FX Essentials
Short online Houdini FX course for beginners led by film and game experts
Learn FX for film and games with mentorship from industry FX artists
Take your first steps towards a career as an FX artist! Guided by your industry mentor, you'll learn how to navigate SideFX Houdini and begin creating your own FX shots from scratch, even without prior experience.
Why study Houdini FX with us:
- Learn from FX artists who have worked on blockbuster films and AAA games
- We are a Houdini Certified School
- Study with more flexibility (100% online)
- Choose 1-on-1 or small group classes with max. 4 students
You'll work with with basic particles to understand element attributes and interactivity, helping you move towards complex animated FX like smoke and fire.
Your pathway to the industry
This short course is equivalent to term one of the Foundations course. On completion of the Essentials course, if you decide to progress further with your studies, you'll enroll straight into term two of the corresponding Foundations course which means you'll already be one-third of the way through your studies! Continue your learning journey towards an exciting career in the industry by enrolling into the Foundations Career Track.
Daniel Hourigan
Daniel is a senior Houdini FX artist with 15 years of experience working on blockbusters such as Terminator: Dark Fate, John Wick 3, Aquaman, The Wolverine, and Game of Thrones.
Manager of VFX
Known for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Ben Fox
Ben's worked on high-profile commercials and Unreal Engine VR experiences for projects like Game of Thrones, Interstellar and Ready Player One.
Mentor of Houdini FX
Known for Interstellar VR
Claire Pegorier
Claire has more than 25 years' experience as an FX artist for films and games on projects like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, X-Men First Class, and Clash of the Titans.
Mentor of Houdini FX
Known for Passengers
The mentors are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
Prior to enrolling at CG Spectrum's VFX course, I had no experience in creating VFX or using Houdini at all. By the end of the 3rd semester, I was quite comfortable in using Houdini for most simulations, using VEX in place of regular nodes and creating procedural assets.
I went from knowing nothing about FX, to receiving job offers within 6 months of study with CG Spectrum!
I was blown away by the level of personal interaction the 1-on-1 mentorship provides. Having a direct line to an industry veteran as my mentor has been an invaluable resource and has taken my rate of learning to the next level.
I am very excited about how much I have achieved!
Self-teaching is cool if you don't mind getting no interaction or help, and learning older versions of the software. Thankfully, CG Spectrum has given me the total opposite and an opportunity to push myself every step closer to the industry. With great resources at CG Spectrum, I learned not only my craft, but also how to prepare myself to be industry-ready.
