Frequently Asked Questions

People ask me a lot of questions, so here's answers to some of the most common ones! Feel free to reach out to contact@appliedhoudini.com if you are having an issue or have any other questions (or compliments!).

How much do I need to know about Houdini already before I start your courses?

While it doesn’t hurt to start familiarizing yourself with the interface or to take one of the super introductory courses on SideFX’s website here, most people report they are able to keep up with the free Applied Houdini introductory courses here without issue. Why not try one of them today and see how you do?

What system requirements do I need to get started?

Nothing much, especially not for the free introductory classes! I would recommend at least 16GB of RAM (32GB preferred), 50 GB of hard drive space (100 GB preferred), and any CPU and GPU made in the last 5 years! Pretty much all classes can be adjusted to your computer's power - you could simulate 100,000 points instead of 1,000,000 points for example, to have it take 10x less RAM and simulate 10x faster!

Do I need to know programming already?

Nope, but you will learn how to think like a programmer as you work through the lessons! Most lessons will also teach you to use small snippets of code to push your Houdini skills beyond the basics, which should help you feel more comfortable with it if you aren’t already. If you are interested in focusing on learning Houdini’s VEX programming language, I strongly recommend cgwiki’s JoyOfVex and HoudiniVex pages.

Do I need to know advanced math like Linear Algebra?

Certainly not, as you’ll learn the important bits and pieces along the way! Even as you get better at VFX, you’ll mostly just want to know “what” a math concept does, rather than “how” to actually solve it - that’s the computer’s job! While linear algebra and trigonometry are the fields that contain the most relevant concepts, the only things you need to know from them are cross products, dot products, sine/cosine, transform matrices, and vectors (and again, don’t be intimidated - you’ll learn them in the lessons themselves anyway!)

Do the lessons work with the newest version of Houdini?

Yes, all available lessons will work! Even though SideFX is always updating and improving Houdini, I make sure to update affected chapters as soon as possible when a new change breaks things. Sometimes even entire lessons will get re-recorded, and older out of date lessons will be taken offline. Plus, if you ever get stuck for any reason, you can always email your Houdini file to me at contact@appliedhoudini.com, and we’ll work through it together!

How do I get into the Industry?

Of course one approach does not fit all types of situations, but being something that I am asked all the time, here are my honest feelings on this.

• If you're interested in what we would generally call "FX" (explosions, destruction, magic, liquids, smoke, or just the simulation of physical phenomena in general), then I would endorse what has become the industry standard - Houdini!

• Visual Effects overall includes many other disciplines however, which generally use different industry standard software - for example, modeling assets and props in Maya and ZBrush, compositing many moving images into one in Nuke, creating materials and textures for props and assets with Substance Painter or Mari, lighting a scene with Katana or Maya, and so on. Obviously, on this site I focus on FX in Houdini.

• Learning technique from tutorials (like the ones on this very site!) is great, but also do not underestimate the actual manual when it comes to learning the building blocks overall. The Houdini manual in particular is structured very well, and will take you through every single aspect of the program. Plus, it's loaded with example files, and a getting started section! Check it out here (but skip the What's New section).

• Above all, learn as much as you can, all the time in your spare time. Design your own projects, work on them alone or with others, and take them to completion through rendering. As an aspiring artist, development of a demo reel will be the most important. Starting out, I did a cup of beer flipping over, a bowl of noodles, a sculpture being destroyed, etc - relatively straightforward ideas that still required combining effects and showed off a good understanding of aesthetics.

• If possible, work on projects with others and/or maintain relationships you make in 3D related interest groups or school classes. The network of peers you develop in this way will prove invaluable as you all spread out to different opportunities, which will in time prove mutually beneficial when you are recommending each other for jobs!

How long does it take to be good at it?

The short, philosophical answer is that you'll always be learning new techniques and technologies as they come up, so you'll never really be an expert in all fields at once... though I suppose there would still be a level where you would be considered useful on a project. How long that takes can vary!

• Within the world of VFX, I consider FX work specifically the most interesting and challenging because it can be seen as a combination of strong problem solving/technical skills, and a strong artistic eye/aesthetic skills. If you are approaching learning FX from an artistic background or from a programming background, you will probably have a much easier time picking it up versus someone who has neither.

• Of course, how much time you devote to learning in a given week will be a big part of it. Someone who spends a few hours every night even after working all day will achieve competency faster than someone who spends one afternoon every once in awhile. Still, if that's all the time you have available to spend, go for it!

• By focusing on one or two sub-areas of FX at first (say rigid body simulation, and the smoke effects that go with it) you can stand out in those areas quicker rather than trying to understand every single thing you could possibly do. Consider that most jobs are hiring for a particular project, where they will need an artist to perform a specific task - if they need a rigid body person and you learned that better than some other jack of all trades, you'll be a better fit.

• Ask for help! Don't waste hours and days blindly trying to figure out how to solve a problem that many others have already run into. There are a lot of forums out there with a wealth of information (or that you can ask a new question on) - these have proven invaluable to me. And speaking of me - don't be afraid to reach out and ask me something!

What's Your Background?

Check out an interview I did over here, and find some more over in the About Me.