What I want to create in Houdini is VFX Environments. I am a digital matte painter and I'd like to expand my skill-set to do more CG environments… a lot of work that has come out of Houdini in both VFX and Games are amazing. The procedural buildings and trees that is created in Houdini by packaging it into “Digital Assets” is outstanding as well as creating terrains for environments. There's just so much possibilities in Houdini. However, watching tutorials of these artists work especially the good ones have some or a lot of knowledge in VEX. I find myself confused and frustrated by tutorials that go into VOPs and VEX because I don't understand any of it (I've never scripted in my life). From my research, it seems that knowing VEX means you'd understand how Houdini works “under the hood” similar to how Maya does all it's things through nodes and .MEL.

This will need some fact-checking but I think I remember Anastasia Opara saying that her jump into VEX really helped broaden what she could do in Houdini. But it seems to me if I want to create procedural buildings and environments that Anastasia Opara and similar artist on sites like 80 Level. I should learn VEX.

1. Does knowing VEX help me understand Houdini better?
2. Does it help me use Houdini more effectively and efficiently?
3. Does knowing VEX creatively broaden the possibilities for what I can do in Houdini?
4. Can you do everything through VEX in Houdini? (I'm sure some things are easier done just pressing a button on the interface, but generally)

Thank you for answering my questions!

1-3: yes
4: no

But you can get very far without vex, in fact I'd encourage you to focus on just sop stuff until you get a feel for Houdini, at that point jump into vex.

That said, some people pick it up very quickly. Have a read through the first few pages of this, if it works for you cool, if not come back to it later:

http://www.tokeru.com/cgwiki/index.php?title=JoyOfVex [www.tokeru.com]

1) I would say, understanding Houdini ‘helps’ you know when and ‘how’ to use vex.
2) See number 1.
3) Yes, knowing vex, like any other aspect of Houdini can help you be more efficient and effective - buts not the only aspect of Houdini that is such.
4) No, not really, but you certainly could do a lot of reinventing the wheel; And to understand why you would not want too, refer to answer of number 1.
5) I know you didn't have 5 questions but some food for thought. Hscript and Python are certainly worth it to learn. And if you really wanted to ‘go to town’ with things as the way you seem to be inquiring as possibilities there is also the option of c++ within the HDK. And I shouldn't leave out QT either.

1-3: yes
4: no, VEX is not a silver bullet. Some things it's very good at, but for other things, other languages can crush it into the ground either in performance or ease or just the ability to accomplish something at all. But it's pretty capable.

Thank you!