Frameboxx

Date2026-08-29

AuthorAnand Magaji

Faculty at Frameboxx in Bangalore: Houdini outside the regular curriculum, extra industry-facing exercises, and student demo reels at Indiranagar, Mathikere, and Rajajinagar.

Problem: The standard VFX curriculum was too thin for industry work; students needed tools and exercises that would actually give them an edge.
Contribution: As faculty at Indiranagar, Mathikere, and Rajajinagar I introduced Houdini outside the regular syllabus, came in early to prepare more than the day's class, and ran student demo reels so people left with work, not only coursework.
Impact: Kiran got a full-time modelling job before his reel was finished; Bhaskar and Rahul later joined me at Saddles International. The franchise path did not fit affordable entry-level education, which is how FX-Camp started.

I actually joined Frameboxx initially as a student, but because I had prior knowledge of visual effects and the softwares involved, most of the teachings were not of that much use to me. So I left it soon. And then later on after a while, one of the managers of a different Frameboxx branch asked me to start teaching at Frameboxx Indiranagar.

I was a faculty member at Frameboxx in Indiranagar, Bangalore, near Cambridge Layout. I taught visual effects and tried to bring in a lot of changes. I introduced Houdini, which wasn’t part of the regular curriculum. Even when the standard curriculum felt too boring, I tried to make it more engaging by designing exciting exercises and course content. I was also one of the few people who came in as early as possible so I could prepare for the entire day, having my courses ready, and more than just what I was supposed to teach. I taught a little extra so students would understand what was happening in the industry and what would give them an edge, essentially, having additional skills compared to others.

I also taught at Frameboxx Mathikere for a few months, which was an interesting experience, because most students were there for mostly programming related courses, so it was much easier to get them to understand the logic of Houdini and Nuke.

I also taught at Frameboxx Rajajinagar. Demo reels there included a student whose name escapes me now; he made a keyboard procedurally in Houdini and had put in a lot of effort.

I spent about two years at Frameboxx, and after that I thought, why not start my own institute?

I approached the manager at Frameboxx and asked about opening a franchise closer to my home. That’s when I realized the investment required and the returns expected didn’t align with my plan for affordable, entry-level education for people just entering the industry, especially since, after paying an exorbitant amount, they might not even be able to regain it after years of work.

So, along with one of my students, Shakti Murugan, who worked in IT and had some savings, we decided to start our own institute. By then I had already decided I wanted to move away from the regular method of teaching at Frameboxx, because we were in the process of making demo reels for students. That next chapter is FX-Camp.

Student work

Clips below are in chronological order where the dates are known. Rahul and Bhaskar later worked with me at Saddles International.

August 2011Kiran — ZBrushWork by a student named Kiran. He learnt anatomy, sculpting, and modelling to such a high degree.

November 2011Kiran — clip 2Kiran was a diligent and hard worker. This is more of his modelling and sculpting from that period.

November 2011Kiran — clip 3Another pass of Kiran's work. I really wanted to have his reel completed.

February 2012Class demo with RahulThis is a class demo I had conducted. The student Rahul has always been a diligent worker, and I later hired him for work during my time at Saddles International that involved camera and object tracking. The demo was to show the students that such effects can be completed within a few hours, rendering and comp not included of course.

Rahul's work in progressThis was Rahul's actual work that he was implementing. Sadly I was again not able to see the final results. This was just before I left Frameboxx Indiranagar.

Deepthi demo reel (WIP)This was a reel by Deepthi, a student at Frameboxx Indiranagar, just before I left. Sadly I never got to see the final completed version. She is someone I am still occasionally in touch with.

May 2012Bhaskar demo reelAnother demo reel, made by my student Bhaskar, one of the only ones completed before I left Frameboxx. I later hired him at Saddles International for Houdini work on custom toolsets.

September 2012Kiran — animatic v2Even before Kiran finished a reel, he got a job offer and is a full-time 3D modeller now.

Procedural keyboard in HoudiniDemo reels being worked by a student at Frameboxx Rajajinagar, whose name escapes me now.

Procedural keyboard in HoudiniThe keyboard was made procedurally in Houdini, and he had put in a lot of effort.