Artwork by Moeen Sayed | Nine Between

HEX

Welcome to HEX, an ongoing series of interviews with people from the Houdini community 
Studio artists, indie artists, developers, event organizers - you name it!

NEXT EPISODE | Coming Soon!


EPISODE 9 | Nov 4, 2021

Welcome to Episode 9 of HEX, an ongoing series of interviews with people from the Houdini community - studio artists, indie artists, developers, tech partners and event organizers.  In this episode you will meet some of the artists who created some of the stunning visuals used in the recent Houdini 19 Launch Reveal. 

00:00 - Introduction 
00:57 - Tim Van Helsdingen | Vellum Fluids & Solaris 
08:47 - Bishoy Khalifa | Vellum Grains 
17:04 - Miguel Perez Senent | Shockwaves & Pyro 
21:00 - Joshua Rizzo | Axis Force & Volume Deform 
26:00 - Richard C. Thomas | SideFX Labs: PolySlice 
34:10 - Adam Swaab | Karma XPU 
 


EPISODE 8 | Oct 8, 2021

Welcome to Episode 8 of HEX, an ongoing series of interviews with people from the Houdini community - studio artists, indie artists, developers, tech partners and event organizers. 

00:00 - Welcome 
00:44 - Houdini Music Toolset (HMC) Masterclass with Andrew Lowell 
10:21 - Indie Game: StalakMiner with Paul Ambrosiussen 
19:18 - Schweppes Project - Vasilis Chatziantoniou 
23:08 - Houdini Mushrooms - Volodymyr Shtohun 
30:19 - Gallery Showcase - We close off this episode with a featured selection of art from the gallery on SideFX.com. 
 
LINKS: 

 Andrew Lowell / Houdini Music Toolset Link to the HMT Github (many tutorials, and new versions often): https://github.com/andrew-lowell/HMT 

The HMT's new discord group where we have works-in-progress and technical discussions: https://discord.gg/web9v33ZK4 

TEDx on visual aesthetics applied to music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Hpx... 


 Vasilis Chatziantoniou On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyof_bill/ 

 Volodymyr Shtohun On ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/vshtohun


EPISODE 7 | Aug 6, 2021

0:50 - Houdini Kitchen Generator - Ian Bonifacic
The Kitchen Generator tool allows you to generate variations of kitchen configurations within 3ds Max, through the use of Houdini Engine. You can work with the existing kitchen starter-pack, which contains sets of cupboards, shelves, sink, panels and parts. 

13:44 - World-building with USD - Grant Miller (Ingenuity Studios)
Learn why and how Ingenuity Studios re-developed their pipeline using USD and Solaris.

17:38 - Beautiful Gore for Diablo IV - Nema Safvati / Ashraf Ghoniem (Blizzard Entertainment)
Hear about the "Blood Drum" effect from the Diablo IV cinematic "By Three They Come". We'll dig into how we took advantage of Houdini's flexible simulation tools, and VDB surfaces to efficiently create a complex formation effect. Then onto how Vellum enabled us to create dynamic stretching and tearing effects.

21:38 - Character FX Pipeline - Philipp Buschauer (Axis Studios)
Learn about the journey of developing a CFX pipeline from scratch - leveraging Vellum, PDG and USD inside of Houdini. The focus will lie on some of the core concepts, their implementation and how to satisfy experienced users and newcomers alike.

25:13 - In the Eye of the Storm: Large scale fluid and volume simulations - Andreas Giesen (Rise FX)
Learn about the creation of photo realistic oceans and ships that sail directly into a water-tornado and the sinking of an incredibly high island into foaming waters, focusing on large scale fluid simulations and volumetric effects. 

29:47 - FireHawk PDG Tools - Andrew Graham
Learn about this open source Houdini package for production being built since PDG became generally available, including:- Orchestrating many versioned assets across shots with minimal resources- Reproducing output: immutability and idempotence- Integration with asset databases- Multiple schedulers

33:07 - SkateBIRD Indie Game - Megan Fox (Glass Bottom Games)
Grind on bendy straws, kickflip over staplers, and carve killer lines through cardboard and sticky tape parks. Above all else, skate birds try their best!

 38:26 - Procedural City-building with Houdini & Unreal - Matt Jukes
Learn how to create a procedural cyberpunk city with Houdini and Unreal Engine 4. Use Open Street Map data to generate the layout from a real-world city. The technique uses modular pieces that allow flexibility and art direction and can be swapped out for different styles or themes.

43:43 - Gallery Showcase
We close off this episode with a featured selection of art from the gallery on SideFX.com.


EPISODE 6 | July 2, 2021

00:52 - Tendril | Hublot - We chat with the team from Tendril about their gorgeous work on a new ad campaign for Swiss watchmaker Hublot.

13:52 - MixTraining - Houdini artist and educator Varomix is back with more useful learning materials.

21:57 - Houdini HIVE GameDev Workshop - Learn more about the upcoming workshop focused on mastering Houdini Digital Assets for GameDev.

25:39 - Houdini and Unreal Engine 5 - Meet Japan-based Algorithmic Designer Junichiro Horikawa - learn more about his popular YouTube channel with regular livestreamed learning events, and his thoughts on implementing Houdini with Unreal Engine 5.

37:59 - R&D Chit Chat - Meet SideFX's first employee (and rendering lead) Mark Elendt - who shares lots of interesting info on the history of SideFX, his thoughts on rendering, and the correct way to pronounce his last name.

54:54 - Skyscraper Generator - VFX Artist & Educator Debra Isaac chats with sci-fi and architecture enthusiast/artist Teinye Cliscent Horsfall.

1:01:06 - Gallery Showcase - We close off this episode with a featured selection of art from the gallery on SideFX.com.

Further Info
Contribute your work to the SideFX Gallery

Junichiro Horikawa

Teinye Cliscent Horsfall


EPISODE 5 | June 11, 2021

00:00:00 - Intro 

 00:01:06 - Short Film: Stag - Motion Director and VFX Artist Dave Webster walks us through the Houdini-generated FX found in his latest short film. 

00:08:08 - New Tutorials - Motion Designer and Houdini Trainer Paul Esteves talks to us about his new Vellum Nodes tutorial series. 

00:11:28 - Procedural Pipelines - Erwin Heyms, Technical Artist and Houdini Trainer talks to us about the benefits of using a procedurally-based pipeline, how it was put to use at Ubisoft where he currently works, and then how one can learn more about working procedurally through his tutorial series. 

 00:20:29 - Life is a Rally - VFX Artist Guido Ponzini goes through the technical details of his new short film that he created over the course of the current pandemic. 

 00:33:01 - Blazing Sails - Indie Game Developer Gaetan Thibaut chats with us about Houdini and 'Blazing Sails' an upcoming game release from 'Get Up Games', a family-run studio. 

00:39:07 - LAHUG Update: VFX Artist & Educator David Torno and Debra Isaac look at two projects that he submitted as entries into our SideFX Mardini contest earlier this year. He will discuss each project in greater technical detail at the upcoming LAHUG Meetup (Los Angeles) on June 23, 2021. 

00:42:22 - Gallery Showcase - We'll close off this episode with a featured selection of art from the gallery on SideFX.com. 

 Further Info 

 Contribute your work to the SideFX Gallery: www.sidefx.com/gallery 

 Dave Webster Stag: vimeo.com/462303957 

Paul Esteves Paul Esteves on Instagram: www.instagram.com/PAULESTEVES28/

Vellum Nodes Tutorial: https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/vell... 

 Erwin Heyms Patreon: www.patreon.com/ErwinHeyms Discord: https://discord.gg/BKtNSs7kpE 

 Guido Ponzini Life is a Rally: vimeo.com/556077906 

 Gaetan Thibault Blazing Sails on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1158940/Blazing_Sails/ 

Game website: www.blazingsails.com 

 David Torno fendrafx.com 

LAHUG June 23 Meetup: www.meetup.com/LA-Houdini-User-Group/events/278409096/


EPISODE 4 | May 21, 2021

00:00:00 Intro 

00:01:08 Solaris in Production 
We chat with Swiss International (Andreas Weidman), Arx Anima (Ben Lutz & Christopher Hiess), and Rebellion VFX (He Sun) to learn more about their implementation of Solaris in their production pipeline. 

For further info, FMX 2021 production talks from each of these studios are available online.

00:11:25 Ignition Digital Creator 
Wolfram Neuer provides us with an in-detail walkthrough on how he built an environment for Ignition, a short animation. 

00:20:30 Meet SideFX's Jeff Lait 
Meet a SideFX development veteran - Jeff Lait, Senior Mathematician. 

00:37:38 Project Titan 
Get the latest update on this SideFX produced demo and learning poject. 

00:41:27 How to Become a VFX Artist (or similar) 
Meet Mark Spevick from Escape Studios and learn about their latest offerings to help you build up your Houdini skills and help you land a job in the VFX industry. https://www.pearsoncollegelondon.ac.u... 

00:45:14 Frameshift 
Nick Owens from Penryn Games talks to us about their up-and-coming indie game title and the many ways they've put Houdini to use in the production process including - building terrain, rivers, roads, in-game VFX, and more. 

00:51:46 Gallery Showcase 
We'll close off this episode with a featured selection of art from the gallery on SideFX.com. 

Further Info 
 Contribute your work to the SideFX Gallery: sidefx.com/gallery 
 Solaris in Production FMX 2021 Talks Workflows from a Solaris Production | Swiss International | FMX 2021 HIVE - https://vimeo.com/547551785 
 Solaris and Karma in Production | Arx Anima | FMX 2021 HIVE - https://vimeo.com/547549697 
 A Pipeline from Scratch - Making of the Evil Genius 2 Cinematic Trailer | Rebellion VFX | FMX 2021 HIVE - https://vimeo.com/547552537 Frameshift: www.frameshiftgame.com


EPISODE 3 | April 9, 2021

00:00 | Welcome

01:34​ | Ingenuity Studios - S.W.A.T.  Chad Wanstreet (VFX Supervisor on S.W.A.T.) and Grant Miller (VFX Supervisor and Co-owner of Ingenuity Studios) discuss how they incorporated Solaris into their pipeline as they digitally reconstructed street scenes from Downtown Los Angeles for S.W.A.T.

14:35 | Axiom Update - Axiom Houdini plug-in creator Matt Puchala chat's with SideFX's Rob Stauffer about the latest updates to his GPU-accelerated volumetric fluid solver. 

22:00 | Demon's Souls - Sparx* A Virtuos Studio - Jerome Hereng breaks down much of the Houdini-generated VFX found in their beautiful new game cinematic. 

29:00 | Bottleship VFX - Hristo Velev and Fianna Wong catch up and chat about Bottleship VFX's latest work in the Netfix feature 'Space Sweepers'. 

35:48 | Deep Learning for VFX and Games | - Valentine Kozin from Rare talks with Paul Ambrosiussen from SideFX about his work involving Machine Learning / Deep Learning with Houdini. 

47:32 | Project Titan  - Simon Verstraete, Rob Stauffer, and Christopher Hebert reveal what's to come with a new SideFX demo and learning project for 2021. 

50:21 | KineFX / Crowds  - Jeff Wagner speaks with Rob Hopper from Union VFX.


EPISODE 2 | Mar 5, 2021

0:00​ | Welcome 

2:00 | Free Houdini Engine Plugins for Unity and Unreal - SideFX is pleased to announce that Houdini Engine for UE4 and Houdini Engine for Unity are now available for commercial customers for free. Learn more in this segment with SideFX's Judith Crow and Christopher Hebert. 

8:15 | Unreal Engine PluginV2 - SideFX's Simon Verstraete and Damien Pernuit chat about the latest and greatest version of the Unreal Engine plug-in for Houdini. 

19:15 | New Crowds Course - Fianna Wong chats with MPC's Mikael Pettersén, the author of the newly released Crowds Course. 

24:48 | Mardini - The Mardini Daily Art Challenge is underway! Meet Carl Drifter, Mardini's first official animation winner. 

30:44​ | Making of Joji '777' Music Video - Debra Issac chats with Saad Moosajee and James Bartolozzi about how they utilized Unreal Engine with Houdini to create a full troupe of CG dancers based on the captured movements of just one. 

40:37​ | KineFX - SideFX's Fianna Wong and Henry Dean chat about the progression of KineFX, tools in Houdini designed for riggers and animators.

Artworks courtesy of -- 42:51​ Ivan Larinin 47:04​, 49:00​, 49:23​ Bogdan Zykov 47:47​ Danil Krivoruchko 48:28​, 49:13​ Richard Lord 48:35​ Thomas Klyhn Christensen

52:26​ | Indie Game: Shoulders of Giants - SideFX's Ben Mears chats with indie game developer Patrick McAvena about his latest title and how Houdini played a role creating assets for the game. 

55:55​ | SideFX Labs - SideFX's Paul Ambrosiussen chats with Matt Estela - Mr. CG Wiki himself - about SideFX Labs. 

1:08:06​ | Sci-Viz with Houdini - Debra Isaac talks with Kate Xagoraris about the many possibilities using Houdini for scientific visualization purposes, particularly where outer space is concerned. 

1:16:08​ | Learning Path Enhancements - SideFX's Robert Magee takes you through the latest enhancements to the learning section on SideFX.com. 

1:19:02​ | Henry Foster, Chief Architect, MOPs - Interviews from Houdini Illume Excerpt from the Houdini Illume Webinar Series. Meet MOPs chief architect Henry Foster. 

1:25:35​ | Moritz Schwind, Co-Founder, Entagma - From Houdini Illume - Excerpt from the Houdini Illume Webinar Series. Meet Entagma's Moritz Schwind. 

1:31:10​ | Gallery Showcase - We conclude HEX with a collection of art recently posted to the SideFX.com Gallery.


EPISODE 1 | Feb 5, 2021

00:00 | Welcome

1:40​ | Nikola Damjanov / The Dawning - We recently launched an animated short film called The Dawning. Project lead Fianna Wong speaks with one of the artists from the project, Nikola Damjanov.

10:30​ | Moeen Sayed / Mardini Daily Challenge - We'll tell you about Mardini - the upcoming daily art challenge - and speak with the winner of last year’s Houly challenge, Moeen Sayed, about his experience.

17:30​ | Tim van Helsdingen / SideFX Snacks - In January we published a Houdini course on creating a chocolate bar. Fianna speaks with the author of that course - Tim van Helsdingen.

23:00​ | Jacob Reynolds / Epic MegaJam - Meet Jacob Reynolds - the Houdini category winner of the Epic MegaJam.

29:50​ | Worldwide HUG updates - Fianna Wong and Paola Catano provide some info on current and upcoming HUG presentations.

31:42​ | Chris Wallis / RenderMan Art Challenge - Ben Mears speaks with Chris Wallis - the winner of the RenderMan Art Challenge.

40:15​ | Chris Rydalch / USD Pipelines - As part of his Illume webinar, Jeff Wagner recently spoke with Blue Sky’s Chris Rydalch about developing a USD pipeline. We’ll end this HEX episode with an excerpt from that interview.