HS-249: Houdini MCP: Inspect, Teach & Assist (11/28/26)
Learn how to connect AI directly to Houdini using MCP (Model Context Protocol), allowing it to inspect your scenes, understand node networks, troubleshoot problems, and build procedural setups.
Course Overview
Live Demo + Q&A
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All live classes are recorded and posted within 1-2 business days.
Saturday, November 28th, 2026, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm PDT
Class Description:
Discover how AI agents can become more than just automation tools—serving as your personal technical director, teacher, and assistant in Houdini. In this live class, you'll learn how to connect AI directly to Houdini using MCP (Model Context Protocol), allowing it to inspect your scenes, understand node networks, consult documentation, troubleshoot problems, and build procedural setups. But the real power isn't just having AI do things for you—it's having an assistant that helps you understand how things work, explore new approaches, and develop your skills along the way. Through live demonstrations and practical examples, you'll learn how to integrate AI agents into your workflow to solve technical challenges, accelerate learning, and expand your creative possibilities. No programming experience required.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
- Understand AI agents and MCP and how they differ from traditional AI chatbots and coding assistants.
- Connect AI agents to Houdini to inspect scenes, create nodes, modify parameters, and interact with procedural networks.
- Use AI as a technical director and learning companion to explain unfamiliar concepts, troubleshoot problems, and explore alternative approaches.
- Develop effective prompting techniques to guide AI agents through complex Houdini tasks and iterative workflows.
- Improve accuracy and reliability by having AI consult Houdini's version-specific documentation and verify its results.
- Build and refine procedural tools with AI assistance, including VEX expressions, reusable setups, and artist-friendly controls.
- Integrate AI into broader creative workflows for reference management, documentation, file organization, and production tasks.
- Develop a collaborative approach to AI that strengthens technical understanding, encourages experimentation, and expands creative independence.
Course Materials
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Session Zoom Link
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Session 1 Outline
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Houdini MCP: Inspect, Teach & Assist
- $45.00
Session 1
Houdini MCP: Inspect, Teach & Assist
In this live demonstration, students will explore how AI can assist with building and troubleshooting a Solaris/USD material-variant workflow in Houdini. Using Claude Code connected directly to Houdini, the instructor will create switchable material variants using Variant Block and Set Variant LOPs, then demonstrate how AI can inspect the scene, diagnose material-binding issues, and consult Houdini's documentation to find solutions. Along the way, students will gain a better understanding of USD concepts such as opinion strength and variant selection, illustrating how AI can serve as both a technical problem-solving assistant and a learning companion.
- What Are Coding Models and Coding Agents?
- Using AI Agents for Non-Coding Tasks
- Harnesses and MCP: Connecting AI to Applications
- fxhoudini MCP: AI as Your Houdini Technical Director
- The Artist's AI Toolset: Eagle, Notion, seqview, and depth
- Installing, Configuring, and Verifying the Houdini MCP Connection
- Why AI Models Hallucinate Houdini Parameters
- Houdini Documentation Tools: Node-First and Docs-First Workflows
- Practical Prompting: Node Paths, Attributes, and Scene Context
- Using AI to Explain Nodes, Explore Workflows, and Learn Solaris
- Building, Iterating, and Verifying VEX Expressions
Instructor
Nick Scarcella
Art Director / Senior Technical Artist
Nick Scarcella is an Art Director / Senior Technical Artist specializing in CG and photorealistic visuals. Based in the LA area, he is currently a Senior Technical Artist at NVIDIA and previously worked as a Senior CG Designer at FutureDeluxe. He also spent several years working freelance, including projects with Scholar, with Houdini at the core of his work. Across these roles, he has guided a diverse range of projects from concept to final execution.
WHAT YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS COURSE
- A computer (see SideFX system requirements)
- Houdini (Apprentice License is free)
- A second monitor (recommended)
- Our live courses qualify you for a student license at $95 per year, please contact [email protected] to get access.
- Headphones, microphone, and webcam (If you do not have a webcam you can use your phone!) *optional, for live participation*
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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REFUND POLICY:
Live-Session Courses
Students may request a refund up to 1 day before the start of the course. Students may also withdraw from Live-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.
Refund a Class
Please send a request to get a refund via email to [email protected].
Your written request to drop any or all of your classes must include:
- Student’s full name
- Name of the course(s) being dropped