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:
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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!
Certificate
36 weeks
20 hrs weekly
Intermediate
Houdini Essentials course or portfolio submission
Weekly online classes, feedback and support
Houdini, Redshift, Nuke
Jan 8, 2024
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.
Plan your studies around your work and family commitments
Learn from industry experts who have worked on major films and games
Build practical and relevant job skills that studios are looking for
Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments
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.
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.
This final term is dedicated to getting you job-ready! With your mentor’s guidance, you’ll polish your best work for your portfolio and learn how to develop your competitive edge, market yourself, and make the best possible impression in front of employers. You'll also receive additional 1-on-1 career support, portfolio reviews, and industry insights from CG Spectrum's Career Coach.
Dive right into the full study pathway and be industry ready in 1 year.
All Houdini FX classes are taught by industry mentors with years of experience working on films and video games.
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.
Read full bioManager of VFX
Known for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
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 bioMentor of Houdini FX
Known for Mad Max: Fury Road
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 bioMentor of Houdini FX
Known for Interstellar VR
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 bioMentor of Houdini FX
Known for Passengers
Kate is a VFX artist in the motion picture industry. She primarily works with Houdini, and in her spare time runs a blog based on incorporating scientific ideas in VFX, and general Houdini tips.
Read full bioMentor of Houdini FXhoudini
Known for The Boys
The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.
Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.
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This course requires the successful completion of the Effects Essentials or portfolio submission demonstrating professional experience and an accompanying reel/resume.
To skip the foundations course you must show that you have a fundamental understanding of how Houdini works. Your portfolio must demonstrate an understanding of the topics taught in the course. These include:
It’s important that you understand how Houdini works because in this course, the pace is faster, the lessons more complex, and we don’t want you to be confused or fall behind.
The foundations course is by no means basic, you will learn how to really harness Houdini for a wide range of common visual effects.
A large component of our course is about how to present your effects in the best way possible, so if you have a portfolio but your presentation skills need work then we may still encourage you to take the foundations course to make sure you become the best artist you can be!
If you are unsure if your skills are sufficient, send us your portfolio and we'll arrange a review by the department head and a possible student interview, depending on circumstances.
You will also need basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question).
The Houdini FX Course is designed to get you ready to hit the ground running at your next job. It covers more complex techniques and includes an entire term dedicated to career development and portfolio preparation to get you industry-ready.
Some of the junior FX jobs you could pursue after completing the course (provided you have fully committed to your studies and built out your portfolio) include:
Discover more VFX jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
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.
I'm so glad I've chosen CG Spectrum's FX course.
I can honestly say that the amount I've learned in a year studying here is more than I could've ever learned in a traditional school or by myself. The mentors are incredibly knowledgeable about their field, and they're very helpful and patient. You get to be a part of an incredible community of talented students and mentors, I think that's one of the biggest advantages that this school offers.
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.
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. 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.
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.