Tutorial: Understanding 3D & 2D Data with Houdini & Unreal Engine (Proceduralism Basics)

If you are not clear about how computers interpret and manipulate data behind the scenes of pretty pixels we see on the screens then this tutorial can be of interest to you. This is just one episode of the Proceduralism Basics series Dr. Hou is planning to release in the near future so stay tuned!

In this course, revisit some basics of proceduralism with Dr. Hou (a fictional Head of Training & Community Contributions @ First Iteration created & performed by Illia Statkevych) and learn how computers differentiate and store data in general, what kind of data is behind 3D objects and 2D pictures and how we can manipulate it using the code of a programming language like Houdini VEX or visual programming languages like Unreal Blueprints and Houdini Geometry Nodes or any other framework or platform. 

This tutorial is great for artists who are new to procedural workflows or aspiring programmers who are just starting to learn about programming and proceduralism or anyone else who is interested to learn more about 3D & 2D data. This is not an in-depth course but an overview to get a better understanding so all that's needed is an open mind & your attention.

After watching this class, the padawans should: have a better understanding of how data is stored in a computer; learn about various data types and why so many exist; understand the difference between variables, parameters & attributes; learn about classes, structures, arrays, matrices and other complex data types & lists in Unreal & Houdini; learn about how 3D objects are represented as data and what the difference between points, vertices, edges, primitives & detail in Houdini; have a better understanding of 2D data within Unreal shaders (materials) and how pixels & UVs are represented as data and how we can manipulate them procedurally to alter images real-time.

Key takeaways, learn about:

• how data is stored
• various data types (int, float, string, boolean and derivatives)
• variables, parameters & attributes
• classes, structures, arrays, lists, matrices, sets, maps & dictionaries
• 3D data (points, vertices, edges, primitives & detail)
• 2D data (pixels & UVs)
• shaders (materials)
• how the above looks like in Unreal Blueprints, Houdini Geometry Nodes and VEX

Some quick reference material by Matt Estela:

https://www.tokeru.com/cgwiki/index.php?title=Points_and_Verts_and_Prims

Prerequisites: 

Open mind, eagerness to learn, a cup of tea or coffee, moderate attention span, anyone should be able to follow.

Level: Proceduralism Beginner

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