Brand New Houdini to Arnold OpenVDB Workflow by cmiVFX
High Definition Training Videos for the Visual Effects Industry

Princeton, NJ (December 9th, 2015) Fresh of the edit pipeline, just in time for the holiday season is another hit single training video by cmiVFX. As the Visual Effects industry has matured over the last few years, new formats to accommodate the rendering of large dynamic simulations such as dust, smoke, fire, or even explosions, have been developed to increase the potential for productivity in workflow. Our resident Houdini research scientist, Varomix, committed to bringing a hands on guide for this newly created software pipeline between a host app and a final render. OpenVDB is a standard in the film industry, proven, tested and built by the very same guys that are in the very same film industry. This technique has the potential to be applied to multiple workflows, and over time will be adopted by more artists, exponentially. When it comes to the latest research information in the computer graphics and visual effects industry, only one worldwide network of artists help maintain the lead in the VFX training revolution. That network is cmiVFX.com!

Short Description
Learn how to use OpenVDB, an open source file transfer format, to bring your dynamic simulations to final render.

Vimeo Teaser Trailer
https://vimeo.com/148132405 [vimeo.com]

|||||| Houdini to Arnold VDB Workflow |||||
https://cmivfx.com/store/659-Houdini+Arnold+VDB+Workflow [cmivfx.com]

Chapter Descriptions

Introduction
This course was designed around customers requesting the most amount of information in shorter time periods. Our efforts allowed us to reach the best balance for the VFX artist on the go!

Simple Workflow Example
First, we will break down the process we need to export VDBs from Houdini to Arnold so they can be rendered. In the beginning, all processes will be manual, however as we get further into the process, we learn how to automated the process for rapid reuse.

Arnold Volume Node
We will dice all the parts of the Arnold Volume Node to become completely aware of all its possibilities.

Automating The Workflow
Now that we know the steps we need to export our volumes to VDB and into Arnold, we’ll automate the exporting part so we have faster iterations while tweaking the effect in Houdini.

Explosion Workflow
One of the more popular end user questions: “How to I render my dynamic CG explosion using Arnold?” Our answer back will be the remainder of this chapter.

Clouds Workflow
In this chapter, we take a full shot approach by making realistic clouds over a standard environment plate. All compositing and tuning will be shown in detail.

Bonus Chapter: Rendering Volumes
As a bonus chapter, we’ll talk about how to get rid of noise in your volume renders.

Conclusion
Houdini + Arnold is an example of unparalleled proceduralism amongst applications. This pipeline would work even if you have your own VDB capable render engine. Many compositing apps are looking at adding this technology to their toolset.

About The Instructor
Varomix is a VFX Artist, Generalist TD, Game Developer, Musician and Founder of MIXStudio. Shortly after Side Effects launched the Houdini Apprentice Program in 2002, Varomix became an ardent Houdini user. Since then it has become his main tool for creation. Varomix is also a father and husband that enjoy doing lots of crazy stuff with his family.

Project Contents
All cmiVFX videos come with all the training materials you can need right from our website. No matter what time of day, your location, or how you're feeling, cmiVFX will be there waiting for you! This video is available today at the cmiVFX Store: www.cmivfx.com

About cmiVFX
cmiVFX is the leader in High Definition Video Training for the Visual Effects Community. Register for free and receive hours of free content at the cmiVFX Video-on-Demand Player. Copyright 2016 cmiVFX | cmiStudios. All rights reserved