GridMarkets Blog

Houdini artist Rafael Drelich Valentim merges creativity and AI with his ComfyUI Toolkit, letting artists run diffusion models, AI-driven animation, and batch image processing directly in Houdini. From Brazil to Canada, his journey shows how GenAI can enhance and not replace some VFX workflows.

Independent filmmaker and VFX director Neil Scholes shares his journey from commercial work to creating original IP, founding Bloodaxe Studios, and building the ambitious Supervoid franchise. He reveals how embracing generalist skills, micro-budget experimentation, and cloud rendering empowered him to compete on a global scale.

Aleksandr Kirichenko’s journey from IT into the world of FX and Houdini is a story of persistence, discovery, and creative problem-solving. What began with web design and early experiments in drawing and music gradually evolved into a passion for storytelling through digital art, 3D modeling, and animation. Along the way, Aleksandr embraced Houdini for its scalability and freedom, tackled ambitious projects like his animated short Strive, and learned hard lessons about optimi

News: GridMarkets 3D Rendering & Simulation now supports Houdini 21 Submit Solaris/USD from LOPS easily in GridMarkets

Yuansi ‘Ivy’ Mai is a FX artist graduated from Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Los Angeles. Her artwork was recognized with Best of Term prize and collected to school reel of 2024. She is a talented and detail-oriented artist coming from a 2D illustration and media background.

Gianni Ritschard is a freelance 3D artist and 2D character designer based in Winterthur, Switzerland, with over nine years of professional experience in both studio and freelance environments.

This project was created using the new MPM solver introduced in Houdini 20.5. It was developed in SOPs, look dev built in LOPs, and rendered using Karma on GridMarkets.

Manuela Elena Cárdenas de la Miyar is a Junior FX  Artist based in Seville, Spain. She studied the Master of VFX and Compositing at Animum Creativity Advanced School in 2023, Málaga, Spain. She also has a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Granada, Spain.

This acrylic paint effect was created in Houdini version 20.5. The new Copernicus context was used to extract the main colors from an initial image, which were then applied in the Flip simulation. Finally, the effect was rendered in Karma. on GridMarkets. 

This case study explores the creation of a realistic snow environment using Houdini 20.5 and the Material Point Method (MPM) solver, enhanced by character animation and cloth simulation, and rendered through GridMarkets Renderfarm. The project tells the story of a medieval soldier’s returning home from the battlefield, walking across a snow-covered landscape under a hopeful morning sun.

Josh Meister created custom solvers for electric and magnetic fields to drive particle interactions by implementing real world physics.  Using GridMarkets, he was able to simulate and render several orders of magnitude more detail than he could otherwise. 

Loay Ahmed Maher Shaban is a talented 3D Creature Animator with a deep passion for creature animation. Renowned for his exceptional acting choices and dynamic, believable mechanics, he has proven to be a reliable and skilled member of his team, even when faced with complex and challenging shots.

Brazilian VFX Technical Director and Pipeline TD Guilherme Casagrandi, founder of HardcoreFX and Annie Award nominee, is bringing high-level technical expertise to the global visual effects community through his growing YouTube channel. Known for his uncompromising approach to workflow efficiency and deep technical precision, Guilherme’s latest video releases explore some of the most advanced topics in modern FX production: from USD-based Houdini pipelines to automation in

Don’t miss SPHUG #7, the next São Paulo Houdini User Group meetup, proudly sponsored by GridMarkets! On July 19, 2025 at Faculdade Meliès, join us for a morning of creative deep dives, hands-on demos, and networking in person or via live stream. Sign up now and score 5 free rendering credits, plus an extra 10% on credit purchases with code SPHUG2025 through end of the year. Let’s take Houdini workflows to the next level!

From early experiments in 3D modeling to tackling an ambitious tsunami simulation for his final Master’s project, Mattia Ghidotti is an emerging FX artist driven by curiosity and technical challenge. In this interview, he shares his journey into Houdini, the complexity behind managing large-scale water simulations, and how GridMarkets enabled him to render hundreds of gigabytes of data efficiently—proving that students can achieve professional-level results with the right too

Naomi Birot is a passionate CFX and VFX Artist whose work sits at the intersection of procedural design, technical precision, and artistic storytelling. Based in Paris, she has contributed to major animated features including Sing 2 and Pets 2, and worked with renowned studios such as Illumination McGuff, Mikros Animation, MPC, and Digital District.

Landis Tanaka is a Seattle-based artist and creative director whose work blends Houdini simulations, motion capture, and sound into expressive, photo-surreal visuals. In this artist spotlight, Landis shares his unconventional path into digital art, breaks down standout projects like Steal Away and In the Rain, and explains how GridMarkets helps him render final shots faster—so experimentation never has to slow down.

Founded in London in 2023, Axio. World is a forward-thinking VFX studio built by artists who wanted more creative freedom. From high-end advertising to cinematic visual effects, Axio. blends technical precision with a collaborative, exploratory mindset, pushing beyond traditional studio boundaries.

Fabian Nowak is an internationally recognized VFX artist whose career spans blockbuster films, cutting-edge Houdini simulations, and some of the most technically ambitious shots in modern cinema. From breaking into the industry against the odds to pushing the limits of water, gravity, and scale, Fabian’s journey is defined by relentless ambition and creative precision.

Debra Isaac is a passionate artist, educator, and founder of Houdini.School, dedicated to making Houdini accessible and inspiring for artists worldwide. With a background spanning digital art, animation, and education, Debra has built a career around breaking down complex tools into engaging, practical learning experiences.