GEOMETRY ESSENTIALS 02: ATTRIBUTES: PRINCIPLES, NORMALS & VECTORS

Attributes are crucial to Houdini’s greatness. They’re the gin to its tonic, the Robin to its Batman, the velcro to its… other side of velcro. The point is, attributes are what give Houdini its edge, what make it more powerful than any other 3D program. The pure control, flexibility and freedom that you wish other apps provided, attributes are to thank. Because of them, you can see what’s happening with your geometry data and directly manipulate it in ways other applications don’t allow.

Sure, there are other courses out there that cover attributes. But not like this. In this course, we’re going deep into their mechanics – not just how to create and work with them – we’re going for true understanding of the mathematical, physical and computing concepts behind the data.

• What attributes are, how they’re constructed and why you need to master them
• How the geometry context is really driven by attributes
• The anatomy of vectors and how they work
• All you need to know about normals and why they’re such a big deal in Houdini
• How to visualise attribute data in different ways – seeing is understanding

This is the second course in the Geometry Essentials Collection, step two on the Houdini Made Easy learning path.

Clear, comprehensive online courses to help you master Houdini. Designed for beginners by an award-winning 3D artist.

Take a handful of all the major CG applications and roll them into one – that’s about the scale of Houdini’s toolset and capabilities. That’s a lot to learn. For many, Houdini ends up straight in the too-hard basket. We’re here to pull it out. 

Other courses just aren’t comprehensive enough for beginners. So we made our own to help CG professionals thrive. Straightforward, high quality training that progressively builds deep understanding. We got stuck learning the hard way, but you don’t have to.

Whether you’re just starting out or transitioning from other software, Hipflask’s Houdini Made Easy series is focused on getting you confident and capable using Houdini for all stages of the CG process. Forget those quick how-to guides that teach you to make one thing. Hipflask builds real understanding by unpacking the vital stuff other courses breeze over, covering the fundamentals in depth, showing you why these principles are so integral to Houdini and just how to wield them. We’re here to arm you with technically sound knowledge to craft, finesse and refine original pieces. And the next time a client asks for changes, you’ll have the know-how to make them happen.