Hey guys, Im pretty new to Houdini. Now As a 3d person, I have a basic Maya foundation. But I wanted to try out Houdini, and well I dont know what it is, but I really like it. I like it so much, Im considering halting my Maya learning experience and learning only on Houdini. Now I understand that “Its not the tool, its the artist” and I also know that “In the industry, people use a variety of software (Maya, Houdini, Realflow) to get the job done. But, Im not at that point. I want to learn the one really well, then when I have the understanding of it all, then move to another software to compare strengths/weakness'.

Here is where my strange request comes in. Post after post, forum after forum, it seems that MAYA is a absolute ”Must" and the top if you want to get the best grip on the way the industry works. But I dont want to do Maya (at least for now). I want to create a nice reel with Houdini. I am kinda discouraged just because of what Im hearing from many sources. They all say Houdini is much harder to learn. I think Im going to stick with Houdini as my first choice, I just dont know why (Other than the fact I enjoy it more) if Maya will get me a job much faster. Can anyone tell me why I made a good choice industry/technically/Newb wise?

Houdini is harder to learn when you've already been conditioned with the Maya mentality. That's not to say Maya sucks, it just has a process which is comprised primarily of taking things out of your hands and putting it inside black boxes. If you start with Houdini, or you keep an open mind and not assume if something's 3D it should be Maya, then you'll be fine.

It would be a lie to suggest there's more Houdini ‘jobs’ out there than Maya. However, it is a known truth that should you invest your time in Houdini and get good with it, you will be gold. Every software package has strengths and weaknesses, this isn't about dissing Maya, Max or Soft. However, when I see someone that has a good handle on Houdini, that means they have a good handle on the VFX business…

Cheers,

J.C.

JColdrick speaks the truth.

While it's true that there are more Maya jobs out there, it must also be noted that there are more people applying for those Maya jobs.

There was a time when I was in charge of hiring new houdini people in a medium sized VFX facility in Toronto, and assure you that finding good ones is a very challenging. Probably 5 good reels over the span of about 2 years came across my desk – and it's not because there aren't anymore good houdini people, it's just that they were unavailable (working… the slack jawd gawkers!). In contrast, we'd received literally hundreds of Maya reels. As a direct result of that each reel receives that much more attention. For better, or for worse…

G

Lmayfield
Hey guys, Im pretty new to Houdini. Now As a 3d person, I have a basic Maya foundation. But I wanted to try out Houdini, and well I dont know what it is, but I really like it. I like it so much, Im considering halting my Maya learning experience and learning only on Houdini. Now I understand that “Its not the tool, its the artist” and I also know that “In the industry, people use a variety of software (Maya, Houdini, Realflow) to get the job done. But, Im not at that point. I want to learn the one really well, then when I have the understanding of it all, then move to another software to compare strengths/weakness'.

Here is where my strange request comes in. Post after post, forum after forum, it seems that MAYA is a absolute ”Must" and the top if you want to get the best grip on the way the industry works. But I dont want to do Maya (at least for now). I want to create a nice reel with Houdini. I am kinda discouraged just because of what Im hearing from many sources. They all say Houdini is much harder to learn. I think Im going to stick with Houdini as my first choice, I just dont know why (Other than the fact I enjoy it more) if Maya will get me a job much faster. Can anyone tell me why I made a good choice industry/technically/Newb wise?

Indeed it is the artist not the software, however my experience with teaching houdini over 12 years shows that the students taking up houdini fair better at their artistic endeavors. Houdini encourages experimentation and exploration, which is the life's blood of an artist.