Online FX course taught by film and game industry artists

Enter the dynamic world of FX for film, TV, and video games. Learn how to navigate SideFX Houdini - software used in studios worldwide - and harness the power of procedural, node-based workflow techniques to create destruction, explosions, and water simulations.

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Why study Houdini FX at Bletchley Institute, powered by CG Spectrum:

• Learn from FX artists who have worked on big films & games
• Train on industry software at a Houdini Certified School
• Get the latest skills studios are hiring for
  
• Small group classes (max. 4 students)

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Guided by a professional FX artist, you'll practice simulations for cloth, hair, and grains. You will also gain insights into how to optimize your render times to create more impressive and complex scenes that you can use in your portfolio.

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Curriculum

Industry-focused online course to help launch your career as an FX artist.

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Essentials of Effects - 12 weeks

Start with the fundamentals of FX and simulations with Houdini software. Learn scripting with VEX and see how scripts can help create more complex VFX shots. Learn all about particles in Houdini and the concepts behind what drives them. Dive into advanced geometry concepts which will help you build assets for your VFX shots and ultimately destroy them! Apply rendering techniques used in VFX production and start building your first fully rendered shots.

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What You'll Learn:

• How to navigate the Houdini user interface
• Build geometry for your simulations
• Understand and apply particle concepts
• Light and render your shots

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Weekly Breakdown:

1. Introduction to Houdini Networks
2. Creating Motion in Houdini
3. Particle FX Project
4. Transforming Attributes
5. Intro to RBD FX
6. RBD FX Project
7. Intro to Smoke & Pyro
8. Pyro FX Project
9. Intro to FLIP
10. Flip FX project
11. FX Project Introduction
12. FX Project Presentation

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Core Effects Principles - 12 weeks

Explore procedural modeling and create a believable destruction shot using Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD). You’ll play with geometry fracturing and a range of FX solvers and constraints (Pin, String, and Glue Constraints) to dictate your simulation’s physical behavior. No FX artist’s skill set is complete without knowing how to blow stuff up! During this semester you’ll also discover how to create feature film quality smoke, fire, and explosions using the Pyro Solver and create impressive destruction shots.

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What You'll Learn:

• How to use Rigid Body Dynamics & constraints
• Add complexity with data driven particles
• Create realistic smoke, dust, fire, liquid
• Produce complex explosion simulations

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Weekly Breakdown:

1. Working with Production Assets
2. Visual Operators and Noise
3. Practical Vex
4. Advanced Copying
5. Geometry Fracturing Techniques
6. Constraint Techniques
7. Production Shot Part 01
8. Production Shot Part 02
9. Volume Simulations Expanded
10. Pyro Fire FX
11. Pyro - Production Shot 01
12. Pyro - Production Shot 02

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Professional Dynamic Effects - 12 weeks

In this term of Houdini training, you’ll get your feet wet with liquid simulations. Practice creating everything from a splash in a pond to a raging ocean, and efficient ways to speed up your render times. You’ll learn how to create simulations for cloth, hair, and grains using the new Vellum solver. By the end of this term, you will have a deep understanding and hands-on experience creating realistic simulations for feature film and TV, along with impressive VFX shots for your portfolio.

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What You'll Learn:

• How to create advanced liquid simulations
• Generate realistic ocean scenes
• Use the Vellum solver for cloth & hair
• Render production shots for your portfolio

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Weekly Breakdown:

1. Introduction: Liquid Simulations
2. Intermediate Liquid Effects
3. Advanced Liquid Effects
4. Introduction: Houdini Ocean Tools
5. Flip Solver: Ocean Simulation Part 01
6. Flip Solver: Ocean Simulation Part 02
7. Introduction to Vellum
8. Velum Shelf Tools
9. Vellum Hair
10. Vellum Grains
11. Final FX Project Part 01
12. Final FX Project Part 02

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Career Pathway

The 9-month Foundations Course is the first half of our Career Track, helping you pave your pathway into the creative industries. Gain foundational skills and knowledge that will prepare you for advanced industry training.

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Tuition

Flexible small group class are the best way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.

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Upfront - Save 20%

$9,999

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Pay as You Go - Save 10%

$12,078

9 monthly payments of $11,249

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Financed Tuition

$12,499

Monthly payments as low as $258*