Become an FX artist for film & games in under a year
Specialized courses and industry mentorship to fast-track your career
Certified Houdini courses taught by film & game industry artists
Study Effects and turn your creative passion into a career!
If you want to create incredible Effects for film and games, our industry-driven courses are 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 Effects 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)
Effects Essentials
Once you've learned the basics of Houdini in this exciting short course, you'll be creating explosions and natural disasters in no time! Your industry mentor will show you how to set up professional workflows and give you a taste of what it's like to be a professional FX artist.
- Learn fundamental and FX techniques in Houdini
- Get introduced to Rigid Body Dynamics, Pyro and Flip Solvers
- Understand and apply particle concepts
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Start with the fundamentals of FX and simulations with Houdini software. Learn scripting with VEX and see how scripts can help create more complex VFX shots. Learn all about particles in Houdini and the concepts behind what drives them. Dive into advanced geometry concepts which will help you build assets for your VFX shots and ultimately destroy them! Apply rendering techniques used in VFX production and start building your first fully rendered shots.
Effects Foundations
If you want to create incredible effects for film and games, the Effects Foundations Course is your ticket into the industry! 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 mind-blowing FX shots from scratch.
- Produce complex FX simulations
- Master RBD, Flip, Vellum, and Pyro
- Create production-quality shots for your portfolio
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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 unrivaled support and feedback from a mentor who is invested in your success. What a great way to start your career as an FX artist!
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.
Read full bioManager of VFX
Known for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Kate Xagoraris
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
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 bioMentor of Houdini FX
Known for Mad Max: Fury Road
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 bioMentor of Houdini FX
Known for Interstellar VR
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'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 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.
The mentors are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
Prior to enrolling at CG Spectrum's VFX course, I had no experience in creating VFX or using Houdini at all. By the end of the 3rd semester, I was quite comfortable in using Houdini for most simulations, using VEX in place of regular nodes and creating procedural assets.
