Berlin Houdini User Group (BHUG) Revival Meetup

Dear Houdini Enthusiasts,

We are thrilled to announce the revival of the Berlin Houdini User Group (BHUG)! Hosted by Woodblock. This meetup will bring together the local Houdini community, with the common goal of sharing knowledge, fostering creativity, and inspiring each other.

When: Tuesday, September 13th, starting at 7:00 PM.
Where: Woodblock Animation Studio, Kottbusser Damm 25-26.

Come join us for an evening of inspiration and networking. Whether you're an experienced Houdini user or just starting out, we've got something for everyone. You'll get a chance to mingle with fellow artists, share your latest work, discuss challenges, and discover new techniques.

Highlights of the event include:

1. SideFX Team's Participation: We're honored to have representatives from SideFX, the creators of Houdini, attending our meetup. Grab this chance to meet the team behind your favorite software and get insights straight from the source. They're bringing some cool swag, too! Christopher Hebert, Senior Director of Marketing, Chris Rydalch, Senior UX Designer, and Esther Trilsch, Senior Character TD will be present!
2. Bye Bear Short film screening & Making-of Presentation: Dive deep into the making of Woodblock’s latest short film, where rigging, animation scene assembly, fx, and lighting were done in Houdini. Learn about our creative process, the challenges we faced, and how we overcame them. A perfect opportunity to peek behind the scenes of independent production in a commercial animation studio.

• Jan Bitzer - Director & Writer of Bye Bear Short Film - Creative Overview
• Marco Kowalik - Animation Lead - Animation and Rigging presentation

3. Hatchet demo: Woodblock has been developing and using an in-house pipeline tool ever since the beginning of the studio. What used to be called Woodpipe is now going through a transformation as a web-based pipeline tool, which will be available software for other studios in the future, so let’s find out more about it!

• Michael Heberlein - Head of Development - Hatchet demo

4. TRIXTER Presentation: Trixter Studio will be also present to show us a more in-depth look into some of their projects!

• Chris Smallfield - Projects overview and Houdini use cases.

5. USD/Solaris Presentations: Many of us are thirsty for more knowledge regarding USD/Solaris, there will be tag team presentations to share different perspectives on the topic.

• RISE l Visual Effects Studios Presentation:
• Andreas Giesen - VFX Supervisor - Overview of USD/Solaris usage at Rise studio.
• Simon Ohler - Pipeline Developer - Quick tech dive into USD/Solaris, USD Checklist
• Woodblock Tagteam Presentation:
• Thorsten Löffler - TD - USD diverse use cases/learnings
• Ole Bohnacker - Junior Environment Artist - USD use case/learnings

6. Fire Side Chat / Q&A:
   After all the presentations, we will open up the floor for sharing thoughts, ideas, and tips! Our special guest Chris Rydalch from SideFX will be present online to answer any questions! Chris is part of the R&D team at SideFX with a focus on Solaris UX and we are very excited to have him onboard!
7. Refreshments: We'll have snacks and drinks available because networking is always better with a beverage in hand!

For any additional remarks or questions, please e-mail us at [bhug@woodblock.tv](mailto:bhug@woodblock.tv)

We look forward to seeing you at this collaborative gathering of Houdini minds. Together, let's learn, inspire, and create amazing things with Houdini.