Houdini Resources

Updated on June 26  2024


Houdini Quick Reference

Deborah R. Fowler



Houdini Quick Reference

Posted June 6  2019
Updated Sept 1  2022

In response to student requests, this guide is my biased opinion of what resources are available to help you learn Houdini. There are more in-depth resources on my website, but this is designed for students getting ready for next quarter.

First let me say the SideFX documentation is excellent and clicking the ? button in Houdini to bring up the floating help is the best textbook you can have!
Second, I do have a list of select tutorials - there is an ever growing list as we are in a fast paced industry.

This quick reference is intended to be more of a step-by-step guide to get you started.

The overview on my website is designed for beginning users. I have also several 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.

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:

For resource on Python in Houdini:


Going further

Start by building something, anything. Next try a procedural building (make it prettier and more detailed)

Also by others:

Additional tutorials (not in a particular order) are:

At SIGGRAPH, FMX, GDC conferences, SideFX always records their sessions and makes them available, so watch for those as well click 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!