Sam will be leading the workshop Code Violet: Rig Smarter, Not Harder

Explore KineFX and APEX in Houdini with a full rigging walkthrough. We’ll cover project challenges, rig creation, skinning optimization, and custom components. Compare APEX to traditional pipelines and discover its flexibility, performance, and efficiency. Ideal for riggers, animators, and Houdini newcomers.

Thursday 20th February 14:00 – 16:00

Sam will also be leading the workshop Ironing Out the Wrinkles in the CFX Workflow

Dive into character cloth simulation, from setup to final refinements. Learn best practices for mesh prep, material properties, solver settings, and automated fixes using VDB distance sampling. Gain tips to enhance realism and efficiency—perfect for CFX artists, technical animators, and anyone refining their cloth sim skills.

Thursday 20th February 14:00 – 16:00

With over 10 years experience in the industry, Sam started his career at REALTIME working on a range of game trailers, cinematics, and advertising projects. A passion for technical problem solving and knowledge sharing led him to join the lecturing team at the University of Bolton to help establish the technical areas of their VFX and Animation degree course and bring Houdini into their pipeline. During his seven years at Bolton, he continued to work as a freelance Generalist, most often for Screenclay FX on some of their film and TV projects. 

His experience has seen him take on roles including Generalist, FX Artist, Cloth TD, Texture, Shader and Look Dev Artist, Lead 3D Artist, CG Supervisor, Environment Asset Build and Layout and 3D Asset Technical Build. Sam returned to REALTIME in the position of Head of Skills and Development, where he is in charge of staff development and training, and exploring emerging technologies and techniques. He has also established REALTIME’s junior training scheme (The Level Up Programme) to help new junior artists get their first job in the industry.