Math for 3D Artists: Houdini edition
Learn the fundamentals of math for 3D with Houdini.
Just how much math you need to know, and why you should know it? Even if you are focusing all your efforts on sculpting, it can be super useful for you too!
The series is completely free, but you can support me (only if you wish to do so, everything will still work if you don't!) by buying the asset pack of all 4 Intro to Houdini series combined
Do you NEED It, Really? + Quick Lesson Overview
In this intro video we will discuss how we can use math in our 3D work, be it motion graphics, rendering, or even manipulating geometry using an equation! I will be showing you the outline for the upcoming lessons – so that you know what to expect. As usual, everything will be thoroughly explained, and I will try my best to give you not just theoretical examples, but practical use cases.
Procedural Potato Chips in Houdini with Equations
Lets use hyperbolic paraboloid equation to model potato chips! Lets switch things up a little bit and make use of some real world potato math. We will jump into Houdini attribute VOPs and make use of handy nodes, and understand first steps at solve the problem of visualizing data written in mathematical form.
This is literally potato math 🥔Master it.
Basic Trigonometry for 3D Artist in Houdini and UE
Let's use sine and cosine to model geometry, and to control materials! Trigonometric functions might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about modeling geo, but it is super useful in situations where you need to get disorganized points and arrange them, say, in double helix. By utilizing simple logic we can create interesting procedural structures!
After that we will jump straight into Unreal Engine materials, where we will use the sine function to control the emission of our material, and later use that to create a linear interpolate between two colors.
Floor, Ceiling, Rounding: Quantize, Posterize, and more
Create stairs, jagged sinewaves and your own posterization effect with these techniques.
If you ever wondered how rounding can be applied directly to the 3d world, this video is for you. We will look at how those 3 basic functions work, and put them to use to make stairs, to low-fy smooth geo, and even work with color effects (and extrude by the result afterwards). As well as other cool tips and tricks along the way, as usual. Learn once, use everywhere: in Blender, Houdini, Unreal Engine, or shock your (imaginary) friends with this exquisite new knowledge. Possibilities are endless.
What now?
So, that was fun. Next up i would suggest you watching more broad and detailed courses i made for math in blender and Unreal Engine (coming soon!).
Meanwhile, catch me on marketplace of ideas, X the everything app if you wanna stay connected – i need time to record and edit those.
– song
