Four Seasons Series: Part 1. Santa Sloth Cinematic Snow VFX (January 12, 2026, 5 Days)

Categories: Houdini

About Course

Santa Sloth VFX Course – Full Overview – English version

Santa Sloth VFX Course – Full Overview – German version

In this Houdini course, you’ll learn to simulate falling and settling snow using production-ready particle and volume workflows. You’ll create realistic footstep interactions, proper collisions with fur, and optimize scene performance so only areas where the character interacts are active.
Discover tips and tricks for snow on trees, and refine your workflow to maintain cinematic realism while keeping simulations efficient. Every step mirrors real studio pipelines, from emitter design to shading, lighting, and scene optimization, helping you understand why every node matters and craft results that are physically accurate and emotionally resonant.

Daily Schedule

*Course descriptions are subject to change as the software evolves and new tools are introduced, ensuring that our course content remains current and accurately reflects the latest updates.

*Die Kursbeschreibungen können sich ändern, wenn sich die Software weiterentwickelt und neue Tools hinzukommen, sodass unsere Kursinhalte stets aktuell bleiben und die neuesten Updates widerspiegeln.

What Will You Learn?

  • Creating believable snowfall and snow accumulation
  • Working with POPs, volumes, and custom attributes
  • Simulating snow interaction with surfaces and characters
  • Lighting and shading techniques for cold, cinematic realism
  • Rendering and compositing for film-quality results

Course Content

Day 1 – Kickoff
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” - Albert Einstein …especially when Houdini crashes and imagination is all you have left. Welcome to the course!

  • Four Seasons Series: Part 1, Day 1

Day 2 – Creativity Boost
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” - Albert Einstein So if your simulation explodes unexpectedly today… congratulations, your intelligence is having a lot of fun.

Day 3 – Technical Motivation
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” - Dalai Lama Just like small parameter tweaks can completely break your scene. Power comes in tiny values!

Day 4 – FX Spirit
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” - Nelson Mandela Like that render that said “2 hours remaining”… for 19 hours. Keep going - you’re almost there!

Day 5 – Farewell Day
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” - Steve Jobs And if you love CGI and VFX, you’re officially doomed (in a good way). Keep creating magic - and don’t forget to bring snacks to your next render marathon.

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