Lion Face Motion Capture Masterclass
Create hyper-realistic creature facial animation using Houdini — from raw footage to final deformation. A professional-grade tutorial for VFX artists ready to master facial tracking, blendshapes, and procedural deformation on a live-action lion character.
Used in real creature pipelines · 🦁 2.5+ hours of pro workflows · 🎓 Built for intermediate to senior VFX artists
Join the creators pushing the boundaries of procedural facial animation.
🧠 Designed by industry VFX artist Frank Engen 📦 Lifetime access + all Houdini project files included
What you'll learn
Master marker tracking, pupil refinement, and RGB channel extraction to prepare real footage for 3D integration in Houdini.
Create accurate blink systems, corneal bulge, and eye constraints — using real tracking data to drive expressive, lifelike eye movement.
Remap the human face onto a high-resolution lion head using procedural workflows, blend offsets, and constraint-driven jaw motion.
Build animated rest geometry, vellum proxies, and high-resolution deformation systems to preserve volume and realism in motion.
Use skin-stretch attributes to procedurally trigger wrinkle shapes and simulate organic skin compression with precision.
Smooth out your vellum simulations, retopologize clean quads, integrate blinking and jaw offsets, and deliver clean hero-level output.
✅ 6 modules · 35 lessons · Houdini project files included
Every minute of this course is packed with actionable techniques — no fluff, no filler. You’ll master Houdini-based facial motion capture using a lion face as your production model, learning step-by-step how to track, remap, deform, and simulate skin with professional accuracy.
Built for VFX artists who want results — fast.
Full Houdini project files included.
Watch anytime. Keep forever.
Why is this happening? Get answers fast if you get stuck
You’re never on your own. Inside the course, you’ll get access to a private support channel where you can ask questions, share your progress, and get help directly from the creator. Whether it’s technical help or creative feedback — we’ve got you covered.
Ask questions anytime
Get help from the course creator
Share work & get feedback
Access to All Project Files
Lion face geo, hip and image seq. Follow along with the exact files used in every lesson — no guesswork, no missing pieces. You’ll get fully organized Houdini project files for every major step of the lion face tracking and deformation workflow.
High-res lion face model included
Node-based scene files, caches & assets
Learn by doing — not just watching
Limited Launch Offer!
Syllabus
MODULE 1
Track and prep facial footage for Houdini using professional techniques that turn raw video into simulation-ready data.
📦 Key Skills:
• Stabilization techniques
• Marker tracking workflows
• Attribute extraction for 3D
MODULE 2
🎯 What you’ll learn:
Extract blink, aim, and corneal bulge data from the red channel and apply it to a realistic 3D lion face with constraint logic.
📦 Key Skills:
• Red channel data extraction
• Eye-AIM constraints
• Corneal bulge + blink systems
MODULE 3
🎯 What you’ll learn:
Remap human facial performance onto your lion mesh — including jaw mechanics, lateral motion, and curve-driven animation.
📦 Key Skills:
• Curve-based remapping
• Jaw constraint setup
• Expression transfer with blend shapes
MODULE 4
🎯 What you’ll learn:
Simulate skin and muscle deformation using Vellum with accurate live rest positions and collision geometry setup.
📦 Key Skills:
• Vellum proxy creation
• Collision geometry prep
• Moving rest position workflows
MODULE 5
🎯 What you’ll learn:
Generate stretch maps and procedural wrinkle masks driven directly from real deformation and tension data.
📦 Key Skills:
• Skin tension & stretch mapping
• Wrinkle blend shape triggers
• Real-time procedural logic
MODULE 6
🎯 What you’ll learn:
Refine simulation results, fix mouth closure and intersections, and prepare your lion rig for rendering or export.
📦 Key Skills:
• Delta mush smoothing
• Eye/lip/jaw final integration
• Post-simulation fixes
🎉 Limited Launch Offer — Save $300
For the first 14 days only, get full lifetime access for just $199 (regularly $499).
After that, the price increases permanently.
- ✅ Lifetime access
- ✅ Houdini HIPs, assets and Geo
- ✅ Step-by-step training
- ✅ Private support access
FAQs
Because this is the most comprehensive, production-ready Houdini facial tracking course available. You’ll learn exactly how to go from raw footage to a fully deformed, high-resolution lion face — with advanced Vellum simulation, wrinkle systems, and procedural workflows used in real studios. If you're serious about stepping up your creature FX game, this course will change how you work — forever.
This course is designed for intermediate to advanced Houdini users — but if you’re a determined beginner with some experience in 3D or VFX, you’ll still gain massive value. Every lesson is taught step-by-step with visual clarity and downloadable project files to help you follow along at your own pace.
Immediately. As soon as you enroll, you get instant access to all 6 modules and 35+ lessons. Watch anytime, anywhere, at your own pace — with downloadable project files so you can follow along step by step.
ou’ll need Houdini and Nuke to follow the full course — but don’t worry, you can get both completely free for learning: Houdini Apprentice – Free for non-commercial use, with nearly all the features you need for this course. Nuke Non-commercial – Free version of Nuke with everything required for our tracking prep steps. There’s no need to buy commercial licenses to complete the course. If you're here to learn, experiment, and build your skills, you’re fully covered.
Absolutely. While the course centers on a lion face, the core techniques — marker tracking, blendshapes, Vellum-based deformation, and wrinkle systems — can be adapted to any creature or humanoid character. Think of this as a flexible framework, not a one-time trick.
Yes! You’ll get access to a private support channel where you can ask questions, share your work, and get help. We’re here to make sure you finish the course — and level up with real results.
You get lifetime access, including all future updates. Come back any time to rewatch lessons, download files, or review techniques as your skills grow.
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