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Animation & VFX · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Processing Effects & Dynamics

This course explores the intersection of code, math, and visual effects. Focusing on Proceduralism, students will learn to control dynamics not by hand, but by rule-sets. Whether using node-based systems (like Houdini VOPs or Blender Geometry Nodes) or scripting, students will process massive datasets to create swarms, abstract data visualizations, and complex simulation triggers that would be impossible to animate manually.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Understand Procedural Logic: Rules, Conditions, and Iterations
  2. Master Node-Based workflows for controlling particle behavior
  3. Utilize "Attributes" (Velocity, Color, Age) to drive simulation effects
  4. Create "Swarm" and "Flocking" behaviors using algorithms
  5. Optimize and cache heavy simulation data for rendering
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Intro to Proceduralism: The Node Graph
  2. 02Attributes: Storing Data on Geometry
  3. 03Randomness vs. Noise (Perlin/Simplex)
  4. 04Grouping & Selection Logic
  5. 05Controlling Particles with Attributes
  6. 06Introduction to VOPs/Geometry Nodes
  7. 07Visualizing Data: Color by Speed/Height
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Vector Math for Artists (Dot/Cross Product)
  10. 10Swarm Intelligence: Flocking/Boids
  11. 11Growth Algorithms (Differential Growth)
  12. 12Solver Logic: Feedback Loops
  13. 13Transferring Attributes (Proximity)
  14. 14Caching Simulations: VDB/Alembic
  15. 15Rendering Abstract Data
  16. 16Final Project: The Procedural Motion System

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Procedural Motion System

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. The Nature of Code by Daniel Shiffman
  2. Generative Design by Hartmut Bohnacker
  3. Houdini Foundations (SideFX)
  4. Procedural Generation in Game Design by Tanya X. Short
  5. Design by Numbers by John Maeda
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