HDA Development for High-Precision Environments | George Pennyfather - Q3D | EPC 2025 HIVE
33When needing to efficiently produce high-accuracy environments, the reliability and intuitiveness of your toolkit is paramount. User input must be minimised, and the automated processes must be airtight to ensure as little time is lost as possible. This workshop will walk you through a variety of functions that can be implemented into your HDAs to benefit your user experience and improve the stability of your output.
Takeways | Attendees should understand how to utilise Python and VEX within their HDAs to cache parameter data and improve the user’s interactivity options within the viewport.
George Pennyfather is a Technical Artist for Q3D Studios, specializing in the production of procedural 3D tools and pipelines in SideFX Houdini. Previously an associate lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts, he now works with Q3D Studios on their production of visuals for the automotive industry and a top Formula One team’s state-of-the-art DIL simulator. George is always hunting for clever ways to save clicks and revolutionize the efficiency of the team’s pipelines.
00:00 Introduction and Career Journey
03:40 Jump into Houdini Workflows
07:20 Balancing Art and Technology
11:00 Learning Through Projects
14:40 Feedback and Iteration Insights
18:20 Lookdev and Lighting Workflows
22:00 Simulation Techniques and Tips
25:40 Building Tools and Systems
29:20 Teamwork in Studio Context
33:00 Takeaways and Inspiration