Total Destruction: Part 2. Houdini Rigid Bodies and FX Pipeline (April 27, 2026, 5 days)

Categories: Houdini

About Course

Total Destruction – Full Overview – English version

Total Destruction – Full Overview – German version

Learn how large-scale destruction is created in real film pipelines.
Using the bridge sequence as your production base, you’ll simulate structural collapse, rigid-body dynamics, secondary debris, dust, and pyro – building a clean, controllable setup that reflects true studio workflows.
Every step focuses on clarity, efficiency, and understanding the “why” behind the tools, so you can create destruction that looks both physically convincing and visually powerful.
Guided by senior artists in a real studio environment, this course gives you near-mentored training with individual feedback, ensuring your final shot is portfolio ready and production quality.

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.

*Please note: The reference video is provided as a production reference only. The course covers only the listed topics.

What Will You Learn?

  • Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD) for buildings and debris
  • Particle simulations for fine debris and secondary effects
  • Pyro simulations for dust and impact realism
  • Caching and performance optimization strategies
  • Integration with Maya-Arnold render pipeline
  • Compositing & final look development in Nuke

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!

  • Total Destruction: Houdini Rigid Bodies and FX Pipeline, 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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