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Houdini FX Diploma

Become an FX artist for film and games! Learn Houdini FX online from industry mentors

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Overview

Certified Houdini FX course taught by film & game industry artists

Study Houdini FX and turn your creative passion into a career!

If you want to create incredible effects for film and games, this hands-on Houdini course is for you! Guided by a professional FX artist, you'll harness the true power of procedural, node-based workflow techniques to create destruction, explosions, and water simulations, learning how to model, texture, simulate and render cool VFX shots from scratch.

Why study Houdini FX at CG Spectrum:

  • Learn from FX artists who have worked on big films & games
  • Train on industry software at a Houdini certified school 
  • Get the latest skills studios are hiring for
  • Private 1-on-1 or small group classes (max 4 students)

[more]More[/more]

Start your journey into the film and game industry with CG Spectrum online visual effects school! Be personally mentored by FX artists who have worked at some of the best VFX studios, get plenty of hands-on experience, and graduate with original work for your demo reel.

Enjoy a personalized education experience like no other with unrivalled support and feedback from a mentor who is invested in your success. What a great way to start your career as an FX artist!

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Industry Qualification

Diploma

Study duration

9 months

Commitment

20 hrs weekly

Skill level

Intermediate

Prerequisites

Introduction to Houdini or portfolio submission

Delivery

Weekly online classes, feedback and support

Included software

Houdini, Redshift

Start date

Jul 5, 2021

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Why study with us

Learn FX from industry pros who have worked on feature films and best-selling games

Whether you’re straight out of high school, changing careers, or upgrading skills, our specialized expert-led FX programs help you build practical job skills that will serve throughout your career.

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Flexible Scheduling

Plan your studies around your work and family commitments

Industry Mentors

Learn from industry experts who have worked on major films and games

Job-Ready Skills

Build practical and relevant job skills that studios are looking for

Payment Plans

Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments
Curriculum

Industry-approved curriculum to help launch your career as an FX artist

Term 1: 12 weeks
Rigid Body Dynamics and Pyro

Explore procedural modeling and create a believable destruction shot using Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD). You’ll play with geometry fracturing and a range of FX solvers and constraints (Pin, String, and Glue Constraints) to dictate your simulation’s physical behavior. No FX artist’s skill set is complete without knowing how to blow stuff up! During this semester you’ll also discover how to create feature film quality smoke, fire, and explosions using the Pyro Solver and create impressive destruction shots.

Learn how to:

  • Use Rigid Body Dynamics & constraints
  • Add complexity with data driven particles
  • Create realistic smoke, dust, fire, liquid
  • Produce complex explosion simulations
  1. Rigid Body Simulation
  2. Geometry Fracturing Techniques
  3. Working with Constraints
  4. Intermediate Simulation Concepts
  5. Production Shot Part 01
  6. Production Shot Part 02
  7. Volume Simulations
  8. Intermediate Pyro Smoke Concepts
  9. Introduction to Pyro Fire FX
  10. Intermediate Pyro Fire FX
  11. Pyro FX Production – Part 1
  12. Pyro FX Production – Part 2
Term 2: 12 weeks
Liquid and Vellum FX

In this term of Houdini training, you’ll get your feet wet with liquid simulations. Practice creating everything from a splash in a pond to a raging ocean, and efficient ways to speed up your render times. You’ll learn how to create simulations for cloth, hair, and grains using the new Vellum solver. By the end of this term, you will have a deep understanding and hands-on experience creating realistic simulations for feature film and TV, along with impressive VFX shots for your portfolio.

Learn how to:

  • Create advanced liquid simulations
  • Generate realistic ocean scenes
  • Use the Vellum solver for cloth & hair
  • Render production shots for your portfolio
  1. Introduction: Liquid Simulations
  2. Intermediate Liquid Effects
  3. Advanced Liquid Effects
  4. Introduction: Houdini Ocean Tools
  5. Ocean Simulation Part 01
  6. Ocean Simulation Part 02
  7. Introduction to Vellum
  8. Velum Shelf Tools
  9. Vellum Hair
  10. Vellum Grains
  11. Final FX Project Part 01
  12. Final FX Project Part 02
Term 3: 12 weeks
Portfolio and Career Development

This final term is about launching your career! With your mentor’s guidance, you’ll polish your best pieces for your portfolio. As a diploma student, you can access additional career development services to learn how to develop your competitive edge, market yourself, and make the best possible impression in front of employers.

Learn how to:

  • Polish your portfolio to impress employers
  • Be more confident with negotiation
  • Network & self-promote effectively
  • Tap into the hidden job market 

All diploma students receive additional 1-on-1 career support, portfolio reviews, and industry insights from CG Spectrum's Career Development Manager.

  1. Getting your career started
  2. Self-promotion
  3. Portfolio prep
  4. Payments and contracts
  5. Your first commissions
  6. Finding your audience
  7. Staff vs. freelance
  8. Developing personal projects
  9. Path of the independent artist
  10. Skill development practices
  11. Motivational guidelines
  12. Emerging art career tips
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Mentors

Get direct access to Houdini FX artists and learn from the best

All Houdini FX classes are taught by industry mentors with years of experience working on films and video games.

Daniel Hourigan's Work
Daniel Hourigan
Daniel Hourigan

Daniel is a senior Houdini FX artist with 15 years of experience working on blockbusters such as Terminator: Dark Fate, John Wick 3, Aquaman, The Wolverine, and Game of Thrones.

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Manager of VFX

Known for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Gyuri Kiss's Work
Gyuri Kiss
Gyuri Kiss

Originally from Hungary, Gyuri's work has taken him all over the world: from Weta in Wellington, to Animal Logic in Sydney, Method in Melbourne, and now Mainframe in Vancouver.

Read full bio

Mentor of Houdini FX

Known for Mad Max: Fury Road

Ben Fox's Work
Ben Fox
Ben Fox

Ben's worked on high-profile commercials and Unreal Engine VR experiences for projects like Game of Thrones, Interstellar and Ready Player One.

Read full bio

Mentor of Houdini FX

Known for Interstellar VR

Claire Pegorier's Work
Claire Pegorier
Claire Pegorier

Claire has more than 25 years' experience as an FX artist for films and games on projects like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, X-Men First Class, and Clash of the Titans.

Read full bio

Mentor of Houdini FX

Known for Passengers

David Brown's Work
David Brown
David Brown

Dave's been in film\TV\VFX\AR for 20 years, leading VFX teams at Animal Logic, Cutting Edge and Plasticwax. Credits: Aquaman, Avengers: Age of Ultron and two Lego movies.

Read full bio

Mentor of Houdini FX

Known for The Lego Batman Movie
Study Options

Small Class

The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.

  • Max. 4 students per course
  • Affordable high-quality education
  • Network while you learn
Study Options

1-on-1 Private

Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.

  • Maximum level of mentor interaction
  • Greater flexibility to schedule classes
  • Customized learning experience

 

Monthly
$1,185 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term
$3,199 USD

(3 x payments)

Most popular

Save 25%

Upfront
$7,999 USD

(1 x payment)

Monthly
$1,485 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term
$3,999 USD

(3 x payments)

Most popular

Save 25%

Upfront
$9,999 USD

(1 x payment)

Student Showcase

High quality student work that speaks for itself

With a focus on portfolio preparation, we help students build their competitive edge with high quality work that gets noticed. See what they are creating.

Laura Lekaviciute
Glenn-Dawick---Tiny-House-Destruction
Kristian-Kebbe---Angry-Alien
Kar-Ayvazyan---Mimic

Studios that hire our students

Our commitment to job-outcomes and focus on career development has helped graduates find work at studios all over the world.

Weta Digital
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Industrial Light. & Magic
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I went from knowing nothing about FX, to receiving job offers within 6 months of study with CG Spectrum!

I was blown away by the level of personal interaction the 1-on-1 mentorship provides. Having a direct line to an industry veteran as my mentor has been an invaluable resource and has taken my rate of learning to the next level.

Kristian Kebbe
Kristian Kebbe
Houdini FX

I’m not only learning the essentials of VFX but also key networking tips from my mentor.

I started CG Spectrum with no experience in visual effects. Initially, the thought was quite daunting as I hadn't done much in the field prior. In my opinion, the education with CG Spectrum is the closest to giving me actual industry experience since I’m working alongside an industry vet whilst being taught the fundamentals of my trade. I can comfortably say I have more of a "peer to peer" relationship rather than "teacher to student", making it really easy to share my work and expect solid criticism.

Subhan Asif
Subhan Asif
Houdini FX

I am very excited about how much I have achieved!

Self-teaching is cool if you don't mind getting no interaction or help, and learning older versions of the software. Thankfully, CG Spectrum has given me the total opposite and an opportunity to push myself every step closer to the industry. With great resources at CG Spectrum, I learned not only my craft, but also how to prepare myself to be industry-ready.

David Tsai
David Tsai
Houdini FX

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