Course Overview

Class Description:

This crash course is designed to equip you with essential techniques for using Houdini and Unreal Engine together. Through these three packed sessions, you will learn a wealth of information and tricks to help you create incredible work. The course covers everything from lookdev to character rigging, soft bodies, rigid bodies, particles, and pyro, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage the strengths of both platforms and the workflows involved in integrating them. By the end of the course, you will have the skills necessary to create impressive Realtime VFX using Houdini and Unreal Engine.


Learning Outcomes:

Students will leave the course with a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of Realtime VFX, and how to seamlessly integrate Houdini and Unreal workflows to achieve stunning visual effects. This will give them a solid foundation to build on, whether they're into realtime VFX for games, virtual production, or realtime digital filmmaking.

Course curriculum

    1. Files

    2. Discord

    1. 1. Introduction

    2. 2. Project Organization

    1. 1. Introduction

    2. 2. Exporting Assets

    1. 1. Unreal Meshes, Points and Normals

    2. 2. Houdini Modeling Tips

    1. 1. Importing Tips and Boolean

    2. 2. UVs

    1. 1. Assigning, Instancing and Lumen

    2. 2. Megascans, Decals and Glass

    3. 3. Lighting, Saving and Levels

About this course

  • $135.00
  • 81 lessons
  • 5.5 hours of video content

Course Teaser

Session 1

Layout //Procedural Modeling //KineFX

In the first session, we will cover the main techniques for modeling a location inspired by the MAXXI museum in Rome. This includes basic modeling, UV mapping, importing into Unreal, organizing your project, applying Megascans materials, creating HDRI-based lighting, setting up post-processing, preparing renders for export, transforming a model into a procedural robot, and creating simple rigs in KineFX.

Session 2

Vellum + RBD

In the second session, we will discuss how to approach soft and rigid bodies within Houdini and Unreal. We will animate the Heart beating and make the clothes dance, as well as explore techniques for transferring soft body simulations to a real-time context using Soft Body Vertex Animation textures, DEM, and Skinning Converter. We will also cover how Rigid Bodies can be transferred using RBD Vertex Animation textures. Finally, we will explore two different approaches to metal bending, one using RBD constraints and the other using Vellum with proxy meshes. By the end of this session, you will be able to add details and dynamics to your Unreal scene, with a good understanding of many VFX techniques for real-time.

Session 3

Particles / Niagra / Pyro

During the third and final session, we will dive into Niagara, the powerful tool of Unreal Engine for particles. We will compare it to a Houdini POP Network, learn how to debug systems, and start with everyday usage examples, such as snapping elements over signed distance fields and creating smoke and fire systems within a Pyro simulation using both the Labs Flipbook node and a custom OpenGL workflow. We will also examine the Ribbon system entirely inside Niagara. Covering these topics will help us to understand more about materials for real-time FX and how to set up Vertex Animation Textures to support Niagara instancing. By the end of this session, you will be able to add some nice details and particle systems to wrap up your project in Unreal.

Instructor

Guido Ponzini

VFX Technical Artist

Guido Ponzini is a VFX Technical Artist and creator of digital content. He has collaborated as VFX Artist with Ninja Theory, Ubisoft, Studio Gobo, 505, Effetti Digitali Italiani, Ovosonico, and TaxFreeFilms. Graduated in Ancient Music, and Electronic Music and is certified at CG Master Academy and Rebelway in Houdini and VFX for real-time, he has taught in various institutions such as NABA of Milan, University of Parma, University of Padua and is currently FXTA and collaborator in Rebelway for Houdini and VFX courses for realtime. His shorts in Unreal Engine 5 have been awarded FWA of the Day, Motion Design Awards of the Day, DDA of the Week, and DDA of the Month and have been included during the Epic Showcase and The CGBros community.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS COURSE

  1. Computer (Please see SideFX system requirements)
    1. https://www.sidefx.com/Support/system-requirements/
    2. A second monitor is recommended, but not necessary
  2. Houdini (Apprentice License is free, but to export textures and meshes should be used an Education license or Indie / FX one, so it’s strongly suggested an Education / Indie / FX license). 
  3. Unreal Engine 5.1 (project settings uses Raytracing)


Other software used in the course that will be touched (Optional)

  1. Substance suite (Painter and Designer in this specific case)
  2. Adobe Photoshop

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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REFUND POLICY:


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 [email protected].
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!