any one got a idea of where one can buy the best online training for Houdini
or books etc

Peter Quint's free online video tutorials are very good and I've learned a lot from them.

http://vimeo.com/user2030228 [vimeo.com]

CMIVFX has some great Houdini specific stuff, there's a recent set of procedural highway tutorials that look great! I also have the City builder, procedural modeling, and Shader tutorials and they are all really useful.

There's a Garman DVD on Gnomon that I also found helpful.

The free intro stuff on 3DBuzz is great, as are the TD tutorials on tech rigging.

cmvifx seems like a good choice

Okay, here is my Idea and wish to Online Schools (posted again on odforce.net)

2-4 Hour realistic Houdini Apprentice start to end tutorial for special effect in VFX Production

Live Action and CG with Houdini
How to take your Houdini 3D models and incorporate them seamlessly into a Live Action HD video.

- Basic Motion Tracking Footage with Syntheyes, Boujou etc. and bring into Houdini
- Adding 3D Objects and realistic Lights (HDRI, Radiosity ) to Scene that work
- In Depth Rendering out the Different Passes
- Compositing all togehter with Fusion or After Effects

I ask for this, because for Houdini there is not any such Lessons for the hole VFX pipeline on all Houdinis learning resources and it's quite different to render and use results for realistic Live Footage!

Here is an overview of a full start to end example for Maya, this original course is about 2 1/2 Hours:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maGLn18B9uI [youtube.com]

Its can be a simple scene shot but the focus must on realistic results
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JA6t9uA72Q [youtube.com]

My Suggestion: A Bridge collapse over a river - A live Footage from a River and a CG Collapse Bridge
http://download.sidefx.com/images/stories/community/gallery/bridge_collapse.mov [download.sidefx.com]

So you can show: Tracking Footage, using a Bridge Asset, DOPs, particle systems, procedural VEX shader, VOPs and HDRI Shading in Action.

I suggest Live action and CG because i was surprised that there is not any of this for Houdini and the node based workflow is complete different to other 3D App. - Camera mapping, using matchmoving Data, Shading, Lightning and render passes for seamless(!) integration. For Houdini-Apprentice it useful to see one time this complete workflow for use in Live Action.

A small Making Of Live Action and CG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFDKRGfBR48 [youtube.com]

All the other theoretical tutorials (like Peter Quint's videos [vimeo.com]) play around with DOPs, VOPs, VEX, POPs etc. but the render end-results often looks terrible and unusable or there are no Outputs.

Their are many independent or Apprentice real filmmakers outside the big studios, which use Houdini for CG Elements in Real Footage and with this Tutorial Series or DVD (shipping, download) you should learn how to get realistic final results with the (not user friendly) Houdini.

So, i hope nay Online School read this and make something called: “Houdini in Production”.

Thanks

Sounds like what you want is something like this:

http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/products/masterclass/3dcreaturedev/ [thegnomonworkshop.com]

only targeted towards Houdini instead of Maya, with more emphasis on vfx tricks.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

The book “The Magic of Houdini” is really good, starts you out from nothing and explains everything. It uses version 8 of Houdini, but you can still download that here under support.

I dont recommend either Garman's Gnomon DVD or the Digital Tutors Houini DVDs, both are for advanced users who already understand how to do expressions in an app like Maya.

Your never going to get at tutorial to match every need , makes you wonder how we managed before internet tutorials ever existed.

rob

Ah the good old times when people went out into the woods, chopped a 300 year old tree, mauled it to pulp, made paper from it and then sat down for a couple of years to write a book…those were the days…

Recently contacted Garman from Vixy Acky about his course but haven't heard a thing from him since I responded to his first email. It's been 2 weeks, and a bit disappointed. :?

But there are a lot of free houdini tutorials out there. Perhaps online courses are not the way to go. Probably better to go with piad tutorials by 3dbuzz, cmivfx and digital tutors. Plus PQ's free houdini sessions on vimeo.

Recently contacted Garman from Vixy Acky about his course but haven't heard a thing from him since I responded to his first email. It's been 2 weeks, and a bit disappointed. Confused

Well if your serious just sign up. I rate his training as the best there is , plus you gain access to a pool of other Houdini users .

Ah the good old times when people went out into the woods, chopped a 300 year old tree, mauled it to pulp, made paper from it and then sat down for a couple of years to write a book…those were the days…

You forgot , to mention the books were also in Latin

rob

ok think i am gonna try a cmvfx video but yeah is curious on how long the videos is . is there great value for money

circusmonkey
Well if your serious just sign up. I rate his training as the best there is , plus you gain access to a pool of other Houdini users .

I'm waiting to hear back from him. I emailed twice.


Brian's fluid tutorial at cmivfx is great. Well worth your money. Great guy too.

circusmonkey
Your never going to get at tutorial to match every need , makes you wonder how we managed before internet tutorials ever existed.

Why is Houdini the only 3D App - where not exists ONE start to end tutorial for Live Footage? Lightwave, XSI, Maya, 3DMAX - for ALL (!) these Apps are one or more complete Lessons how to render and integrate CG to use in Real Footage.

Here is one of this overview - a full start to end example for Maya, this original course is about 2 1/2 Hours:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maGLn18B9uI [youtube.com]

I'am Lightwave and Fusion User i need no composition Stuff - I need any Lesson for realistic Houdini render results !

Masterclass: Pyro FX here on this Site for example. What do you think, how it looks when you take the Render results of this class in Live Action :roll:

Hm, is Houdini to complex to show this in one Tutorial…..

arquebus
The book “The Magic of Houdini” is really good, starts you out from nothing and explains everything. It uses version 8 of Houdini, but you can still download that here under support.

I dont recommend either Garman's Gnomon DVD or the Digital Tutors Houini DVDs, both are for advanced users who already understand how to do expressions in an app like Maya.

Where would one find the Digital Tutors Houdini DVD's? There are all online and can't be downloaded for offline viewing.

DJ

You can't get the DVD's anymore, to the best of my knowledge. I signed up for a month, got a lot out of it.

Why is Houdini the only 3D App - where not exists ONE start to end tutorial for Live Footage? Lightwave, XSI, Maya, 3DMAX - for ALL (!) these Apps are one or more complete Lessons how to render and integrate CG to use in Real Footage.

Here is one of this overview - a full start to end example for Maya, this original course is about 2 1/2 Hours:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maGLn18B9uI [youtube.com]

I'am Lightwave and Fusion User i need no composition Stuff - I need any Lesson for realistic Houdini render results !

Masterclass: Pyro FX here on this Site for example. What do you think, how it looks when you take the Render results of this class in Live Action Rolling Eyes

Hm, is Houdini to complex to show this in one Tutorial…..

Well if your already a light wave user and can comp why on earth would you need a tutorial to hold your hand , surely you know exactly what you require from your lighting passes to produce a shot ? .

rob

circusmonkey
Well if your already a light wave user and can comp why on earth would you need a tutorial to hold your hand , surely you know exactly what you require from your lighting passes to produce a shot ? .

Houdini is completely different to ALL other 3D App to get the realistic looking details!!! And again: There is not any Houdini Lesson on the Web, which shows a final realisitc looking result, so the workflow is unknown for me.

http://vimeo.com/7612942 [vimeo.com]

Sorry, to much for me to understand sustained, LW, XSI, etc. don't need procedural shading, so it is impossible for me to render realistic results.

Houdini is completely different to ALL other 3D App to get the realistic looking details!!!

How so ? Every applications shaders give you, reflection , spec , diffuse , displacement , bump etc etc .All the lights are the same , area , spot , directional etc etc. How is Houdini any different.

rob

Have a look at the cmivfx rendering video, it does a pretty good job at creating a realistic setup. 90% of the materials are just off the shelf stuff. And yes Houdini is different than almost all the other 3d apps…it isn't point and click.

The Dark side is easier, faster, but no, not more powerful it is.