, although we are moving toward Redshift and Karma)
  
• There are now so many resources available, my top picks are (and all free):
  • SideFX Documentation
  • Go Procedural on Vimeo and SideFX tutorials (may want to use the three tracks above to sort)
  • Paul Esteves quick intro to nodes 
  • Entagma (new every 2 weeks)
  • Peter Quint on Vimeo including access to the hip files
  • Junichiro Horikawa dives into vex, kinefx, volume wrangles etc.
    
  • Len White has two excellent wrangle node videos
    
  • Escher in Houdini: Spirals  (if you run into troubles I have created a hip file based on the tutorial)
  • Escher in Houdini: Sphere Spirals (the key is in the profile curves, try it and if you have difficulty, I have created a hip)
    

TIP: anytime you see a new node introduced read the documentation about it by clicking on the ? button in Houdini

For those of you starting Houdini do not ignore the documentation. Two important user forums exist:

• odforce forum (as well as useful information at odforce wiki)
  
• SideFX Forum

There are an ever growing number of tutorials. Often the older tutorials have excellent information as well. Broad generalization - for foundation concepts, older material is still valid, for dynamics be version aware.

Some of the older tutorials exists on the vimeo channel Go Procedural (November 2010, Houdini 11). The pdf versions are no longer accessible. (Go Procedural User Guide, First Steps, Next Steps). These are quite dated and there are many more resources available, however much of the information contained is valid.

TIP:   Now vimeo and youtube (vlc as well) have a feature under playback that allows you to play videos at faster (or slower) speeds. This sometimes helps when you are searching for something specific.

TIP:  google is your friend - the search engines in the forums don't always give you the answer you want - search on google and then look for the forums in the results.

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Getting Started

GENERAL - in addition to the resources listed above

• In the Houdini Help documentation, review the pages linked to in the “Getting started” section of the Basics page. The pscale attribute that was added in order to vary the scale of the trees in the procedural forest is described briefly in Instancing point attributes as part of the Copying and instancing documentation. More importantly read about Packed Primitives.
• You also should do a cursory review of 
• Expression functions and 
• Global expression variables also
  
• Global Anim Opts
• Edit Parameter Interface window
• Beginning Houdini User's here is Andy Nichols cheat sheet - this is a good synopsis of useful documentation.
• CGWiki for Houdini - really like the comparison to Maya
• GridMarkets (cloud rendering for Houdini) also has featured artists on their site
• These are for version 14, however the information is still valid: Houdini Beginning Essentials
  
• H14Intro - my mini overview for beginners of the interface here
• H14RenderToFiles - mini overview for beginners to render to files here

RENDERING

• Excellent documents for rendering since 12.5 and up are more "opinionated and focused on practical advice and tips".
  
• rendering basics  
• understanding mantra rendering
  
• Render Quality and Speed
• For the majority of what you do, you will be using PBR. You will see noise in your renders - be sure to read the section on noise level, ray samples and pixel samples in the documentation noted above
• Third party rendering (Arnold) is available for Houdini on Linux and the Renderfarm, however the Apprentice version does not support this and Mantra will be used for 350/721
  
• odforce post Nov 14/2012 an excellent explanation by Jeff Wagner (old school) on understanding PBR (thanks Zach Z!)

SHADING

• Building Shaders in H15  
• Material Style Sheets in H15  
  

INSTANCING AND PACKED PRIMITIVES

Instancing is an important concept and will be discussed as it relates to lighting, however in Houdini packed primitives are cooler!

• Packed Primitives
• Procedural Corn Maze by Scott Keating (I have created a document highlighting some of the essential features of Instancing here that you will need for 350/428.)
  

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