Teachers

Teachers

Our teachers are industry professionals and experienced educators who come from different backgrounds and are passionate about teaching Houdini.

Debra Isaac is a visual artist, animator, and the founder of Houdini.School. She hosts Houdini Battle and co-organizes The Los Angeles Houdini User group (LAHUG). She has over 8 years of experience as a Houdini educator and teaches at Drexel University. She is passionate about scientific visualization, motion graphics, and emerging technologies. Clients have included Intel, Mattel, and The UCLA Art|Sci Center.

Debra Isaac Founder & Educator

David is a self-taught visual effects professional with over two decades of experience. David has worked on a variety of projects for DC Comics, Linkin Park, Disney, Microsoft, Paramount, Google, BET, Marvel, ComicCon, Amazon, ABC, and more.

David Torno FX Artist & Educator

Chris is a CG Artist / Filmmaker based in the USA who likes to make floppy characters. He has made shorts and music videos that have screened at festivals, aired on Adult Swim, and received Vimeo Staff Picks. He has also worked as a freelancer on commercials. Chris is a staunch advocate of Houdini. You can find his tutorials on his YouTube and Gumroad pages, as well as www.houdininerd.com.

Chris Rutledge CG Artist

Kalina leads the Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kalina’s background is in computer science, and she works in a “Renaissance Team” that consists of artists, scientists, and programmers. Since 2014, Kalina and the AVL have been using Houdini to create cinematic scientific visualizations of real data.

Kalina Borkiewicz Visual Artist

I’m a self-taught motion designer and 3d Generalist based in Munich, Germany. I love creating looping simulations in my personal explorations. I also work for studios and agencies as a 3d Generalist on a variety of projects.

Paul Esteves
Motion Designer & 3D Generalist

Armin Lotfi is a self-taught 3D visual artist and motion designer. His educational background in architecture, experience in photography, and graphic design have granted him a better understanding of the 3D world. Throughout the years, he has developed a workflow between different software packages such as Houdini FX, Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, Nuke, After Effects, and Photoshop.

Armin Lotfi 3D Artist

Kate is a VFX artist at Mr. X in Toronto Canada. She has a passion for researching science and its interaction with the world of visual effects. She also runs a VFX site for artists to better understand Houdini and to think outside the box. She has worked on popular TV productions such as The Witcher, The Boys, and Raised by Wolves.

Kate Xagoraris VFX artist

Jeffy has worked on multiple productions as a Houdini FX Artist/TD on various feature productions. He currently works as an FX Artist at Rodeo FX. Beyond VFX, he has a gamut of experience in multiple creative industries working in various technical problem-solving roles.

Jeffy Mathew Philip VFX artist

Beck is a CG Lead and uses Houdini on a day-to-day basis. With a background in Lighting and CFX, she has a lot of experience using Houdini in production. She has worked at Animal Logic, Framestore, One of Us, Dneg, Cinesite, The Mill, and Jellyfish Pictures. In addition to working in the industry, she has also taught beginners to use this amazing software and looks forward to sharing what she has learned.

Beck Selmes CG Artist

Matt Taylor is a 3D artist and animator director using Houdini as his main tool. He graduated from the Royal College of Art with a MA in Experimental Animation and now mostly directs animated music videos and commercials, and creates motion graphics for international brands. He currently teaches Houdini at Laguna College of Art and Design.

Matthew Taylor 3D Artist

Alasgar Hasanov is a Senior Houdini FX artist, FX Lead, and Houdini FX mentor from Toronto. With over 7 years of experience, Alasgar has a strong focus on complex dynamics simulations for large and small-scale FX as well as look development. Alasgar has worked at Tendril, SOHO VFX, and Mr. X on projects such as X-Men Dark Phoenix, IT: Chapter 2, Bad Boys 3, Game of Thrones S8, American Gods, and some Netflix and Marvel titles to be announced.

Alasgar Hasanov FX Artist

Kevin is a Technical Artist and Designer interested in creating digital imagery and experimenting with technology. He specializes in parametric and procedural systems for 3D, typically in Houdini. He also enjoys making art in 3D, DIY projects, and making video games.

Kevin Weber Technical Artist & Designer

Divy is a Technical Artist mainly focused on tool building and automation. His main tools of choice are Houdini, Unreal Engine & Substance Designer. He previously worked with Amazon Robotics as the Pipeline and tools Tech Artist co-op and he is currently completing his degree in Game Design & Production from Drexel University.

Divyansh Mishra Technical Artist

Mark Fancher is a self-taught 3D artist and motion designer specializing in art directed simulations and proceduralism. With over a decade of experience working in computer graphics, he is currently a Senior Motion Designer / Lead VFX artist at Already Been Chewed and he has a strong passion for teaching others his craft.

Mark Fancher 3D Artist & Motion Designer

Justin (he/him) is a digital artist based in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently a Houdini Generalist at MAGNOPUS, a VR / AR / Virtual Production powerhouse. He is currently focused on using Houdini to aid in creating realistic and stylized VFX for mobile and console experiences. He co-organizes the Los Angeles Houdini User Group and is a regular commenter on Houdini Battles.

Justin Dykhouse
Houdini Artist

Nicholas is an effects animator based in Los Angeles who has worked at Dreamlab, Intel Studios, and Gradient Effects. He has taught workshops on rendering and animation for over ten years and has a side love for interactive animation which he nurtures at the art collective Glitch City.

Nick Ralabate 3D Artist

Henry is the current developer of MOPs. He has been working as a Technical Artist in California since 2006, bouncing around between commercial design and film studios both large and small as a lighter, rigger, effects artist, and pipeline/tools developer. He discovered Houdini around 2011 and has been unable to put it down since. He also has a long-running technical art blog, Toadstorm’s Nerdblog.

Henry Foster Senior Technical Artist

Chantal Matar is a Multidisciplinary Architect and Generative Designer that works at the intersection of mixed media and architecture. Blending her long experience in architectural design and knowledge of digital tools, Chantal aims her exploration at alien landscapes, linear formations, and digital strata that lie on the threshold of spatial chaos and structural continuum.

Chantal Matar Multidisciplinary Architect

Hendrik Panz is a German Visual Effects Artist with almost 15 years of experience in the animation industry.
He worked on most Disney Animation feature films released in the 2010s, including the Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph franchises, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Moana. In his effects work, Hendrik is especially drawn to fluent objects like water and unusual materials.

Hendrik Panz Visual Effects Artist

Jesper is an experienced technical artist, who specialized in automation, tool building, workflow optimization, and artist training, and an internationally acclaimed educator, with a demonstrated history of working in the motion picture and film industry for companies like FuseFX, Method Studios, Double Negative, and Cinesite. Jesper now owns and operates Solid Alpha VFX, a small Houdini boutique.

Jesper Rahlff Technical Artist

Tim van Helsdingen works as a freelance Houdini artist for various clients around the world. He has also been creating educational content for Houdini since 2016 for all types of topics.

Tim van Helsdingen Houdini FX Artist

Guido Ponzini is a VFX Technical Artist and digital content creator with a wide range of experience. He has collaborated with various companies as a VFX Artist, including Ninja Theory, Ubisoft, Studio Gobo, 505, Effetti Digitali Italiani, Ovosonico, and TaxFreeFilms. His work in Unreal Engine 5 has received awards such as FWA of the Day, Motion Design Awards of the Day, and DDA of the Month.

Guido Ponzini 3D Artist

Taylor is a Houdini generalist who specializes in FX. He received a bachelor's degree from Utah Valley University in Animation and Game Development and a diploma for FX Technical Direction from Lost Boys Studios, he then went on to be an intern in the Education department at SideFX, and after started his journey into the VFX industry working on projects for Netflix and Feature films, has shifted his attention to teaching.

Taylor Tomlinson Houdini Generalist

Jacktone Okore is a skilled freelance Houdini FX artist with 10 years of experience in motion design and FX. Currently, he specializes in small-scale liquid simulation for product advertisements and commercials. He has collaborated with various clients and companies, such as bEpic GmbH, LVLY, BUCK, Crafthive Creative, Duggal, and Suberashi.

Jacktone Okore Houdini FX Artist

Julian Bragagna is a Procedural Technical Artist who thrives on problem-solving and knowledge sharing. He embraces the complexities of real-time 3D, continuously seeking the perfect blend of aesthetics and technical constraints. Julian constantly pushes boundaries and dedicates his free time to writing articles on Houdini and Tech Art, deepening his expertise while enlightening others.

Julian Bragagna Procedural Technical Artist

Ryan Gold is a Machine Learning and Procedural Engineer. He is also the original creator of the Tree Generation Toolset for SideFX Labs. He recently finished an MSc in Artificial Intelligence at the University of St Andrews, researching 3D generative AI and how synthetic data and procedural tools can be best utilized for deep learning, and is now working as a Machine Learning Engineer at the intersection of AI and computer graphics.

Ryan Gold Machine Learning and Procedural Engineer

Yan Paul Dubbelman is a Dutch Digital Artist focused on calming work for use on large screens. Working internationally as an independent professional, themes such as romanticism, creative technology, and the future of computer-generated art he explored using procedural systems.
His history of education, art direction, and digital animation has built a flexible and eager mindset that he loves to challenge with exciting technical projects.

Yan Paul Dubbelman Digital Artist

Jonathan Penvose is a Creative Technologist & Educator dedicated to the development of design thinking through storytelling. Currently, Jon is working in Virtual Production to design software integrations in support of the arts, film, and sculpture that integrate AI. He taught courses in architecture & interior design for three years at Kent State University and was visiting faculty at PUCPR in Brazil.

Jonathan Penvose Creative Technologist & Educator

Daniel Lee is a Houdini FX Artist who currently works as a real-time cinematics artist at Buddha Jones. He was previously at The Mill as a FX Artist. During his internship with SideFX's education team, he authored the "Intro to PDG" tutorial series. He has a passion for crafting photorealistic VFX for feature films and animation, coming from a background in mechanical engineering.

Daniel Lee Houdini FX Artist

Justus Steinfeldt is a freelance 3D Motion Designer and Photographer based in Germany, with a background in design. He has 14 years of photography experience and three years in the 3D world. Justus is particularly skilled in using Houdini, which he fell in love with two years ago. With only 20% vision, he sees the world in a different way and uses assistive technology to navigate the digital space seamlessly and create abstract worlds.

Justus Steinfeldt 3D Motion Designer

Andrew Weiler is a CG Artist with a focus on innovative design and VFX, having worked both as a freelancer and at studios including Rhythm & Hues, Warner Media, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Over the course of his career, he has built a reputation for crafting powerful imagery for a wide array of global brands, sports franchises, and networks such as Ford, Nissan, Sony, Geico, Cartoon Network, WB, the NHL, and the NBA.

Andrew Weiler CG Artist

After studying Fine Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ivan Dewolf attended Siggraph 1992 in Chicago, where he obtained a computer and a license for SideFX software. While teaching himself how to use the system, he worked professionally on music videos and commercials. He now has crossed into the fertile, novel areas of virtual and augmented reality avatar creation on Meta platforms, developing tools and systems as a Software Engineer.

Ivan Dewolf Software Engineer

Shanna Alcide is a CFX Artist with a focus on grooming and simulation, but she has also worked in technical animation and other areas of the pipeline. She has spent over six years in the film and animation industry. With proficiency in a diverse range of technical disciplines, including rigging, skinning, grooming, and simulation, her strong programming background and VEX enable her to efficiently tackle complex challenges and adapt quickly to new workflows.

Shanna Alcide 3D Artist

James Ring is a 3D Technical Artist specializing in science and data visualization using Houdini. With a background in blending science and art, he leverages Houdini's procedural tools, Python, and research in science and mathematics to create engaging visual narratives inspired by nature.

James Ring 3D Technical Artist

Philipp Welsing is a Houdini Artist living and working in Hamburg, Germany. Welsing has used Houdini extensively over the last few years in both private explorations and commercial work. For the last two years, Welsing has been working exclusively in Houdini for modeling, animation, simulation, shading, lighting, and rendering.

Philipp Welsing Houdini Artist