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Fxphd HOU204 - Pyro Effects in Houdini
Fxphd HOU204 - Pyro Effects in Houdini | 2.0 Gb Software Used: Houdini | Resolution: 1152x720(.mp4) | Audio: mp3 Kbps | Completion Time: 13 hrs. 23 min. Genre: eLearning | Language: English | Instructor: Jonathan Gilbert
This course will simplify and demystify the Pyro FX tools, ultimately giving you the skills needed to create just about any fire and smoke effect that you might need.
fxphd is an online vfx, production, post-production training program led by professionals. We offer both application and craft-based courses, online forums for feedback, and vpn software. Curriculum includes courses in applications such as Nuke, Flame, Maya, Houdini, After Effects, Final Cut, Color, and more. As owners of RED #22, we have been involved with the ground breaking camera since the very first shipments -- and built a solid foundation of on-set and post courses dealing with shooting RED.
Overview
After a call for an encore from fxphd members, Jonathan Gilbert returns for an intermediate level course covering Pyro FX in Houdini. Pyro FX can be a bit overwhelming when first starting out. This course will simplify and demystify the Pyro FX tools, ultimately giving you the skills needed to create just about any fire and smoke effect that you might need. Members will become familiar with Houdini’s Fireball, Billowy Smoke, Wispy Smoke and Flames Pyro FX shelf tools. These lay the groundwork for learning the basics of a Pyro simulation, these same tools can also over-complicate some of the learning. So we’ll simplify the simulation down to the very bare-bones. From there, we’ll build upon this foundation and achieve a full understanding how each parameter effects the simulation. We’ll explore how to define fluid properties such as viscosity, cooling rate and buoyancy.
Next, we’ll move on to controlling the behavior of the fluid. We’ll use Turbulence, add DOPs Forces and Motion FX to achieve much more interesting and artistically controlled fluid motion. Then we’ll use the Combustion model to ignite fuel and create fire and smoke. Next, we’ll take a journey into some of the more advanced topics such as creating a Pyro simulation from scratch, defining custom attributes, using custom velocity fields to direct fluid motion and modifying the fluid behavior with microsolvers. With this knowledge, members will be able to simulate almost any type of smoke and fire effect you can imagine.
At the end of the course, we’ll explore post processing our fields of data with the more recent volume tools in order to save re-simulating. We’ll setup some simple lighting to have a more accurate depiction of the fluid in the viewport and ultimately a much more beautiful render. Which leads us to an exploration of the Material Shader Builder and the Pyro Shader for shading our fluid. Finally, we’ll cover guidelines for efficiently and effectively rendering volumets with Mantra.
Professor Jonathan Gilbert is a freelance VFX artist with over six years of Houdini experience. He graduated with his MFA in 3D Animation and Visual Effects with a concentration in fluid dynamics from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He then worked at Side Effects Software Inc. building and teaching a series of basic and intermediate Pyro Effects classes in Santa Monica. His experience includes work at Asylum on the Black Eyed Peas Dirty Bit music video and more recently, on the last Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as a Technical Director at Gradient Effects.
