Beginner Houdini CFX

Learn to Build a Complete Character FX Pipeline in Houdini – From Muscles to Contact Sheets in 2 Clicks!

Hi, I’m Ryan Ruiz, a Senior Character FX Artist with 8+ years in VFX and Feature Animation. I’ve worked on major titles like Deadpool & Wolverine, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Gorge at studios like Framestore.

This Intro to Character FX in Houdini course is for artists who want a production-ready, modular workflow for simulation — using Vellum, TOPs, and HDAs.

✅ What You’ll Learn:

• How to build a SimRig for muscles, fat, skin, and cloth
• How to use TOPs to daisy chain simulation tasks for a full pipeline
• How to auto-generate flipbooks and contact sheets to send for notes
• How to make a Houdini Digital Asset (HDA) that does everything — sim, render, contact sheet — in just 2 clicks

This is the workflow I personally use in real productions to speed up iteration and reduce manual work across shots.

By the end of the course, you'll have a custom, automatable CFX pipeline that saves hours of sim prep and makes you a more efficient artist.