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Introduction to Houdini Pyro FX

by Sam Rickles

Creating visually stunning fire and pyro elements is a very important skill for a VFX Artist. You'll learn how to utilize Houdini's powerful Pyro Solver to source, simulate, and render your own convincing fire effects. Software required: Houdini 15.

What you'll learn

Whether it's flame-breathing dragons or a simple campfire, digital fire effects are some of the most important elements in film and television, and a key skill for many VFX artists. In this course, Introduction to Houdini Pyro, you'll learn the fundamental concepts of Houdini's powerful Pyro Solver to create multiple fire-based effects. First, you'll learn the shelf tools to get an initial simulation started and examine the individual parts that make up a Pyro simulation. Next, you'll learn how to use these building blocks to create your own campfire effect, adding additional complexity to the simulation as you explore different sourcing solutions and ways to modify the various fields that are part of the solver. Then, you'll adapt what you have learned to create a more complicated Fire Breath effect, further exploring new sourcing methods and capabilities of the Pyro Solver. Finally, you'll explore how to export your data and use the Pyro Shader to create photo-realistic Mantra renders of your fire. By the end of the course, you'll have a better understanding of the tools necessary to light anything imaginable on fire...digitally, of course. Software required: Houdini 15.

Table of contents

Course Overview
1min

About the author

Sam Rickles is a Lead FX Technical Director with Sony Pictures Imageworks in Vancouver, British Colombia. A six year veteran in the VFX industry, Sam works primarily with Houdini to achieve his effects, ranging from realistic vehicle destruction and pyro effects, to wacky paint cannons and freeze beams. His work can be seen in seven feature films, including Hotel Transylvania 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Edge of Tomorrow. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. de... more

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