At Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Houdini has played a key role in the education of students in the visual effects department. This program has produced some of the top talent working in feature film studios such as Digital Domain, Sony Imageworks, Rhythm and Hues, DNA, Zoic and Pixar.

“Houdini artists are very much in demand, and many schools don’t teach it.” says Craig Newman, Chair of Visual Effects at SCAD, “Students who are able to use Houdini are readily able to find work in the entertainment industry. In addition, Houdini integrates well with Pixar’s RenderMan, which students are eager to learn for the job opportunities.”

While SCAD graduates have learned that working with Houdini gives them an edge when looking for a job they also develop a solid foundation of CG skills that allow them to work with other tools in any production environment. Houdini gives you access to the guts of a 3D scene which makes it an invaluable tool for learning how CG works. Once students learn how to use Houdini, they are well prepared to work with just about any other software.

“Houdini has been the perfect tool for our students to learn procedural techniques.” says Professor Clarke Stallworth, “Houdini's powerful expression language and the ability to use it just about anywhere in the software makes for a very good first exposure for students learning rules based 3-D work.”

Houdini courses at SCAD include Procedural Modeling and Animation, which acts as an introduction to the software and to procedural techniques like expressions, and Particles and Procedural Effects where students recreate natural effects such as fire, smoke and fluids to acquaint them with the basics of 3-D effects work. There is also a graduate class in Procedural Modeling and Animation where students use Houdini in a production context that helps students develop the skills needed to be competitive in the industry.

Students leave SCAD with solid procedural skills that allow them to work with other tools in any environment. "Because Houdini lets them “under the hood,” they understand 3-D effects at a deeper level and how to work efficiently." says Craig. Students learn all aspects of the Houdini package, which helps them think like a visual artist and it is easier for them to imagine and create scenes and scenarios.