Course Overview

Class Description:

Learn how to use Houdini For, For-Each, While, and Do/While loop systems to generate a variety of effects, and handle utility tasks. Loops allow you to repeatedly apply your node stream processes in a variety of ways. This recorded class will teach you lots of ways to use loops in SOPs, VOPs, and VEX, as well as COPs and LOPs. The class will include examples involving particle wedging, geometry manipulation, RBD sub-fracturing, Time offsetting copies, and so much more.

NOTE: While not the primary focus of the class, some builds will have full LOPNet render setups included. These will be Karma XPU-based using MaterialX shader setups. If time allows, a run-through of those setups can be explained as well.


Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, you should walk away with a more clear understanding of which loops to use for your build task needs, as well as how to set up the nodes properly to keep your workflow efficient and functional.  

Course curriculum

    1. Files

    1. Session 1 Outline

    2. Session 1 Full Video

    3. 1-1 - Introduction- David Torno Intro

    4. 1-2 - Introduction- Resources

    5. 1-3 - Introduction- Teaser

    6. 1-4 - Introduction- References

    7. 2-1 - Basics of Loops- Using Loops

    8. 2-2 - Basics of Loops- Project File Explanation

    9. 3-1 - For Each Fetch Input- Assets and Troubleshooting

    10. 3-2 - For Each Fetch Input- Block Node

    11. 3-3 - For Each Fetch Input- Block Begin

    12. 3-4 - For Each Fetch Input- Feedback Iteration

    13. 3-5 - For Each Fetch Input- Method Function

    14. 3-6 - For Each Fetch Input- Q- Flattening

    15. 3-7 - For Each Fetch Input- Note on Evolutions

    16. 3-8 - For Each Fetch Input- Q- Separated Iterations

    17. 3-9 - For Each Fetch Input- Q- Project File Parameters

    18. 3-10 - For Each Fetch Input- Q- Fetch Feedback and Merge Each Iteration?

    19. 3-11 - For Each Fetch Input- Extract Piece or Point

    20. 4-1 - Metadata- Metadata Iterations

    21. 4-2 - Metadata- Value and iValue

    22. 5-1 - Block End - Parameters

    23. 5-2 - Block End - Single Pass and Stop Condition

    24. 5-3 - Block End - Q- Single Pass Preview?

    25. 6-1 - Swiss Cheese- SDFs and Pieces

    26. 6-2 - Swiss Cheese- Manipulating Points

    27. 6-3 - Swiss Cheese- w-o For Loop Set Up

    28. 6-4 - Swiss Cheese- Q- Block Begin & End?

    29. 6-5 - Swiss Cheese- Q- Input Limit?

    30. 6-6 - Swiss Cheese- Why Useless Button

    31. 7-1 - SOPs- More Extrusions with Loops

    32. 7-2 - SOPs- Q- Retrieve Metadata?

    33. 7-3 - SOPs- Final Results

    34. 8-1 - Smoke Simulation- Converting Attributes to Volume

    35. 8-2 - Smoke Simulation- Pyrosolver and Creating Trails

    36. 8-3 - Smoke Simulation- POPnet

    37. 8-4 - Smoke Simulation- Speed Float Variable

    38. 8-5 - Smoke Simulation- Adding Resolution w/ TOPnet

    39. 8-6 - Smoke Simulation- Iterations & For Loops

    40. 8-7 - Smoke Simulation- Q- Naming Conventionality?

    41. 8-8 - Smoke Simulation- Q- TOPnet Attributes?

    42. 8-9 - Smoke Simulation- Q-Not connected to the File Node?

    43. 8-10 - Smoke Simulation- Q-Block Begin?

    44. 8-11 - Smoke Simulation- Q-Iterations on Iterations?

    45. 8-12 - Smoke Simulation- Q-Velocity after POPnet?

    46. 8-13 - Smoke Simulation- Visualization and LOPnet

    47. 9-1 - Random Extrusions- Grabbing Lengths

    48. 9-2 - Random Extrusions- Fetching in Loops

    49. 9-3 - Random Extrusions- Q-Loops vs Solvers?

    50. 9-4 - Random Extrusions- Q-Single Pass Solver not showing previous iterations?

    51. 9-5 - Random Extrusions- Q-Disabling Measurements and Inputs?

    1. Session 2 Outline

    2. Session 2 Full Video

    3. 1-1 - Note- Note on Last Session

    4. 2-1 - Nested Loops - Slicing Geo Example

    5. 2-2 - Nested Loops - Nested Loops - First Loop

    6. 2-3 - Nested Loops - Begin Second Loop

    7. 2-4 - Nested Loops - Q- Does _Floor_ Round Down-

    8. 2-5 - Nested Loops - Q- _chi_ Means Chanel Integer-

    9. 2-6 - Nested Loops - Second Loop - Vex Breakdown

    10. 2-7 - Nested Loops - Q- 'bbox' variables feed into 'if' statements

    11. 2-8 - Nested Loops - Second Loop

    12. 2-9 - Nested Loops - Packed into DOPnet

    13. 2-10 - Nested Loops - Q-Polyfill data

    14. 2-11 - Nested Loops - Finishing the DOP

    15. 2-12 - Nested Loops - Q- Using relative paths to Attribute Wrangle as opposed to ‘Spare Inputs’

    16. 3-1 - SciFi Vector Graphics - Example 6A Overview and POPnet

    17. 3-2 - SciFi Vector Graphics - Creating Mask and Adjusting Attributes

    18. 3-3 - SciFi Vector Graphics - Begin Loop - Poly Extrude

    19. 3-4 - SciFi Vector Graphics - Using Primitive and Adding Compile

    20. 3-5 - SciFi Vector Graphics - Example 6B

    21. 3-6 - SciFi Vector Graphics - Q-Compile Node Pros Cons

    22. 4-1 - Using For Loops for UVs- Node Structure Example 7

    23. 5-1 - RBD Destruction With Loops- Using Loops to Fracture Initial Setup

    24. 5-2 - RBD Destruction With Loops- piece_ Attribute Naming

    25. 5-3 - RBD Destruction With Loops- Note on Naming Attributes and Bypass

    26. 5-4 - RBD Destruction With Loops- Q-Does using a subpiece prefix give you duplicate names

    27. 5-5 - RBD Destruction With Loops- Q-Drive with the name of the piece being fractured

    28. 6-1 - Using Loops for Time Remapping- Alembic File Remapping

    29. 6-2 - Using Loops for Time Remapping- Time Shift with Custom Animation

    30. 6-3 - Using Loops for Time Remapping- Alternative and Limitations of Time Shift

    31. 6-4 - Using Loops for Time Remapping- Q- Copying vs Instancing

    32. 7-1 - Using Stop Action- Packing Subdivisions

    33. 7-2 - Using Stop Action- Packing for Multiple Geometries

    34. 7-3 - Using Stop Action- Production Setup for Batch Geometry

    35. 8-1 - SOPS Thread Art- Setting Up Base Geometry

    36. 8-2 - SOPS Thread Art- Particle Sim Vex Explanation

    37. 8-3 - SOPS Thread Art- Fields

    38. 9-1 - Ending Notes Working w Vex and Future Sessions

    39. 9-2 - Ending Notes- Q-Loops possibilities

    40. 9-3 - Ending Notes- Q-Shading with Loops

    41. 9-4 - Ending Notes- Q-Clarify For and For Each

    1. Session 3 Outline

    2. Session 3 Full Video

    3. 1-1 - Session 3 Introduction- Resources

    4. 1-2 - Session 3 Introduction- Note on Last Session

    5. 2-1 - Loops Input Types in VOPs- Geo Parameters For Setup

    6. 2-2 - Loops Input Types- VOPs Parameters

    7. 2-3 - Loops Input Types- Variable Inputs

    8. 2-4 - Loops Input Types- Q- Why are the colors black and white

    9. 2-5 - Loops Input Types- For Loop Until

    10. 2-6 - Loops Input Types- For Each Loop Arrays

    11. 2-7 - Loops Input Types- Q- Is connecting nodes to the geometry needed

    12. 2-8 - Loops Input Types- For Each Loop Until

    13. 2-9 - Loops Input Types- While Loop

    14. 2-10 - Loops Input Types- Do While Loop

    15. 2-11 - Loops Input Types- Notes on Loop Types

    16. 3-1 - Abstract Dots Using For Each- Dots UV Set Up

    17. 3-2 - Abstract Dots Using For Each- For Each VOPs Variables

    18. 3-3 - Abstract Dots Using For Each- VOP Final Output Details

    19. 3-4 - Abstract Dots Using For Each- Q- ‘Import Point Attributes’ vs ‘Bind’ Node

    20. 4-1 - Displacement of Geometry with ForEach- POP and Geo Setup

    21. 4-2 - Displacement of Geometry with ForEach- VOPs-

    22. 4-3 - Displacement of Geometry with ForEach- Q-Is falloff node making displacement effect

    23. 5-1 - POP Portal For Until- Creating Ring and Variables

    24. 5-2 - POP Portal For Until- Displacing and Parameters

    25. 5-3 - POP Portal For Until- POP Sim Set Up

    26. 6-1 - COPs - Iridescent Displacement- Iridescent Texture

    27. 6-2 - COPs - Iridescent Displacement- For Loop Set Up

    28. 6-3 - COPs - Iridescent Displacement- USD Specific Rendering

    29. 7-1 - COPs - SciFi Landscape- Noise Setup in Loop

    30. 7-2 - COPs - SciFi Landscape- Attributes and Render

    31. 8-1 - LOPs and Loops- Replicating Lights w- Variation

    32. 8-2 - LOPs and Loops- Primitive Path with Math and Vex

    33. 8-3 - LOPs and Loops- Q-Replicate with SOPS and Instances

    34. 9-1 - Ending Statements- More w SOPs and Loops

    1. Session 4 Outline

    2. Session 4 Full Video

    3. 1-1 - Introduction- Updates

    4. 1-2 - Introduction- Note on Files

    5. 2-1 - VEX and Loops- For Loop and Code

    6. 2-2 - VEX and Loops- For Loop Inputs

    7. 2-3 - VEX and Loops- For Each

    8. 2-4 - VEX and Loops- While and Do While

    9. 2-5 - VEX and Loops- Comparison SOPS and Break-

    10. 2-6 - VEX and Loops Outputs- For

    11. 2-7 - VEX and Loops Outputs- For Each

    12. 2-8 - VEX and Loops Outputs- For Each B Loop

    13. 2-9 - VEX and Loops Outputs- While and Do While

    14. 3-1 - Web Head- False Positive Note

    15. 3-2 - Web Head- Geo and Density

    16. 3-3 - Web Head- Declaring Variables

    17. 3-4 - Web Head- Custom Function

    18. 3-5 - Web Head- Custom Function for Trails

    19. 3-6 - Web Head- Final Output of Head

    20. 4-1 - Geometric Pattern with For Loop- Create Initial Frame

    21. 4-2 - Geometric Pattern with For Loop- Modulo and Loop

    22. 4-3 - Geometric Pattern with For Loop- How does the Loop end of repeating- Is it because of the gap-

    23. 5-1 - Peel Back Effect with For Each Vex- Attributes and Base Geo

    24. 5-2 - Peel Back Effect with For Each Vex- Making the Mask

    25. 5-3 - Peel Back Effect with For Each Vex- Displacing Face with Mask using For Each

    26. 5-4 - Peel Back Effect with For Each Vex- Final Touches and Clean Up

    27. 5-5 - Peel Back Effect with For Each Vex- Q-Where is the Velocity in the For Each Loop

    28. 5-6 - Peel Back Effect with For Each Vex- Q-Velocity corresponds with Normals

    29. 6-1 - Burst Particles With While- Detail Intrinsic w- Use Case for While Loop

    30. 6-2 - Burst Particles With While- Creating the Warp Zones

    31. 6-3 - Burst Particles With While- Mapping Position, Deformation, and Forces

    32. 6-4 - Burst Particles With While- Deformation FX Strands with While Loop

    33. 6-5 - Burst Particles With While- Adding Extra Details to Trails

    34. 6-6 - Burst Particles With While- Particle Sim

    35. 6-7 - Burst Particles With While- Final Details on Sim and Cache

    36. 7-1 - Scattered Circle With Do While and Arrays- Do While and Arrays

    37. 7-2 - Scattered Circle With Do While and Arrays- Adjusting Parameters

    38. 8-1 - Living Network Example - Density Based Connections- Declaring Variables in Attribute Wrangle

    39. 8-2 - Living Network Example - Density Based Connections- Manipulating Points with Nested Loops in Static Version

    40. 8-3 - Living Network Example - Density Based Connections- Non Static Version - Creating POP Sim

    41. 8-4 - Living Network Example - Density Based Connections- Final Details and Rendering

    42. 8-5 - Living Network Example - Density Based Connections- Q- Rendering process with TOPnets

    43. 8-6 - Living Network Example - Density Based Connections- Addendum Fix to TOPnet error

    44. 9-1 - Last Words- Note on Vex and Questions

    45. 9-2 - Last Words- More Classes

    46. Submit your work

About this course

  • $180.00
  • 173 lessons
  • 10 hours of video content

Course Teaser

Session 1

Loops | SOPs Part 1

Get an overview of the course, and dive into SOPs Block Begin and Block End functionality, then learn how to make a detailed particle sim, and randomizing poly extrusions of a surface.

Session 2

Loops | SOPs Part 2

Learn how to time offset Alembic file copies, slicing up geometry, SciFi vector graphics inspired animation, convert attribute to UV patches, sub fracture RBD pieces, geometry animation, utility task of limiting geo subdivision in a batch process.

Session 3

Loops | VOPs

VOPs Block Begin and Block End feature breakdown. You will also learn how to make a bokeh feeling pattern, displacing geo via particles, basic particle portals, use a VOP generator in COPs to make displacement texture, custom noise-based SciFi surface, and a bonus LOPNet light array generation.

Session 4

Loops | VEX

VEX presentation breaking down each code-based loop option. Then you will learn how to create curves along a surface, cycle through points to make a geometric pattern, geo disintegration in a vector graphics style, choose a node path based on attribute existence, generate a transition zone particle effect, and drive curve-creation based on point density.

Instructor

David Torno

Visual Effects Professional

David Torno is a self-taught visual effects professional with a passion for the technical and educational side of VFX. Since beginning his career in 2000, he has worked on films, commercials, music videos, and large-scale multimedia projects. In 2008 he started sharing his wealth of knowledge with other creatives through video tutorials, project templates, and utility scripts. In recent years David has focused mostly on 3D volumetric and particle animation. Through the consolidation of his life's work under the Fendra Fx name, David continues to create helpful tools, and informative training videos for the creative community.

WHAT YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS COURSE

  1. Familiarity with Houdini node building
  2. Comfortability with coding with VEX (all code will be fully explained)
  3. Computer (Please see SideFx system requirements)
    1. https://www.sidefx.com/Support/system-requirements/
    2. A second monitor is recommended, but not necessary
  4. Houdini (Apprentice License is free)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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Multi-Session Courses
Students may request a refund up to 1 day before the start of the course. Students may also withdraw from Multi-Session Courses at any time and are entitled to a pro-rated refund. The withdrawal date must be 1 day before the next class they intend to drop.

On-Demand Courses
All on-demand courses are non-refundable.

How to Drop a Class
Please send a request to drop a class via email to support@houdini.school.
Your written request to drop any or all of your classes must include:
  1. Student’s full name
  2. Name of the course(s) being dropped

See you in Class!