Houdini.School

Debra Isaac is a visual artist, animator, and the founder of Houdini.School. She hosts Houdini Battle and co-organizes The Los Angeles Houdini User group (LAHUG). She has over 8 years of experience as a Houdini educator and teaches at Drexel University. She is passionate about scientific visualization, motion graphics, and emerging technologies. Clients have included Intel, Mattel, and The UCLA Art|Sci Center.

Kalina leads the Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kalina’s background is in computer science, and she works in a “Renaissance Team” that consists of artists, scientists, and programmers. Since 2014, Kalina and the AVL have been using Houdini to create cinematic scientific visualizations of real data. www.kalinaborkiewicz.com

Kate is a VFX artist at Mr. X in Toronto Canada. She has a passion for researching science and its interaction with the world of visual effects. She also runs a VFX site for artists to better understand Houdini and to think outside the box. She has worked on popular TV productions such as The Witcher, The Boys, and Raised by Wolves.

https://www.katexagoraris.com/

Beck is a CG Lead and uses Houdini on a day-to-day basis. With a background in Lighting and CFX, she has a lot of experience using Houdini in productionShe has worked at Animal Logic, Framestore, One of Us, Dneg, Cinesite and recently joined The Mill. In addition to working in the industry, she has also taught beginners to use this amazing software and looks forward to sharing what she has learned.

​Eli is a Bulgarian media artist and researcher. She holds an MFA from UCLA Design | Media Arts, a BA in Fine Arts from USC Roski. She is currently artist in residence at STEAM Imaging III, curator at SUPERCOLLIDER, co-founder of current.cam, and VR Gallery Director of phenomenologyofhope.com.

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http://www.joteva.com/

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STAY TUNED FOR CLASSES

Divy is a Technical Artist mainly focused on tool building and automation. His main tools of choice are Houdini, Unreal Engine & Substance Designer. He previously worked with Amazon Robotics as the Pipeline and tools Tech Artist co-op and he is currently completing his degree in Game Design & Production from Drexel University.

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www.divyanshmishra.com

Henry is the current developer of MOPs. He has been working as a Technical Artist in California since 2006, bouncing around between commercial design and film studios both large and small as a lighter, rigger, effects artist, and pipeline/tools developer. He discovered Houdini around 2011 and has been unable to put it down since. He also has a long-running technical art blog, Toadstorm’s Nerdblog.

www.toadstorm.com

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Jesper is an experienced technical artist, who specialized in automation, tool building, workflow optimization, and artist training,  and an internationally acclaimed educator, with a demonstrated history of working in the motion picture and film industry for companies like FuseFX, Method Studios, Double Negative, and Cinesite. Jesper now owns and operates Solid Alpha VFX, a small Houdini boutique.

www.imdb.com/name/nm9668151/

Justin Crapse has been a Python automation engineer since 2015 and has always had an interest in traditional and digital art mediums.
He currently works as an SDET for Interos Inc. designing code frameworks and cross-service infrastructures. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, skateboarding, landscape painting, reading fantasy novels, Ultimate Frisbee, playing video games, listening to Electronic music, and building Houdini automation tools.

David is a self-taught visual effects professional with over two decades of experience. David has worked on a variety of projects for DC Comics, Linkin Park, Disney, Microsoft, Paramount, Google, BET, Marvel, ComicCon, Amazon, ABC, and more.

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https://fendrafx.com/

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I’m a self-taught motion designer and 3d Generalist based in Munich, Germany. I love creating looping simulations in my personal explorations. I also work for studios and agencies as a 3d Generalist on a variety of projects. 

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paulesteves.com/projects

Jeffy has worked on multiple productions as a Houdini FX Artist/TD on various feature productions. He currently works as an FX Artist at Rodeo FX. Beyond VFX, he has a gamut of experience in multiple creative industries working in various technical problem-solving roles. 

https://www.notion.so/Jeffy-Mathew-Philip-FX-Artist-TD-3724d1d4d375401aa373d6b6b0d3402d

Matt Taylor is a 3D artist and animator director using Houdini as his main tool. He graduated from the Royal College of Art with a MA in Experimental Animation and now mostly directs animated music videos, commercials, and creates motion graphics for international brands. He currently teaches Houdini at Laguna College of Art and Design.

Kevin is an artist and designer interested in creating digital imagery and experimenting with technology. He specializes in parametric and procedural systems for 3D, typically in Houdini. He also enjoys making art in 3D, DIY projects, and making video games.

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bluevisual.tv

Justin (he/him) is a digital artist based in Los Angeles, CA.  He is currently a Houdini Generalist at MAGNOPUS, a VR / AR / Virtual Production powerhouse. He is currently focused on using Houdini to aid in creating realistic and stylized VFX for mobile and console experiences.  He co-organizes the Los Angeles Houdini User Group and is a regular commenter on Houdini Battles.

justindykhouse.com

Chantal Matar is a Multidisciplinary Architect and Generative Designer that works at the intersection of mixed media and architecture. Blending her long experience in architectural design and knowledge of digital tools, Chantal aims her exploration at alien landscapes, linear formations, and digital strata that lie on the threshold of spatial chaos and structural continuum.

www.chantalematar.com

Tim van Helsdingen works as a freelance Houdini artist for various clients around the world. He has also been creating educational content for Houdini since 2016 for all types of topics.

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https://timvanhelsdingen.com/

Serjan is a Houdini designer with a passion for neuroscience & mathematics of biology. He specializes in geometrical visualizations & visual effects for film, games and science. His work has been featured at SXSW, TED, Siggraph, NVIDIA Ai.

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www.biogenic.design

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Chris is a CG Artist / Filmmaker based in the USA who likes to make floppy characters. He has made shorts and music videos that have screened at festivals, aired on Adult Swim, and received Vimeo Staff Picks. He has also worked as a freelancer on commercials. Chris is a staunch advocate of Houdini. You can find his tutorials on his YouTube and Gumroad pages, as well as www.houdininerd.com.

Armin Lotfi is a self-taught 3D visual artist and motion designer. His educational background in architecture, experience in photography, and graphic design have granted him a better understanding of the 3D world. Throughout the years, he has developed a workflow between different software packages such as Houdini FX, Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, Nuke, After Effects, and Photoshop.

Nicholas is an effects animator based in Los Angeles who has worked at Dreamlab, Intel Studios and Gradient Effects. He has taught workshops on rendering and animation for over ten years and has a side love for interactive animation which he nurtures at art collective Glitch City.

Alasgar Hasanov is a Senior Houdini FX artist, FX Lead and Houdini FX mentor from Toronto. With over 7 years of experience Alasgar has a strong focus on complex dynamics simulations for large and small scale FX as well as look development. Alasgar has worked at Tendril, SOHO VFX, Mr.X on projects such as X-Men Dark Phoenix, IT:chapter 2, Bad Boys 3, Game of Thrones S8, American Gods, and some Netflix and Marvel titles to be announced.

Nema is a freelance commercial FX artist who has worked with premier LA studios including The Mill, MPC, Psyop, and Digital Domain. His FX work can be found in movies such as A Wrinkle in Time, Geostorm and Thor: Ragnarok.

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STAY TUNED FOR CLASSES

Mark Fancher is a self-taught 3D artist and motion designer specializing in art directed simulations and proceduralism. With over a decade of experience working in computer graphics, he is currently a Senior Motion Designer / Lead VFX artist at Already Been Chewed and he has a strong passion for teaching others his craft.

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markfancher.com

Hendrik Panz is a German Visual Effects Artist with almost 15 years of experience in the animation industry.
He worked on most Disney Animation feature films released in the 2010s, including the Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph franchises, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Moana. In his effects work, Hendrik is especially drawn to fluent objects like water and unusual materials.

Link to reel:

https://vimeo.com/490379503

Guido Ponzini is a VFX Technical Artist and digital content creator with a wide range of experience. He has collaborated with various companies as a VFX Artist, including Ninja Theory, Ubisoft, Studio Gobo, 505, Effetti Digitali Italiani, Ovosonico, and TaxFreeFilms. His work in Unreal Engine 5 has received awards such as FWA of the Day, Motion Design Awards of the Day, and DDA of the Month, and has been featured in publications like Stash Magazine and Epic Showcase.