CGMA Grooming for Animated Characters by Ethan Dean

This course walks you through the full grooming pipeline for animated characters, using a cartoony hyena as the project. You’ll learn how to use Houdini for procedural grooming, get feedback from a Pixar groom lead, and build a portfolio-ready character.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Procedural grooming workflows in Houdini
• Template creation and attribute manipulation
• Map painting for fur control
• Designing and styling fur for animated characters

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of 3D modeling and Houdini interface
• Tools: 3-button mouse, drawing tablet recommended
• Hardware: Minimum 16GB RAM, dedicated GPU

📝 Description

This isn’t just a tutorial—it’s a full course taught by Chris Bolwyn, Groom Lead at Pixar. You’ll work through the entire grooming process on a cartoony hyena, from setting up guides to final styling. The course emphasizes practical, hands-on learning with real-time feedback.

You’ll supplement the main lessons with resources like SideFX documentation and workflow videos from industry pros. The focus is on building a solid foundation in Houdini’s procedural tools, so you can apply these skills to any character. By the end, you’ll have a polished, portfolio-ready piece and a deep understanding of professional grooming techniques.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• 3D artists looking to specialize in character grooming
• Animators and modelers wanting to add fur workflows to their skillset
• Intermediate Houdini users seeking advanced grooming techniques

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Ethan Dean is a Pixar artist who created this course, with Chris Bolwyn, Groom Lead at Pixar, as the instructor. Chris has worked on major animated films, bringing expertise in character grooming and styling. Their combined experience ensures you learn industry-standard workflows.

🏁 Final Result

• A fully groomed cartoony hyena character, posed and lit for presentation
• A portfolio-ready project demonstrating procedural grooming skills in Houdini