AT Grayson Cotrell: AAA Game Destruction (Houdini to Unreal Workflows) - The Generalists Podcast

In this episode, I’m joined by Grayson Cotrell, technical artist and destruction specialist, to break down how real-time destruction actually works in modern games.Grayson shares how he builds AAA-quality destruction systems, how to make game effects feel alive, and why blueprinting might be the most important skill for technical artists today.If you’re a game dev, technical artist, VFX artist, or someone curious about real-time procedural systems this one is packed with insight.We dive deep into:• Houdini to Unreal Engine workflows• Importing simulations (FBX, VDB, VAT)• Blueprint systems for interactive destruction• Niagara particle layering• Real-time vs pre-simulated effects• Cinematics for game VFX• Mentorship vs recorded courses• Time management for large creative projects• How to stay consistent (even 20 minutes a day)_________________ COURSE AT DOUBLE JUMP ACADEMY ______________________The Real-Time Destructiom Course: https://doublejumpacademy.teachable.com/a/aff_gg65yh1h/external?affcode=1768064_qhpnr4-x_______________________One On One Mentorship at Vessel Forge _______________________ https://vesselforge.com/services/technical-art-mentorship/_________________ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ______________________- Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3VHRDYNMFJ3KW- Get one of the Courses: https://linktr.ee/jack.the.generalist/shop________________ Find Jack on These Links ______________________https://discord.gg/jC7YEsvwWphttps://www.instagram.com/jackthegeneralist/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-gutmann/_________________ Find The Guest on These Links ______________________https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayson-cotrell-00400a1bb/https://www.artstation.com/graysontheplug______________________ Timestamps ______________________00:00:00 – Introduction00:02:00 – Building a complete destruction course00:06:30 – 20 minutes a day philosophy00:12:00 – Mentorship vs recorded courses00:18:00 – Blueprint systems in Unreal00:24:00 – Houdini to Unreal pipeline00:30:00 – VDBs, VATs & optimization00:38:00 – Real-time vs cinematic VFX00:46:00 – Multiplayer destruction challenges00:55:00 – Making effects feel alive01:02:00 – Why VFX is the ultimate generalist role