Houdini Quick Reference - Getting started step by step
A step-by-step guide for students just getting started with Houdini. The SideFX documentation is excellent — clicking the ? button inside Houdini is the best reference you can have. I also have recorded instructional videos on Vimeo and YouTube.
By the way, if you are new to computer graphics, it would be
useful to familiarize yourself with the concepts in a book
such as Fundamentals
of Computer Graphics (available
here too). I recommend you review the sections on
Miscellaneous Math (Trigonometry, Vectors) in particular.
Getting Started
Houdini is free! Download the apprentice version as per the instructions.
Be sure to grab the production version that matches
the version used with the educational license.
Installation should be a breeze - but if you do run into
difficulties there is an FAQ (and
instructions for Windows/Mac/Linux)
Welcome! There is much to explore!
First off familiarize yourself with the interface - if you have already used a 3D package this will look familiar in many ways.
- very basics in my Houdini Essentials video
- SideFX has great resources for getting started https://www.sidefx.com/learn/getting_started/
- there are also transition guides on that above page from Maya or Softimage that may be helpful
- both written and video format
Once you are comfortable in the interface there are many avenues to explore. Roughly on the left of the display at the top shelf are the basic operations, on the right many of the advanced features such as dynamic simulations. Keep in mind that Houdini just keeps making the software better so the tutorials you find about things on the right change, however on the left are stable. This is a generalization.
Diving in, you can work in whatever way is most comfortable
to you - interface, shelf tools or node network - that's one
of the strong points of Houdini - flexibility. Houdini has a
non-destructive node-based procedural workflow.
I tend to work in node networks and as you become more
familiar with Houdini and start creating your own nodes you
will too - but you don't have to start there. Start with the
basics first.
Node Networks
If you have used a node based application before, Houdini
will look familiar. Nodes are "cooked" top down in the SOPS
(geometry) context. Where your display flag is determines what
nodes are processed.
Nodes represent everything in the Houdini world from geometry
to lights to dynamic systems. Along with these nodes data is
kept and attributes are associated with these nodes. This
information can be seen by MMB and also in the Geometry
Spreadsheet.
Attributes, much like nodes, have context. Attributes can be
point, primitive, vertex or detail. Do you need to know this?
Not now but you will find this helpful in the future.
Code
Another extremely valuable feature of Houdini which for me sets it apart from other 3D DCC (Digital Content Creation) packages is the ease in which code can be integrated into the network. In Houdini you can create expressions directly in parameter fields, as well as create your own nodes in python or vex snippets, as well as in the more conventional script editors. The ease in which you can customize using hscript, python and vex are remarkable. (HDK uses C++ but is less widely used, particularly with the introduction of the wrangle nodes in version 13).
My personal favorite now is vex snippets in point wrangle nodes. If you are interested in learning vex it is very C++ like and the rules of syntax are practically identical except for the @ sign. The @ sign indicates an attribute creation or fetch on that attribute if it exists.
For resources on VEX:
- build a snowman in vex video and explanation
- my sample files - a collection of practical examples that have come up
- tokeru.com (also know as CGwiki and is Matt Estela) has an excellent website as well as his Joy of Vex lessons (Vex in 20 days)
For resources on Python in Houdini:
Going further
Start by building something, anything. Next try a procedural building (make it prettier and more detailed)
- One way to build a house - https://vimeo.com/247357809
- if you prefer written over video, you can also start here
Everyone learns at their own pace in their own style and Houdini allows you a tremendous amount of flexibility in this regard. Once you learn the basics, pick a topic and dive in!
For a curated list of external resources — SideFX, Entagma, Peter Quint, Junichiro Horikawa, and more — see the Tutorials Directory. For topic-organized guides on proceduralism, modeling, look dev, and pipeline, see the Overview.