10 Best Houdini Tutorials & Courses - Learn Houdini FX Online

List of top Houdini training courses and tutorials for beginners. Best Houdini FX online video classes. Best free and paid Houdini courses online.

10 Best Houdini Tutorials & Courses - Learn Houdini FX Online

What is Houdini?

Houdini FX is a visual effect and 3D animation software like Maya or Blender, but what makes Houdini different and unique is the procedural system, which has a very powerful dynamic system that other software does not have.

While Houdini is mainly used for dynamic environments and particle effects, It also includes a complete set of tools for artists who want to use it for other areas such as modeling, animation, or rendering. It's easy to use, offers many different rendering options, and works hand in hand with the powerful Houdini SideFX material system.

Why you should learn Houdini FX?

Houdini is the number 1 3D application used in VFX, 3D animation studios, and Game studios, Houdini can create high-quality effects like water, explosions, fire, and sand.

It now is used by Big Game studios, they save 100X of the time by creating tools that are used in their Game Engine or in unreal engine or Unity. Knowing Houdini gives you a very big advantage in the game industry and in VFX companies.

If you are a Game developer you must know at least a little bit about how Houdini works, this gives you a very big advantage in Game studios.

Top Houdini Tutorials & Certifications List

  1. Complete Houdini FX 19 Bootcamp

  2. Game Asset Creation with Houdini

  3. Houdini Essential Training

  4. Game Asset Creation With Houdini

  5. Houdini: VEX Fundamentals

  6. Procedural Race Tracks - Houdini 17.5 and Houdini Engine

  7. Mastering UVW Mapping in Houdini 16.5

  8. Houdini FX step to step - Visual Effects made easy

  9. Houdini Engine for Unity Fundamentals

  10. Houdini Game Art - Create foliage for Games with Houdini

Disclosure: We're supported by the learners and may get a commission when you purchase via the link.

Best Houdini Courses & Certifications - Learn Houdini FX as a Beginner

1. Complete Houdini FX 19 Bootcamp

In this course, you will learn how to use Houdini. By following the techniques of this course, you will be able to learn how to use it for games and in-game engines like unreal engine or Unity. Moreover, you will also learn how to use Houdini software to create interesting effects.

In this Houdini course, you will learn how to:

  • create professional explosions.
  • have a solid knowledge of how to use Houdini.
  • create realistic oceans.
  • create destruction.
  • create a full CG chocolate commercial using Houdini.
  • make sand and snow effects in Houdini.
  • use flip fluid solver inside Houdini.
  • make a rain effect.

This course will help you learn how to create interesting effects with Houdini software. It will not teach you how to use Houdini for games but rather how to learn it. As a result, you'll be able to use it for games and in-game engines like Unreal Engine or Unity.

  • Course rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 (3,949 Rating total)
  • Duration: 18 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Learning VFX: Complete Houdini Bootcamp
Beginners guide to Houdini FX 19 : The most powerful 3D application in the world. No prior knowledge required.

2. Game Asset Creation with Houdini

In this course, you will learn how to create a procedural building tool in Houdini. From start to finish, you will create a curve-driven building creation tool in Houdini 16.5 and deploy the finished asset into Unity using the powerful Houdini Engine! The course covers a range of intermediate techniques including an in-depth look at For-Each Loops and a beginner's guide to using Houdini VEX to manipulate attributes.

In this Houdini tutorial, you will learn:

  • How to create modular, procedurally generated game environment props quickly and with a consistent style and tone.

The course comprises user-driven parameters which ensure that no two buildings look alike, and it also has procedurally generated UV coordinates to ensure your materials always look perfect.

  • Course rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 (404 Rating total)
  • Duration: 7.5 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Game Asset Creation with Houdini
Season 2 - Procedural Buildings

3. Houdini Essential Training

In this course, you will learn about core geometry and animation concepts, lighting, shading, and rendering techniques. The course starts from the ground up to provide you with a solid foundation in Houdini. First, it takes you through the interface, covering topics such as global animation options, nomenclature, and viewport and display nodes. Next, the course covers core geometry and animation concepts, followed by lighting, shading, and rendering techniques using the Houdini Mantra renderer.

In this Houdini course, you will learn about:

  • core geometry and animation concepts, lighting, shading, and rendering techniques.
  • the interface of Houdini.
  • core geometry and animation concepts, followed by lighting, shading, and rendering techniques using the Houdini Mantra renderer.

The course includes:

  • Interface
  • Geometry
  • Animation
  • Rendering
  • Shading
  • Lighting
  • Dynamics
  • Particles
  • Volumetric Solutions
  • Compositing

After having those primary 3D skills under your belt, it moves on to particles and volumes—some of the package's most lauded strengths. The course wraps up with an overview of the package's compositing context, where you can create procedural imagery useful for processes across all contexts.

  • Course rating: 12,026 total enrollments
  • Duration: 7.6 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Houdini Essential Training Online Class | LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com
Discover Houdini, a leading package for procedural 3D content creation. Learn about core geometry and animation concepts, lighting, shading and rendering techniques, and more.

4. Game Asset Creation With Houdini

In this course, you will learn to create a game-ready asset from start to finish in Houdini. Here, you will learn Houdini's powerful Digital Asset workflow to dramatically speed up your modeling process and create infinite variation quickly and consistently. It also covers UV mapping, texture baking, and importing into the Unity Game Engine.

In this Houdini tutorial, you will learn how to:

  • create a game-ready asset using Houdini's procedural workflow.

The following step-by-step guide is great for beginners to Houdini, as well as experienced 3D designers who are looking to experiment with the powerful procedural tools Houdini has to offer.

  • Course rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 (339 Rating total)
  • Duration: 4.5 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Game Asset Creation With Houdini
3D Modelling in Houdini

5. Houdini: VEX Fundamentals

This course will teach you the important basics and concepts of the VEX language. In this course, Houdini: VEX Fundamentals, you will learn how to approach it as any other programming language. VEX is a difficult obstacle to overcome when learning Houdini. First, you will explore the syntax and the programming environment. Then, you will discover how to become comfortable using the vocabulary of that language.

In this Houdini course, you will learn how to:

  • have the fundamental knowledge to use VEX as an additional solution for your workflows.
  • understand the important basics and concepts of the VEX language.
  • apply all the options available in VEX for a vex-based project.
  • create a procedural Sci-fi corridor generator that relies on programmed decision-making to get built with your new toolset.

When entering the world of Houdini you will quickly encounter VEX as an often-used tool to solve detailed problems. For VEX that means using the available functions to read and manipulate the given data. Later, you will explore how to apply those functions. Finally, you will dive into creating a procedural Sci-fi corridor generator that relies on programmed decision-making to get built with your new toolset.

  • Course rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 (29 Rating total)
  • Duration: 7.5 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Houdini: VEX Fundamentals
VEX is a difficult obstacle to overcome when learning Houdini. This course will teach you the important basics and concepts of the VEX language. Get started now!

6. Procedural Race Tracks - Houdini 17.5 and Houdini Engine

In this course, you will learn how to create a full Procedurally built Level with Houdini 17.5, Houdini Engine, Unity 3D & Unreal Engine 4.

In this Houdini tutorial, you will learn about:

  • Procedural Modeling in Houdini 17.5.
  • Houdini Engine for Unity 3D and Unreal Engine 4.
  • how to create Houdini Digital Assets in a Production proven way for Games.
  • using Houdini to create Procedural models to conserve time during game productions.
  • how to set up HDAs in Unity and Unreal so you procedurally generate Collision Meshes, Materials, and SUVs.
  • how to Scatter large amounts of Foliage onto your Terrains.
  • using Houdini Engine and Unity's Tree Prototypes.
  • creating textures with Houdini.

This Houdini course starts out by giving individuals new to Houdini, a quick start guide to using Houdini by teaching the basics of navigation, UI, modeling, and creating Houdini Digital Assets. After that, you will learn how to effectively build a set of HDAs that will generate a Track complete with UVs, Track bumpers, and Track Guard Rails.

Next, you will walk through the process of creating Procedural Terrains with Houdini and the Houdini Engine. You will learn how to hook up terrain layers for texturing your terrains in Unity and in Unreal.

Once your terrains are ready to go, you will walk through the process of efficiently creating and Scattering foliage using the Houdini Engine. You look at how to utilize Unity's Detail object system with the Houdini Engine and how to use Unreal's grass system.

  • Course rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 (469 Rating total)
  • Duration: 24 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Procedural Race Tracks - Houdini 17.5/18 and Houdini Engine
Create a full Procedurally built Level with Houdini 17.5, Houdini Engine, Unity 3D & Unreal Engine 4

7. Mastering UVW Mapping in Houdini 16.5

In this Houdini tutorial, you will learn how to apply and refine textures on 3D objects in Houdini with UVW mapping. The course walks you through the UV tools available in Houdini 16.5 and shares specific situations where they may prove useful. The course begins by explaining what UV mapping does, why you need it for your meshes, and how to set up, test, and alter UVs.

In this Houdini course, you will learn how to:

  • apply and refine textures on 3D objects in Houdini with UVW mapping.
  • set up, test, and alter UVs.
  • group selections and create seams for complex object mapping.
  • specific UV clusters together for better seam management.

The course includes:

  • UV Mapping Basics
  • UV Texture and Project Options
  • UV Seams, Pelt, and Flatten
  • The UV Edit Node
  • Game Development Tool Kit

Next, it moves on to more advanced topics, such as UV projection, texturing, and pelt mapping. It also shows how to group selections and create seams for complex object mapping, and how to sew specific UV clusters together for better seam management. Finally, the course provides a look into the powerful Game Development Toolset that you can use for much more than games when working with Houdini and its UV mapping tool kit.

  • Course rating: 1,598 total enrollments
  • Duration: 1.2 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
  • View Course

8. Houdini FX step to step - Visual Effects made easy

With this course, you will learn the basic techniques of Houdini's modeling and special effects. You will learn how to make simple animations, create materials, and apply textures to an object. Moreover, you will also see the principles of the procedural system that is the basis and the strength of Houdini.

In this Houdini tutorial, you will learn the following:

  • The basics of Houdini and some of the most important visual effects.
  • Particle systems
  • Basic simulations: fire, smoke, oceans.
  • Compositing with real footage
  • Rendering in Mantra
  • Modeling, lights, and materials.

Throughout this course, you will make your first step into visual effects by simplifying the complexity of Houdini. If you are already familiar with Houdini, the course might not be appropriate for you. It is aimed at people with little or no knowledge of the software.

  • Course rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 (138 Rating total)
  • Duration: 4.5 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Houdini FX step to step - Visual Effects made easy
Learn Houdini the easy way - a practical handbook to learn the basics of the software

9. Houdini Engine for Unity Fundamentals

Procedural content creation in game development helps speed up production. This course will teach you the fundamentals of using the Houdini Engine in Unity 2017 to procedurally generate models, collision meshes, material assignments, and SUVs.

In this Houdini course, you will learn how to:

  • create your own procedural assets.
  • create your own procedural content for game development.
  • build your own complete procedural content creation workflow.
  • construct procedural assets in the form of Houdini Digital Assets.
  • procedural generate models, collision meshes, material assignments, and UVs.

In this course, Fundamentals of Houdini Engine for Unity 2017, you will learn the core skills necessary to create your own procedural content for game development. First, you will learn how to construct procedural assets in the form of Houdini Digital Assets, procedural generate models, collision meshes, material assignments, and SUVs.

Next, you will gain insight into the workflows and techniques that are crucial to becoming a successful procedural artist. Finally, you will be able to create a procedural content pipeline using Unity and the Houdini Engine.

  • Course rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 (10 Rating total)
  • Duration: 5.0 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Houdini Engine for Unity Fundamentals
Procedural content creation in game development helps speed up production. This course will teach you the fundamentals of using the Houdini Engine in Unity 2017 to procedurally generate models, collision meshes, material assignments, UVs, and more.

10. Houdini Game Art - Create foliage for Games with Houdini

This  Houdini certification will take you through the step necessary to create real-time foliage using Houdini. Starting from reference pictures, you will use Houdini to create a useful Ivy tool that could be expanded into a more Generic Vegetation Tool.

In this Houdini tutorial, you will learn how to:

  • create a useful ivy generator that can be expanded upon.
  • use Houdini to complete a task faster in a production environment.
  • control objects copy in Houdini (Orientation attributes).
  • create Real-time foliage meshes.

By the end, you should have an idea of how you can integrate Houdini in your video game art pipeline, and have some assets that you can show off in Unreal or Unity or any engine, and maybe, this will be your first game art assets made with the help of Houdini.

  • Course rating: 4.1 out of 5.0 (65 Rating total)
  • Duration: 3 Hours
  • Certificate: Certificate of completion
Houdini Game Art - Create foliage for Games with Houdini
Learn how to increase your work speed with a procedural workflow

Thank you for reading this. We hope our course curation would help you to pick the right course to learn Houdini. In case you want to explore more, you can take the free Houdini courses.

Hey! If you have made it this far then certainly you are willing to learn more and here at Coursesity, it is our duty to enlighten people with knowledge on topics they are willing to learn. Here are some more topics that we think will be interesting for you!