Automatic PreRoll Generation: A Studio Level VFX Workflow

Welcome to Automatic PreRoll Generation: A Studio Level VFX Workflow.

Creating PreRoll for Simulations has been a Long, Expensive, and Frustrating Process.

THIS CHANGES NOW.

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- Course Breakdown -

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I. Automatic PreRoll Generation for Character FX: 8 Hours

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Disclaimer: The Content in this Course is part of a larger course- Mastering Houdini Muscles: A Studio Level Workflow. PreRoll Generation Chapters have been edited to an Individual Training Series Here.

In this Training Series, You'll learn the secrets behind automatically creating PreRoll Animation for Characters in Advanced Visual Effects Simulations. For years this has been a Manual Human process. We're going to learn how we can procedurally generate and adjust this with simple sliders. Not only are we going to learn how to retarget animation from differently proportioned characters to any asset, but we're going to learn how to start our simulation from any part of the animation using the Automatically Computed Best Rest Pose, Ramp up, and Pre-Animation Momentum. This means if you have a shot that's 2000 frames long, you can now start at any point and choose where and how to blend in your simulation throughout the whole shot. We'll also discuss Neutralizing and Restoring Locomotion to fix Super-Hero-like movement that moves too far and too fast over the course of our timeline. The best part is this network can be used for Cloth, Hair, Muscle, or any of your Character Effects needs.

We'll set up an efficient, reusable pipeline including large networks with multiple file checkpoints so you can easily jump in at any point along the way. While this training series primarily focuses on Automatic PreRoll Generation, we're going to cover foundational Houdini knowledge and concepts useful to Everyone. This is a valuable introduction series to programming and tooling in Houdini covering Python, Vex, HScript, and UI Design.

At the end of this training series, you'll be able to simulate any Animation from any Part of the Animation with the click of a button.

No More Messy Manual Setups.

No More Frustration

No Plugins Required.

We're going to create all this just with Houdini.

My name is Noah Schnapp and I've written and optimized multiple Studio Pipelines and I'm happy to share with you the industry secrets I've developed and perfected over the years.

This is Automatic PreRoll Generation: A Studio Level VFX Workflow.

This course is for Intermediate to Advanced 3D Artists and Studios looking to take their Character Effects Simulation Pipeline to the next level supporting even the most challenging shots of Today's VFX.

Let's jump in and get our Simulation On with over 8 hours of video material in this training course.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning the amazing world of Houdini Simulation or other Character FX, please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and I'll be happy to respond to your questions and comments!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wnschnapp/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamNoahSchnapp

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Main Takeaways:

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- Build a flexible, reusable PreRoll Generation pipeline from scratch.

- Automate complex workflows for faster iterations.

- Create fully procedural setups without extensive coding.

- Understand advanced Houdini tools and scripting.

- Apply the pipeline to Video Games and VFX projects at a studio level.

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Target Audience:

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- VFX artists and technical directors working in studios or as freelancers.

- Intermediate to advanced Houdini users aiming to optimize their simulations and pipelines.

- Character FX artists seeking efficient workflows for large-scale productions.

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Prerequisites:

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- Basic/Intermediate knowledge of Houdini and experience with CFX.

- Familiarity with animation and simulation concepts and 3D character design.

- Basic understanding of Python, VEX, and HScript is a plus but not required.