Featured Artist:
Ricardo Leon
About
Ricardo Leon
Houdini FX Artist | Mocap Operator | VFX
VFX artist with a degree in Cinematography from the National Film School of Venezuela. He is a Houdini FX Artist and Motion Capture Operator based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
He specializes in FXs using Houdini SideFX and Unreal Engine. He is also experienced with ZBrush, Substance Painter, Maya, and Unreal Engine.
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Ricardo frequently shares his work and educational content on LinkedIn, including simulations, grooming projects, and insights into his creative process. His portfolio reflects a strong blend of technical skill and cinematic sensibility, making him a valuable contributor to both the VFX and animation communities.
VFX Showreel
Artist Interview
What drew you into the world of VFX? Was there a particular film, artist, or moment that inspired your passion?
I worked as a film editor for many years, so naturally, I began by doing small VFX jobs like cleaning shots, removing things here and there. With time, I felt like learning 3D to improve what I knew at the time. Started with Zbrush, and ended up in Houdini. I consider both my favorite software.
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Around 2010, I was editing wedding videos. One holiday, I took an After Effects course. There, I met people who inspired me to join the National Film School of Venezuela. Throughout the years in school, I felt passionate about different roles, but Postproduction stayed longer.
What was the first tool you learned in VFX, and how did your early experiences, including your first project, influence your career?
I started with ZBrush. I remember seeing a video of Riot Games, back in 2012, maybe, where they showed how they did the rework of a character. It immediately got my attention.
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They were using Zbrush to make the character, I guess because I grew up using Play-Doh and stuff like that, it felt natural to me to find out about that software and try it.
I tried back then in 2013, did some stuff, and stopped because it was too hard. Almost 8 years later, I picked up again after working in post-production for a while. Tutorials about Zbrush were almost inexistent back then, by the time I picked up, there was enough information available to try again.
I'm pretty proud of my early work.
Of course, I can see the issues, but still, remember the time learning and the time I put into it and how that led me to be where I am right now.
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I found an old image from when I first became interested in 3D design.
It’s a Dobby from Harry Potter that I made in ZBrush.
I don’t remember the exact version, but I think it was ZBrush 7?
Back then, there weren’t many tutorials or free resources for learning ZBrush, so I had to figure out how to navigate the software on my own.
What inspired you to start learning VFX?
I started, probably like many people, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020… I did it for a year while working on some documentary projects as an editor assistant. In 2021, I decided to take a 3.5-year education at a school called CADA (Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts).
Over time, I discovered that I liked doing stylized art, but achieving a realistic look made more sense to me. I come from films, so it just made sense to be able to do stuff that I could use in my own films or work for films. I feel like I'm still exploring different styles and techniques.
Has any project pushed your skills or creativity more than others?
Almost every project that I have done has been. investment of many hours, learning, and troubleshooting. Anything you can see on my Instagram, for example, I probably spend a ridiculous amount of time and energy.
Blocks, I handle them by taking a break, but I think the most important thing is to remind yourself that you are doing this because you like it, and it is the same process for anything. So I expect that I will have a hard time when starting a project.
Which software do you rely on the most in your work?
I am a Houdini artist. If I could only use that software for everything that I do most of the time. I am happy.​
Who or what inspires your work?
There are films that I would love to meet the director or artists involved, and if ever possible, work on those projects. For example, Mortal Kombat (2021). I played this game almost from the very beginning and watched all the films.
This one from 2021 inspired me to make a series of tutorials about blood FX in Houdini. It kinda became popular without much effort in distributing the tutorials. If im not wrong, there is a sequel going on somewhere in Australia, maybe?​
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How did you first start using Gridmarkets, and what role does it play in your workflow today?
I think I heard about Gridmarkets through Houdini.School.
Back in 2021 or 2022. I tried it for the first time for a school project. I had a poor graphics card, so I decided to give it a try on a render farm using Redshift. It took me a while to learn how to use it; at the time, anything too technical would feel like too much. I was able to deliver my semester project on time thanks to Gridmarkets' speed.
Recently, in 2025, I was working on this Lion groom for weeks now, and when I got to the render point, I really wanted to have 4k resolution on my renders, but just one frame with my current graphic card would take around 6 hours.. That's unthinkable. Rather than exhausting my computer with that amount of time, I preferred to put some money and speed it up.​
Having reconnected with Gridmarkets, it kinda made me understand the tradeoff between many hours or nights rendering at home and getting quick results for some bucks. Luckily, I have a steady job that allows me to do this, so I think from now on, Gridmarkets will have a huge impact on the work I'll be doing now. Both for myself and freelancing.
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What inspired you to start your YouTube channel @iLearnHoudini? What kind of content do you focus on?
Funny enough, after watching the Mortal Kombat film. I recreated some blood effects of my own, experimented for a while, and tried to find a hook that will interest to the viewer.
That was the Unreal Engine part. I think with the growth of Unreal Engine, it makes sense to make content for Houdini and Unreal people
Goals at the time were, “I need to take this out of my head”. As an editor and Houdini student, I knew the falls of many content creators. I knew how I could improve hundreds of tutorials that I watched over time.
So I took notes on that and focused on providing detailed information for a specific group of learners. Its been a while since my last tutorial series, but after this lion I intend to create a series for Grooming.
You recently held a workshop about “the art of previsualization (or previs). Do you want to share some insights?
“the art of previsualization (or previs)—its types, concepts, and techniques” was a workshop that I was invited to do by Brainbar Studio. BBS is a place where you can come by and learn how to operate the Motion Capture equipment.
I spent a semester doing my final thesis and later a few more months working on helping develop a little bit of the pipeline. Coincidentally, right before this workshop I worked in Finland for 4 months on a project as a Houdini & Unreal Artist, doing FXs for the previs of a film.
So, when I got invited to this workshop, I was kinda fresh with some ideas to share. It wasn't the first time I ran a workshop. I have done workshops before for Film editing and cinematography for an acting school, where I guide them to grasp basic concepts of cinematography and editing for their final short film projects.
What advice would you give to students or junior artists trying to break into the industry?
Advice: If you're currently in school or teaching yourself, try not to limit yourself to just one area of expertise. Stay curious. Explore different disciplines, even the ones that seem difficult or outside your initial interests. You might be surprised by what you enjoy or excel at once you give it a real try. It’s always wise to have both a Plan A and a Plan B.
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Also, begin thinking of yourself as more than just an artist, Think of yourself as a business. Learn the basics of running one: taxes, contracts, budgets, and client communication. Especially if you plan to freelance, these skills are essential.
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Right now, I work as a Conform Artist, which I see as the intersection of my past creative experience and my recent technical training. I hope to lead my career into a Coordinator or Supervisor role to support both production and post-production. I'm still on that journey, learning and figuring it out as I go.
VFX Animation Project
What was this video about, and what tools and skills did you use to create it?
This video was my thesis project for my graduation at the 3D Design School (CADA).
I used Houdini as my base software and Unreal Engine to bring everything together and render. During this project, I had to learn about rigging, how Metahumans work in Unreal Engine, how to operate the Qualisys equipment for motion capture, and how to clean and edit mocap data. I had to troubleshoot a lot along the way, design environments, create FX in Houdini and bring them into Unreal efficiently, do cloth simulations, and so on.
There was a lot to learn when I dove into motion capture, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity and support from Brainbar Studio. I couldn’t have done it without them.