Houdini (software)
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| developer | Side Effects Software Inc. |
| Current preliminary version | 18.0 (March 10, 2020) |
| operating system | Windows , Linux , macOS , IRIX |
| programming language | C ++ |
| category | 3D graphics software |
| License | proprietary |
| German speaking | Yes |
| www.sidefx.com | |
Houdini is 3D graphics software from Toronto- based developer SideFX . It emerged from the PRISMS program for the procedural synthesis of 3D objects at the end of the 1990s . His main focus is still on procedural synthesis, which sets Houdini apart from other 3D graphics software.
Houdini is mainly used for special effects in movies and computer games. Large studios such as Walt Disney Animation Studios , Pixar , DreamWorks Animation , ILM and others have used Houdini for Fantasia 2000 , The Ice Queen - Totally Unabashed , Zoomania and Rio .
history
| version | Release date | New function | Operating systems | Houdini FX Price (USD) | Remarks |
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| Houdini 1.0 | 1996-10-02 | IRIX | $ 9,500 | Houdini 1.0 presented at SIGGRAPH 1996 | |
| Houdini 2.0 | 1997-08-05 | IRIX | |||
| Houdini 2.5 | 1998-03-28 | Windows NT support | IRIX, Windows NT | ||
| Houdini 3.0 | 1999-10-02 | IRIX, Windows NT | |||
| Houdini 4.0 | 2000-07-24 | Linux support | IRIX, Windows NT, Linux | $ 17,000 | |
| Houdini 5.0 | 2002-03-12 | IRIX, Windows NT, Linux | $ 16,000 | ||
| Houdini 5.5 | 2002-05-14 | IRIX, Windows NT, Linux | $ 16,000 | ||
| Houdini 6.0 | 2003-05-08 | IRIX, Windows NT, Linux | |||
| Houdini 6.5 | 2004-04-16 | IRIX, Windows NT, Linux | (Please confirm the date) | ||
| Houdini 7.0 | 2004-09-20 | No IRIX support | Windows NT, Linux | Silicon Graphics IRIX is no longer supported | |
| Houdini 8.0 | 2005-10-06 | Windows NT, Linux | $ 17,000 | ||
| Houdini 9.0 | 2007-09-20 | Windows NT, Linux | |||
| Houdini 9.1 | 2008 - ?? - ?? | Windows NT, Linux | |||
| Houdini 9.5 | 2008 - ?? - ?? | New user interface, macOS support | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | (exact date unknown) | |
| Houdini 10.0 | 2009-04-16 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 11.0 | 2010-07-27 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | $ 6,695 | ||
| Houdini 12.0 | 2012-03-01 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 12.1 | 2012-08-07 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 12.5 | 2013-03-14 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 13.0 | 2013-10-31 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 14.0 | 2015-01-15 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 15.0 | 2015-10-15 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 15.5 | 2016-05-19 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | |||
| Houdini 16.0 | 2017-02-21 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | $ 6,995 | ||
| Houdini 16.5 | 2017-11-07 | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | $ 6,995 | ||
| Houdini 17.0 | 2018-10-10 | Vellum | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS | ||
| Houdini 17.5 | 2019-03-13 | Procedural Dependency Graph | Windows NT, Linux, MacOS |
Functionality
Houdini covers all the main areas of 3D production:
- Modeling - Creation of standard geometry using polygons, NURBS / Bezier curves / Patches & Trims, Metaball
- Animation - keyframe animation and raw channel manipulation (CHOPs), motion capture support
- Particles
- Dynamics - rigid body simulation, fluid dynamics, fabric simulation, group simulation, wire dynamics
- Lighting - node-based writing of shaders and lighting
- Rendering - The Mantra rendering engine is integrated into Houdini by default. Other engines like RenderMan , Octane, Arnold, Redshift or V-Ray are also supported.
- Volumetrics - Integrated tools CloudFX and PyroFX for creating cloud, smoke and fire simulations
- Compositing
- Plugin development
Houdini can be extended via a script API. Python is increasingly being used for this purpose, but any scripting language that supports socket communication can also be used.
Operators
Houdini's procedural nature is evident in his operators. The so-called "digital assets" - the objects of a scene - are usually constructed from a string of operator nodes (OPs). This approach has numerous advantages: it allows the creation of highly detailed geometry or organic objects in comparatively few steps; it enables and encourages non-linear development; Houdini uses this procedural paradigm across the board for textures , shaders , particles, "channel data" (for driving simulations), for rendering and for compositing .
- OBJ - Nodes carrying transformation information (usually containing SOPs).
- SOP - "Surface Operator" - for procedural modeling.
- POP - "Particle Operator" - for manipulating the particle system .
- CHOP - "Channel Operator" - for procedural manipulation of animations and audio.
- COP - "Composite Operator" - for mixing images.
- DOP - "Dynamic Operator" - for the dynamic simulation of liquids, tissues, rigid bodies, etc.
- SHOP - "Shading Operator"
- ROP - "Render Operator" - for the creation of node networks to display various render passes and render dependencies.
- VOP - "VEX Operator" - for creating any of your own operators of the above types using an optimized SIMD architecture.
- TOP - "Task Operator"
Web links
- Official website (English)