Coming from Maya and XSI background, I can tell u that the best thing to do to learn Houdini is to not try to use it like as if it was any other 3d package. I seen many people take this approach and leads to complete frustration (this is not necessarily when switching to Houdini. I actually seen it even in between Maya and XSI, or max to Maya, or anything to zbrush )

The best strategy in my opinion is to try to achieve your goals by using the strengths of the program. For example, on my last character I forced myself to NOT use headus UV to complete this in an easy fashion. Instead, I for Ed myself to use Houdini, which did not have the same unwrapping methods that headus had. However, taking this approach taught me a LOT about how to take advantage of a node network to speed up my process in different ways that I never even imagine possible before, and even led to my first DA (check out UV Mirror in exchange )

At my work, I was also fortunate to work on a project that required complex amounts of proceduralization, which helped me push even further in the right direction

I would also say that this forum has been incredibly helpful in answering my questions in a timely manner. Many times, the answer did not just resolve the problem, but also opened other doors that I did not know where there before.

Last, Houdini so far seems to really be built in a way that encourages experimentation! I have learned a lot just by educated guesses of what to hook to what. It is also awesome how well it manages errors and non-standard workflows. Most times this level of experimentation has led me to instability and crashes in other software (not trying to flame, just stating my personal experiences so far)

Anywho, I hope this helps!

Eagle66

pbowmar
You'll be excited to learn some new training is coming soon for Houdini that does just what you want, takes a shot from beginning to end… Can't say more but watch for something in early 2011.

Any news about this :?

Real Soon Now