Should you learn Blender as a Houdini artist?

I've decided to learn Blender this week, and I wanted to share some thoughts about it. 6 tips why I think Blender can help you as a Houdini artist!

0:00 Intro
0:09 Why I learned Blender
0:43 Modelling
1:00 Sculpting
1:30 Texture paint
1:50 Destructive workflow
2:16 Community
2:31 World domination
3:02 Final thoughts

LINKS

LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HOUDINI

WHO AM I?
I'm a Freelance remote 3D Artist. I create weekly video's about 3D, tutorials or other related topics.

[jamaljamalwaziat]

I switched from from blender to Houdini for sims. blender doesnt do great at sim only a bit for flip fluid and rigid bodies.. but in modelling is so great with advanced addons for hard surface modelling and more..

[BlenderKnowledge]

Houdini is king when it comes to procedural arts, and I'm very excited to learn it.

[vladartiomav]

I use Blender and Houdini. But actually for hard surface modeling and any modeling where I need to make a lot of booleans etc, I prefer going directly to CAD applications.
You can model A LOT quicker and EASIER. You are less restricted by polygons and the topology. After that you just export your model to FBX or OBJ with MoI 3D and if you need to make some fancy animattion with it, you can allways retopo it with some great plugins like Quad Remesher etc.
So to recap, in my perspective I see:
- CAD (SolidWorks, Rhino, Fusion 360 etc) -> for modeling non organic surfaces
- Blender -> an all around app for some modeling here and there, tweaking existing models, sculpting and quick and effective rendering with lots of possibilities in procedural materials. Also, if needed, for preparing models before sending them to Houdini.
- Houdini -> for procedural workflow, simulations, VFX, large scenes etc.

Also, now with USD standard and Solaris in Houdini now and in near future it's becoming a lot easier to work with multiple softwares on the same project.

[shaydensaldanha]

Blender has some procedural features for motion graphics and simulations. Blender will release a node system for making particles and simulations like pyro. But nonethless Houdini is just the best right now for procedural.

[flipnap]

always did my camera tracking in fusion or syntheyes, and then bring that into blender to render models, anims, etc. then since 3.0 came out I figured, lets just give blender cam tracking a shot. and its superb.. 3.0 cycle is amazingly fast too. wish it didnt have z up but.. well, you know. but yeah, im a lifelong Maya user and blender blows it out of the water in everything other than animation. but blender is closing in fast. modeling and sculpting is out of this world in blender. they even have a new shadow catcher in cycles which does a lot more passes. having crypto mattes and all, the only thing I would not be using blender is heavy compositing.. but they even have geometry and particle nodes now. its just insane how fast they're moving. if I had a large studio I would NEVEr pay millions for Autodesk licensing.

[eclairesrhapsodos]

For me best what blender offers is procedural materials and very nice interface/workflow is easy.

[cerealnpixels]

Here it is
Houdini = You will make a lot of money with your art
Blender = You will make art

[uahoeandabeeetch]

I kind of question your Houdini skills with everything said here. I think Blender definitely has amazing advantages in terms of sculpting and maybe painting but to say you couldn't make a creamy mesh in Houdini is making me think how much do you know about FLIP and Viscosity settings. If you picked anything else I would understand but organic, simulated viscous liquids are kind of Houdini's thing. Also I've modeled some incredible stuff in Houdini. And it's definitely not done by pulling polygons around like you showed in this video. You should enroll in Rebelway course they have great examples of really good workflows for all kinds of stuff.

[furens]

hello sir. I am a blender artist and i am learning houdini for procedural designing and physic simulations. However i am wondering is there any chance to use these to softwares hybritly. For example can i get render of simulation generated in houdini, in blender cycles. Actually main problem is i cannot afford houdinies rendering engines like redshift or octane.

[amalyshok]

I have the opposite situation. I have been studying blender for about a year and want to start learning Houdini for effects and motion design. tell me, is there any point in teaching Houdini if ​​I don't need super professional effects yet, and the blender now has geometric nodes for creating various effects with changing geometry, as well as various simulations??

[TTROPVNR]

blender is a good adition to houdini for modeling imo

[MhLiMz]

I never used Houdini, so I cannot make a statement about it, but seeing how Blender users and Houdini users are arguing against each other, it seems like iPhone users against Android users: both think theirs is the best, without really knowing the other's potential. I say, a good artist makes good art, and he simply chooses the tool he likes. A great artist with pencil and water-colors can produce a mind-blowing picture, while a bad artists can have the fanciest and most expensive color material and brushes, but his art won't look as good.

[jvestudiosvfx]

Blender is a good 3d software, 3.0 is released now its just wow, I can't to use it

[samduss]

does a User blender need to learn Houdini ?

[architecture]

Blender is only good for modelling I have been using blender for a year other than modelling its not good. In case of simulations landscape and texture blender is no where nearer to Houdini world machine and substance designer. But blender is free so if someone has no money to purchase these software than it is good.

[PatipanWongkleaw]

Blender has it all for every field, blender is awesome.

[openroomxyz]

Do you think Blender with catch Houdini in near future? Does it make to learn Houdini as Blender artist who loves procedural ism ?

[ultraozy]

Should you learn Blender as a Houdini artist