In this series of lessons we will learn how to build and render realistic oceans using Houdini's Ocean Toolkit (HOT), a powerful external tool designed to generate realistic ocean surfaces in Houdini. We'll go step-by-step though the fundamentals of HOT and how to use its Ocean SOP and its different parameters including Wave Length and Ocean Depth. We'll also go over how to build geometry that is suitable for ocean displacement and how to create a special shader from scratch to shade our ocean as well as learn how to light, render, and use compositing networks to add fog to our final shot.

Designed for people upgrading to Houdini 10, the following lessons will get you up-to-speed with Houdini's new features and enhancements so that you can become more productive. We will first go over the network editor enhancements as well as the new wiring mechanisms. We will then learn about the new Motion FX tools, ODE RB, and other enhancements in modeling, rendering, and dynamics.

In this project, we'll focus on the bare essentials to creating and working with Fur. We will learn how to create the fur and how to control its amount. We will learn how to use the paint tools to control areas of growth and fur length as well. We will also learn how to use the comb fur tool to style the hair and also delve into some fur shading and fur rendering.

In this project we will learn about the fundamentals of stereoscopy and some guidelines to setting up comfortable stereo imagery. We will learn how to use the stereo cam rig in Houdini as well as how to use the 3d display to preview and set the parameters. Then we will go over how to preview, composite, and render the images using Mantra.

Popular highlights include: Mantra Overview; Working with Shaders; Rendering Methods; Environment Lights; Rendering in Passes; Rendering Multiple Channels; Deep Raster Output; Rendering to Different Files; Micropolygon Rendering; Raytracing; Physically Based Rendering; Global Illumination Techniques; Path-tracing; Final Gather; Ambient Occlusion; Image-based Lighting; Caustics; Shadows; Geometry Shaders; Outline Rendering with Wren; Volumetric Rendering; Mantra Archive; Depth of Field; 3D Motion Blur; Transform Motion Blurs; Deformation Motion Blurs; Velocity Motion Blurs; Compositing Techniques.

Popular highlights include: Particle Simulation and Events; Particle Rendering; Rigid Body Dynamics; Paint-based Geometry Shatter; Rigid Body Fractures; Dynamics CHOPs; Particle Based Fluids; Fluid Emission and Interaction; Animated Sprites; Cloth Basics; Cloth Parameters; Fur and Guide Attributes; Wire Dynamics; Wire-driven Geometry; Groups and Partitions; Forces and Expressions.

Popular highlights include: Houdini Interface Overview; View Navigation; Object Transformations; Node-Based Workflow; Using the Network Editor; Building Various Networks; Using Shelf Tools; Parenting; Path Animation; Overview of Operators; Shading and Texturing; Rendering; Direct Lighting; Ambient Occlusion; Duplicating, Copying and Stamping; Particle Effects; Rigid Body Simulations; Modeling with NURBS and Polygons; Creating and Installing Digital Assets; Animating with Bones; Keyframe Animation; Animating with Expressions; Using the Channel Editor.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Baking preparation ; Learning how to bake with the Mantra node ; Using VEX Decal to apply baked texture . To learn more about Houdini check out Introduction to Fluids in Houdini, an essential guide to creating realistic fire, smoke, and liquid effects in Houdini.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Learning Houdini's end-built composting system; Using renders for relighting; Setting up Normals information; Adding a Mantra node ; Setting up the camera and lights; Changing the ambient, diffuse, and specular colors. Discover a comprehensive resource to learning Houdini with Introduction to Mantra in Houdini, a detailed guide to gaining a complete understanding of the powerful rendering tools available in Mantra.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Learning how to add extra parameters ; Setting up a Mountain node; Dropping a camera into our scene; Adding lighting properties ; Changing the functionality of our Mantra node. Discover a comprehensive resource to learning Houdini with Introduction to Mantra in Houdini, a detailed guide to gaining a complete understanding of the powerful rendering tools available in Mantra.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Building customized shaders; Dropping in a Shader View; Learning how to use the VOP VEX Surface SHOP; Using specialized nodes; Changing the Normals. For a complete overview of Houdini check out Introduction to Houdini 9, an in-depth guide to learning the essentials of Houdini.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Utilizing the Skin SSS Shader; Disconnecting networks; Using Lambert shading and Subsurface effects shading; Implementing the SSS Scatter node; Reducing the scattering distance; Generating an SSS Point Cloud. Discover a comprehensive resource to learning Houdini with Introduction to Mantra in Houdini, a detailed guide to gaining a complete understanding of the powerful rendering tools available in Mantra.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Learning about properties in Houdini; Dropping in a Mantra node; Populating our properties; Adding a Surface Shader; Setting default values for different parameters in our render. Learn more about Houdini with Fundamentals of Rigid Body Dynamics in Houdini, a complete resource to creating complex rigid body simulations and realistic effects in Houdini.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Using a UV Pelt node to unwrap our UVs; Editing the UV Pelt node to create better UVs for texturing; Saving the UVs to an image. For a complete overview of Houdini check out Introduction to Houdini 9, an in-depth guide to learning the essentials of Houdini.

Topics covered in this tutorial: Using the Render Region tool; Creating a Mantra render node; Setting Mantra to render a range of frames. Learn more about Houdini with Fundamentals of Rigid Body Dynamics in Houdini, a complete resource to creating complex rigid body simulations and realistic effects in Houdini.