Hi there,

my goal is to (intuitively?) understand and use matrix transformations in houdini. So I suppose I need some basics and a kind of a cookbook for common tasks in houdini.

Is there any kind of introduction you recommend? Back in school I had no classes in matrix math at all and I could use a hint where to start.

there are video tutorials about that

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_kzaH-WZ1o [www.youtube.com]
  
• free, simple, from a very good instructor https://youtu.be/1Dsld-W2zk0 [youtu.be]
  
• https://www.rebelway.net/math-for-fx/ [www.rebelway.net] (paid)
  
• https://www.udemy.com/course/math-in-houdini-fx-vol-1/? [www.udemy.com] (paid)
  
• https://youtu.be/ScYtNmnyF9A [youtu.be]
  
• basic vector https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UB2hPax7Pk [www.youtube.com]
  

To add to the very helpful list above, here's one I recently came across that I thought was short and practical:

• https://vimeo.com/284712920 [vimeo.com]
  

Great guys! I will have a look into these.

Thank you so much

This book is excellent, free online but well worth buying a hard copy:

https://gamemath.com/book/intro.html [gamemath.com]

Not direct houdini related but also a good source:
How Does Matrix Work... [www.scratchapixel.com]

nicholasralabate
This book is excellent, free online but well worth buying a hard copy:

https://gamemath.com/book/intro.html [gamemath.com]

this is one of the best

I’ve been there — matrices sound scary until you realize they’re just math ways to move, spin, and stretch stuff. 😄 I’d start with some visuals — 3Blue1Brown on YouTube is awesome for that. Once you get how rotation or scale works in 2D, the Houdini part starts to click too. And honestly, playing around in Houdini helps more than any textbook — just mess with transforms and see what happens. It’s like learning magic, but with math.