From Zero to Houdini - Beginner's Guide to Procedural 3D

Ready to get started with Houdini? In this first video, I’ll walk you through the basics—downloading and installing the software. Nothing fancy, just a simple, step-by-step guide to get you up and running. It’s super easy, and I’ll be right here with you. Let’s take that first step together! ?

Alright, now that Houdini’s installed, let’s get comfy with the interface! In this video, I’ll walk you through the most important panels so you know where everything is.

Plus, I’ll show you how to set up a custom workspace layout that works best for you. Don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds, and by the end, you’ll feel right at home in Houdini. Let’s dive in!

Now it’s time to dig a little deeper! In this video, we’re exploring Houdini’s Network Contexts—what they are, how they work, and why they’re so important. I’ll break it all down in a simple, easy-to-follow way, so you can start to see how everything connects. Trust me, it’s not as complicated as it looks! Let’s figure this out together.

Let’s make Houdini your best friend! In this video, I’ll show you how to find help directly inside the software and how to navigate Houdini’s documentation. Knowing where to look when you’re stuck is a game-changer, and I’ll make sure you’re set up to troubleshoot and learn as you go. Let’s take the mystery out of Houdini together!

Time to dive into the heart of Houdini—nodes! In this video, we’ll cover the basics of how nodes work and why they’re so powerful. I’ll guide you through the node workflow step by step, so you can start building with confidence. Don’t worry, it’s simpler than it looks, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

Let’s talk about grouping in Houdini! In this video, we’ll explore the basics of grouping in the SOPs context—what it is, how it works, and why it’s super handy. I’ll show you how to organize and control parts of your geometry with ease. It’s a simple but powerful tool that you’ll use all the time. Let’s jump in and get grouping!

Let’s dive into attributes! In this video, we’ll break down what attributes are, the different types that exist, and where they’re stored in Houdini. I’ll also show you how to view and work with them using the Geometry Spreadsheet. Attributes are a core part of Houdini, and once you get the hang of them, you’ll see how powerful they really are.

Let’s take attributes to the next level! In this video, I’ll show you different ways to create attributes in Houdini and how to visualize them so you can actually see what’s happening. Attributes are a key part of procedural workflows, and this is where they really start to get fun. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it simple and walk you through step by step. Let’s get started!

In this video, we’re diving into attribute transfers! I’ll show you how to pass attributes from one data stream to another and explain why this is such a powerful tool in Houdini. It’s a super useful technique that opens up tons of creative possibilities. Let’s break it down together—step by step!

Let’s bring some life to Houdini! In this video, we’ll cover the basics of keyframe animation by creating a simple (but fun!) bouncing ball animation. I’ll show you how to set keyframes, tweak the timing, and make your animation feel natural. It’s a great way to start exploring animation in Houdini—let’s bounce into it together!

Let’s make things move! In this video, we’re diving into the basics of procedural animation in Houdini. I’ll show you how to use built-in animation functions and simple expressions to bring your creations to life. It’s easier than you think, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how powerful procedural animation can be. Let’s create some magic together!

Let’s dive into the magic of procedural animation! In this video, I’ll show you how to create a cool procedural animation using VOPs (don’t worry—I’ll explain what they are and how they work along the way).

VOPs are super versatile and a lot of fun once you get the hang of them. By the end, you’ll have a solid intro to this powerful tool and a great animation to show for it. Let’s get creative together!

Ready to take procedural animation to the next level? In this video, we’ll create an animation using VEX, Houdini’s powerful scripting language. Don’t worry if you’re new to coding—I’ll walk you through a simple introduction to VEX and show you how it can be used to add control and creativity to your animations. By the end, you’ll see that VEX isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. Let’s explore it together!

Let’s get hands-on with some basic procedural modeling techniques! In this video, I’ll show you how to use Houdini to create models in a creative and playful way, all while keeping things fully procedural. This is where Houdini really shines, and you’ll see just how powerful it can be for building flexible, dynamic designs. Ready to have some fun and unleash your creativity? Let’s dive in!

In this class, we’ll explore the fundamentals of particle simulations in Houdini, starting with shelf tools to quickly set up a basic system. You'll also get a clear introduction to the DOP network—its structure, workflow, and how it powers dynamic simulations.

In this class, we’ll explore how to emit particles on objects and control their behavior using point scattering and attributes. You’ll learn how to fine-tune emission for more precise and dynamic effects, giving you greater control over your simulations.

Ready to take full control of your particle simulations? In this class, we’ll explore how to add forces inside a DOP network and create custom velocities on particle source points. You’ll learn how to guide particle motion with precision, making your simulations more dynamic and realistic.

Whether you’re experimenting with wind, turbulence, or custom velocities, this lesson will give you the tools to push your effects further. Let’s dive in and bring your particles to life!

Learn how to dynamically control particle size over time using attributes in Houdini! In this class, we’ll explore both VEX and VOP workflows to manipulate particle scale, helping you create more natural and visually appealing simulations.

Whether you're crafting dust, sparks, or magical effects, understanding size variation is key to making your particles feel more alive. Let’s jump in and refine your particle simulations!

In this part, we’re diving into the basics of Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD) simulations using Houdini’s built-in Shelf Tools.

In this lesson, we’re cracking into the fundamentals of fracture simulations in Houdini! We’ll explore both the Voronoi Fracture and the RBD Material Fracture tools, covering how to break objects realistically. Plus, I’ll walk you through both SOP-based and DOP-based workflows, so you can choose the approach that best fits your project.

If you're new to RBD or just want a solid foundation for destruction sims, this one’s for you! ? Let me know if you have any questions, and happy simming!

Hey everyone! In this tutorial, we’re taking a look at Houdini’s Pyro Shelf Tools—the fastest way to set up fire, smoke, and explosions. We’ll go over the different presets, break down how these setups work, and learn the basics of Houdini’s Pyro system.

If you’re new to Pyro FX, this is a great place to start!

Watch the full tutorial now and start playing with fire (safely)!

Thanks for your support—happy simming!

In this lesson, we’re building a Pyro simulation from the ground up—no shortcuts, just pure control. We’ll go through all the essential settings to shape fire and smoke exactly how you want.

By the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of Pyro Solver settings, Micro Solvers, and key parameters to create realistic fire FX in Houdini.

Hey everyone! In this tutorial, we’re bringing magic to Pyro FX by creating a fiery, mystical fireball from scratch. We’ll dive into source attributes, use Micro Solvers to shape the flames, and finish with a quick look at rendering in Solaris with Karma.

If you want to take your Pyro skills to the next level, this one’s for you!

If you're just starting out with fluid sims—or looking to speed up your workflow—this video covers the basics of what Houdini's Shelf Tools offer for FLIP setups, and why they’re structured the way they are.

We’ll walk through:

• The main FLIP-related shelf tools (FLIP Emitter, FLIP Crown Splash, etc.)

• What each one builds under the hood

• How Houdini organizes nodes and networks for fluid simulations

• A few quick tips on customizing these setups as a springboard for more advanced work

This is a great intro if you're curious how Houdini “thinks” when it comes to fluids, and want a solid foundation before diving into more complex custom setups.

If you’ve ever wanted to understand how Houdini’s fluid solver ticks, this one’s for you.

This is a beginner-friendly walkthrough designed to demystify basics concepts of FLIP and get you up and running with solid foundations.

? In this tutorial, you’ll learn:

• How FLIP fluids work under the hood

• Setting up a basic FLIP sim in DOPs

• Using Emitters, Colliders, and Forces to shape your fluid motion

• Tips for optimizing fluids by balancing a few important parameters

• Best practices for stability and resolution control

By the end, you’ll have a clean and customizable fluid setup that you can build on for more advanced effects later.

Hi friends! In this class we’ll explore how to set up Vellum simulations in Houdini using the shelf tools as a starting point. The goal is to give you a clear understanding of how Vellum works under the hood by walking through its basic structure in both SOPs and DOPs.

In the next part we will create a set up from scratch and check the most important settings to control Vellum simulations.

In this lesson we’ll build a Vellum Cloth and Soft Body simulation from scratch, giving you full control over how your simulation behaves. I’ll guide you through the key parameters that shape the look and feel of the sim, and we’ll cover how to combine multiple Vellum objects into one cohesive setup. To wrap things up, we’ll explore how to add custom forces and animate constraint parameters over time for more advanced, art-directed results. This is a great next step if you’re ready to move beyond the shelf tools and start building smarter, more flexible Vellum sims.

In this part, you'll learn how to set up and use the MPM Solver in SideFX Houdini to create a fun and dynamic jello ball bouncing into a pool of mud! We’ll cover the essential nodes, key parameters, and tips for getting realistic soft body and fluid-like behavior using the MPM workflow.

In this lesson I will give you a quick introduction to Solaris. If you just want to create a quick preview or scene render, that´s all you need to know.

But of course we will dive deeper into the matter in the next lessons until we become Solaris and therefor USD masters.

In part two of our Solaris module we will explore how to create a hierarchy and organize our LOPs setup in the Scene Graph Tree.

You will learn the importance of paths in Solaris and USD and how to set them up properly.

In this lesson we are going through USD layers in Solaris. An often overlooked topic, that can be very powerful especially when working with a team. Beside that it's useful to export various parts of your Solaris network into separate USD files.

In this lesson we take a look how to import animated objects from SOPs using SOP import. Therefore we will use the Greeble Cube setup from lesson 02_10. We will learn how save animated setups as USD caches and how to integrate these files into our setup while maintaining responsiveness of our Solaris network.

In part five of our introduction to Solaris we will keep working on our final project. You will learn how to use attributes in MaterialX shaders, refine the lighting setup and use so called "layer breaks". Finally we will add some rotation animation using transforms directly in LOPs.

In this lesson you will learn how to build a versatile multi-shot setup in Solaris. We will create different camera angles, specify shot-based frame ranges and make sure everything is organized for the final export.

In this lesson we will add Depth of Field and Motion Blur to our project. While DoF is pretty straight forward, we have to dig a bit into USD time samples and velocity attributes to master motion blur. But no worries, it´s not complicated at all!

Congratulations, you made to the end of our course! In this last episode we will render our project using Karma XPU. We will go through essential settings of Karma, take a quick look at AOVs (multi pass rendering) and finally export our shots as EXR sequences.

I really hope that this course was helpful and boosts your confidence to continue your Houdini journey.