Topic: Procedurally Performant Patterns
Date: March 22 – 23, 2025
Time: 16:00 – 20:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: March 21st, 2025
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 100 EUR
First 10 Seats: 85 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee For Digital Members: 70 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: David Burpee
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
Introduction to Procedurally Performant Patterns:
A dynamic and flexible approach leveraging Procedural Design of performance-driven patterns in SideFX Houdini for Footwear and Industrial Design Applications.
This workshop will establish a complete workflow from processing and importing CAD geometry, Algorithmic pattern design, rendering, animation, and export for Additive prototyping using SideFX Houdini.
The Scope of Procedurally Performant Patterns:
The workshop will provide an introduction to concepts within Houdini, such as the various contexts, operator types, attributes, and textual programming. We will cover a few common methodologies for interoperability between CAD and Mesh geometry workflows, including best practices for importing CAD geometry and preparing Mesh topology for downstream design processes.
This workshop will explore methods to integrate and combine multiple algorithms used in the design and creation of dynamic patterns used for outsole design, midsole or sidewall design in footwear, and other industrial design applications. We will include both visual and textual programming methodologies for advanced pattern creation.
This workshop will integrate performance data as an input to drive differentiation within pattern design, allowing patterns to adapt to various performance conditions. We will go beyond geometry creation, providing insight into leveraging the interconnected environment of Houdini to create procedural textures for product visualization and animation purposes. We will cover a basic rendering setup within Houdini utilizing the Karma rendering engine and some basic lighting, camera, and animation setups.
Finally, the workshop will provide an introduction to outputting geometry from Houdini for Additive prototyping. Ultimately, this workshop will take participants through a singular workflow covering multiple aspects of computational design in products and footwear, from design to visualization and beyond, highlighting Houdini’s combinatory power within these domains.
Key Learning Topics:
Introduction to the Houdini environment
- Contexts, operators, and attributes within Houdini
- Caching as checkpoints in a procedural setup
- Network organization, groups, subnets, and beyond
Interoperability between CAD and Mesh workflows
Concepts for Algorithmic Design
- Algorithmic thinking and dissecting patterns for design
- Textual and visual programming
- Modularity and Reusability of Tools
- Mathematical operations on geometry attributes
Outputs in Houdini
- Sending data for rendering to Solaris
- Processing and exporting geometry for Additive Prototyping
Rendering in Houdini / Karma
- Procedural material creation
- Basic Lighting setups
- Basic multi-cam setup
Program:
Day 1:
Houdini Contexts / OPs overviewFootwear Asset preparation
- CAD / Mesh interoperability
Concepts of Proceduralism
- Processing for downstream use
- Rule-based / Algorithmic Design
- Design of system vs. design of object
Setting up control groups
Attributes in Houdini
Performance data
Textual programming in VEX
- Building custom pattern generation tools
- Algorithmic pattern design
- Point displacement
Final geometry processing
Exercise 1:
- This can be applied to the given footwear assets or utilized on a different 3D model
- Modify or develop your own simple algorithm for pattern generation
Day 2
Development of algorithmic pattern #2
- Re-using attributes and data for downstream manipulation
- More complex algorithmic manipulation
- Utilizing attributes for pattern control and blending
- Driving pattern changes using performance data
Basic animation setup for design communication
- Animating parameters for design exploration
Render environment setup
- Solaris overview
- Simple lighting setup
- Simple camera setup
Procedural material creation
- Importing attributes into material contexts
Render outputs
- Image output / common settings
Software &
Workshop Notes:
- Please ensure you have all the software installed before the workshop starts. Software installation is NOT a part of the workshop.
Instructor:
David Burpee
David Burpee is a multidisciplinary Computational Design Leader from the PNW working across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including Footwear, Apparel, Consumer Goods, Automotive, Medical, and Architectural Industries. He has delivered Advanced Computational Design, strategy, and training for companies such as Nike, FILA, PUMA, General Motors, EQLZ, Harry’s Razors, and more. He has over a decade of experience with a variety of products and projects in the market, as evidence of the efficacy and broad applicability of his approach, methodology, creativity, and design thinking capabilities. He has built a variety of tools, workflows, and processes, used both internally and externally, for several of these companies.
Originally an Architectural Designer, David holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Southern California. He worked in the highrise and supertall domains with projects in Jakarta, the Philippines, and China, as well as domestically in Los Angeles and greater Seattle areas. He leveraged Computational Design broadly in the Architectural industry on projects ranging from 1000+ foot tall towers, both built and speculative work for competitions, small installations, key architectural features, and many others.
David has a personal interest in biomimicry, generative and emergent systems, and bio-algorithmic design. He seeks to leverage advanced Computational Design to drive innovation in pursuit of realizing high-performance, creative, and sustainable solutions to the profound ecological and social challenges of our time. David is currently an independent Computational Designer and guest lecturer at the University of Washington MArch program.
Important Notes:
- The “Procedurally Performant Patterns” Studio workshop by PAACADEMY will start at 16:00 (GMT) on Saturday, March 22nd, 2025.
- Total sessions: 2 Sessions
- The teaching duration per session will be 4 hours.
- Students will have time for a break between teaching hours.
- Each session and the entire studio will be recorded, and videos will be available for participants just a day after the class for unlimited time.
- PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.
- The studio has limited seats. Tickets are non-transferable & non-refundable. Please read carefully before you register.
Topic: Procedurally Performant Patterns
Date: March 22 – 23, 2025
Time: 16:00 – 20:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: March 21st, 2025
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 100 EUR
First 10 Seats: 85 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee For Digital Members: 70 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: David Burpee
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
