In this workshop, Keagan guides artists through creating a fantasy VFX scene while also teaching them how to develop and express their own creative ideas efficiently. The workshop’s flexible, non-linear structure and multiple reference projects are designed to support different skill levels and encourage independent creativity.

Duration: 3m 49s

In this lesson, Keagan establishes fundamental principles for preparing characters for VFX simulation work in Houdini. The instructor demmonstrates that by focusing on clean, simple character models and learning to troubleshoot issues, like missing skinning data, intersecting geometry and improper collisions, artists can create efficient simulation-ready characters without getting lost in character design details.

Duration: 28m 31s

In this lesson, Keagan demystifies the process of cloth simulation by presenting it as a logical series of steps rather than an overwhelming technical challenge. A major component of this is that effective simulation relies on proper organization and data flow, keeping elements separated, transferring attributes correctly and optimizing what actually needs to be calculated. By establishing this foundational workflow, artists can create a flexible pipeline that adapts to different characters and animations while maintaining good performance.

Duration: 29m 41s

In this lesson, Keagan encourages experimenting with simple shapes and procedural effects in Houdini, showing that not every VFX task needs to be overly technical; sometimes a quick, creative solution can produce impressive results. He also reviews pipeline options like VAT, Niagara, and Alembic, helping artists choose the workflow that best fits their specific project.

Duration: 25m 55s

In the lessons so far, Keagan has demonstrated a fast, flexible, and procedural approach to character animation, including realistic cloth and hair simulation. With patience and practice, artists can overcome technical challenges and gain a lot of creative freedom; benefiting from real-time feedback, no render times, and the ability to iterate quickly.

Duration: 21m 44s

In this lesson, Keagan shows how to balance visual quality with production practicality by using smart workarounds, like opacity masking for intersections and simplified material setups, instead of spending time on perfect but slow solutions. He also finalizes the character’s hair, applying a proper simulation and integrating it into Unreal Engine.

Duration: 20m 34s

Keagan showcases the full flexibility and stability of his node network in Houdini, now cleaned up and reorganized for ease of use. Focusing on the skeletal mesh integration and multiple simulation elements, he shows how starting simple and expanding gradually from base node systems produces more stable results.

Duration: 19m 35s

In this final lesson, Keagan highlights practical problem-solving and creative flexibility in VFX workflows. By offering structured workflows while encouraging artists to creatively interpret core techniques, the workshop makes learning approachable and opens up the possibilities for combining character animation, simulations, and real-time effects in Unreal Engine.

Duration: 20m 32s