SideFX

The 2026 Houdini Customer Reel is here! From blockbuster visual effects and expansive game worlds to cutting-edge motion design, this reel captures the caliber of work coming out of the Houdini ecosystem today. A massive thank you to the artists and studios around the globe who continue to redefine what’s possible. This Year's Contributors: Avner Engler, Bureau Klaus Alman, Capcom, David Burpee, DNEG, Experience Studios, Frame48, InBetween, Kay John Yim, Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd., Korat, Panoply, Paul Esteves, Platinum Games Inc., Polygon Pictures Inc., Q3D, Shirogumi Inc., Spade&Co., StealthWorks.Inc, Untold Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Xbox Game Studios.  Watch here: youtu.be/mg63-Tx_9j0?si=Sl3v…

Learn how to build a complete Halloween scene in Houdini from scratch — sculpting a procedural pumpkin, adding smoke and candle flames, setting up a skeleton shot, then lighting and rendering in Solaris and Karma, with final polish in COPs. Tutorials by Alasgar Hasanov. Watch here: sidefx.com/tutorials/create-… #sidefxhoudini #vfx

Explore Machine Learning for Pyro FX, a tutorial series by Meta Meow. Learn the complete process of building an efficient smoke and fire workflow in Houdini using machine learning, then bringing the results into Unreal Engine for real-time playback. The series walks through Pyro fundamentals, creating low-resolution simulations, and training custom upscaling models that add high-resolution detail at a fraction of the simulation cost. You'll also learn how to prepare loopable volumetric effects and compress them with Zibra VDB. Watch now: sidefx.com/tutorials/machine… #houdini #pyro #vfx #machinelearning #unrealengine #realtimevfx #simulation

Build game worlds that evolve with your ideas. Project Titan EVO brings Houdini 22’s procedural workflows together in a complete, playable Unreal environment. Learn to create game-ready assets, materials, characters, and effects with reusable systems that speed up iteration and make complex scenes easier to update. Explore the tools, follow the tutorials, and dive into the project files to see how it all comes together. From procedural modeling and Copernicus to APEX and SideFX Labs, discover how to turn individual assets into flexible building blocks for your own game worlds. sidefx.com/titan-evo/ Project Lead: Simon Verstraete. Art Lead: Lea Kronenberger. VFX Artist: Kornelia Borycka. Tech Artist: Marn Schokker. Scene Assembly: Naomi Adriaens. #sidefxhoudini #unrealengine #procedural #gamedev #techart

Recorded presentation from past THUG Equinox-kickoff uploaded! With presentations by Qirui Lin, Yash Deshmane, and Andrew Graham Muron. Full session here -- youtu.be/OOUQ7UQ_tHw

Stay tuned for Project Titan EVO, a new tutorial series coming soon. Learn how to build a complete procedural environment using the latest Houdini 22 tools and workflows, including Copernicus, APEX, Labs, custom HDAs, and more, all the way through to Unreal Engine. Tutorials by: Simon Verstraete (Project Lead), Marn Schokker, and Kornelia Borycka. With additional help from: Lea Kronenberger and Naomi Adriaens. #sidefxhoudini #unrealengine #procedural #gamedev #techart

The Houdini HIVE Equinox 2026 Keynote is now live on YouTube. SideFX developers, technical artists, and production guests came together for a look at Houdini 22, covering a more intuitive artist experience, production-ready rigging and animation, and an approach to machine learning that keeps artists in control. See how Gaussian splats, character effects, Copernicus, Solaris and Karma connect within Houdini’s procedural workflows – and get a glimpse of ongoing research into AI assistants. Watch now: youtube.com/watch?v=DUOyXi-x… #sidefxhoudini #houdini22 #vfx #animation #equinox2026 #3d #procedural

Join us at Houdini HIVE Equinox in Toronto on September 22, where Bahador Mehrpouya of Rodeo FX will be presenting. Bahador will walk through how Rodeo FX's fire simulation pipeline evolved across House of the Dragon Season 3 to deliver a sustained, sky-wide barrage of dragonfire raining down on entire armies. Register for this free event here: sidefx.com/houdini-hive/equi… #houdini #vfx #pyro

Join us at Houdini HIVE Equinox in Toronto on September 22 for a presentation by Bogdan Amidzic of Crater Studio. He will premiere the full short film Dawning 2 and walk through the complete Houdini pipeline behind it — from previz and APEX animation to FX and a shot builder system designed for bulk lighting. Join us: sidefx.com/houdini-hive/equi… #houdini #vfx #animation

Oscar Forsman of Brickland will present at Houdini HIVEalt London on September 10. More info: sidefx.com/houdini-hive/hive… #houdini #proceduraldesign

Join us at Houdini HIVE Equinox in Toronto on September 22-23 for a presentation by Alexandre Scott Register now: sidefx.com/houdini-hive/equi… #sidefxhoudini #toronto #vfx #lighting #equinox2026

Luke Parkhurst of Populous will be presenting at Houdini HIVEalt London on September 10. More info: sidefx.com/houdini-hive/hive… #houdini #proceduraldesign

In Toronto on September 21st? We will be having a special THUG night to kick off the week of EQUINOX, with presentations on RBDs and COPs, and then take home your own FLIP plushy :) see you at the SideFX HQ, from 18:30 onwards! More info+RSVP here meetup.com/toronto-houdini-u…

Timucin Ozger of Untold Studios will be presenting at Houdini HIVE Equinox in Toronto on September 22-23. Register here: zurl.co/ds7k9 #sidefxhoudini #toronto #vfx

George Pennyfather of Q3D Studios will be presenting at Houdini HIVEalt London on September 10. Register here: eventbrite.ca/e/houdini-hive… #houdini #f1 #proceduraldesign #london #technicalart

Join us at Houdini HIVEalt London on September 10 for a presentation by Chris Kopic of Entagma. Register now: eventbrite.ca/e/houdini-hive… #houdini #3dprinting #proceduraldesign #london

Recorded presentation from past THUG event uploaded! With presentations by Mohamad Salame, WaffelBoyTom, Jinho Jeoung, and Dmitrii Vlasenko. Full session here -- youtube.com/watch?v=ea5KZwJN…

Join us at Houdini HIVE Equinox in Toronto on September 22–23. This free, in-person event brings together Houdini artists, technical directors, educators, and industry professionals for two days of learning, inspiration, and community. Featuring hands-on IGNITE Workshops and industry presentations, Equinox offers something for every level — from those just getting started to seasoned professionals. Ben Elliot is a Brooklyn-based Houdini artist turned game developer and the creator of Squirmbox, a live-performance sandbox game that blends modular synthesis and procedural animation to make expressive interactive visuals. Before games, he spent nine years in VFX specializing in creative simulation. Ben has taught Houdini and thesis development at the School of Visual Arts, guest lectured at Harvard on fabricating imagery, and recently presented Squirmbox at the Game Developers Conference. In his talk, Squirmbox: Approaching Games Like a Houdini Artist, Ben will share how Houdini and the dream of a real-time procedural playground led him to create his first game, Squirmbox. He'll discuss the lofty goals and painful truths of proceduralism, and how he used Houdini to make art the easiest part of the development process — covering KineFX, geometry processing, refusing to UV characters properly, pig heads, and more. Register now: sidefx.com/houdini-hive/equi… #sidefxhoudini #toronto #gamedev #procedural #kinefx #equinox2026

Check out this Houdini Connect "Frankenstein" with Mr. X! Watch as this Toronto-based studio brings Guillermo del Toro's vision to life with massive environment builds, hero creature work, and high-octane destruction sequences using procedural modeling, Axiom Pyro solvers, and USD workflows in Solaris. youtube.com/watch?v=5pTZZH2Z… #sidefxhoudini #vfx #axiom #solaris #usd #procedural #destruction

Join Wellington’s CG community on September 3rd for a relaxed evening of drinks, conversation, and industry networking. Catch up with colleagues, meet new people, share ideas, and connect with others working across VFX, animation, games, design, and related fields. Whether you’re an industry veteran, just starting out, or simply curious about the local scene, come along for good company and lively conversation, hope to see you there! Presented by SideFX, WETA FX & the NZ VFX Guild. Register now eventbrite.ca/e/wellington-c… #sidefx #vfx #animation #gamedev #cgi #networking #houdini