Houdini 11 review
Side Effects’ latest update has a clear focus on productivity: 3D World picks its way through Houdini’s expanded feature list.
Price: $1,995 (Escape), $6,695 | Developer: Side Effects Software | Platform: Windows/Mac/Linux
Main features:
- Fast fluid algorithm
- Automated destruction tools
- New innovative shader approach
- New Python tools
With every release, Side Effects continues to redefine its flagship software, Houdini. Not content to just add new features, tools and tricks, the developer has once again delivered a stellar package with a re-imagined shading context.
Houdini 11 is full of new ways to get your work done both artistically and, more importantly, fast.
The speed and flexibility of Houdini’s fluids has been improved with the new FLIP (Fluid Implicit Particle) fluid solver.
Houdini's new FLIP fluid solver makes its toolset more enticing for production
In comparison to Avatar’s Naiad software, this dynamic solver holds its own quite well. By using both particles and volumes for liquids, Side Effects has found a strong footing in the liquid/water world.
One of the biggest advantages of this new tool is the point-based approach. Once the simulation has been roughed out with FLIP, classic tools like the Magnet SOP and VEX Noise Deformers can be used to change the shape without the need to re-simulate.
Additionally, the multi-threading of Volumes has been given a thorough clean out: dynamic simulations of all sorts now run up to 30 per cent faster than previously.
Despite a few hiccups in the new fluid environments, with all the new tools ready to go it’s hard to say no to this fantastically updated playground. Not to be missed are the new camera-frustum-based volumes.
The addition of the Voronoi Fracture tool is a long-awaited extension to the Side Effects Debris toolset. The automatic fracture is now enabled for simulations, so users can start running complex scenarios with the click of a few buttons.
A handy tool for any pipeline, Houdini 11's new Auto Destruction toolkit proves to be a real time-saver
The tool is very stable and produces much more predictable results than Houdini’s previous attempts at fracture geometry.
The Voronoi Fracture tool gives users a great method to add realism to destruction effects. With extra benefits, such as adding new texture coordinates to the interior faces, handy crack-distribution functions, and breaking up regular shapes, this is a handy tool for any FX pipeline.
Unfortunately, not much has changed with the RBD solver itself since its original release in Houdini 8. While the addition of the ODE solver in H9 was much needed, little work has been done to advance this solver and it is often a let down in regards to flexibility and ease of setup.
While there have not been many updates from Side Effects to fix this, there is a great deal of development in the Houdini user community with the latest Bullet Solver. It would be great to see Side Effects add its support to this open source plug-in for more stability and tighter integration.
Lighting improvements
Side Effects has put a lot of effort into enhancing the lighting and shading for this release. The first noticeable change is the improved UI and viewport.
Hardware Rendering has been greatly enhanced - making visualising final scenes a snap
There are now options for many different settings in regards to the OpenGL (OGL) lighting display. The OGL shadows have been improved upon, which includes a basic ambient occlusion display feature. While the OGL changes may seem a bit gimmicky at first, combined with the latest Interactive Preview Renderer (IPR) updates, Houdini 11 gives you the ability to turn around lighting iterations more quickly than ever before.
With all the new and improved lights, as well as a prepackaged shader library, you can take a scene from pure darkness to brilliantly lit in a very short span of time.
What’s more, Side Effects’ Mantra Physically Based Renderer (PBR) is fast becoming a real competitor in the rendering world. However, despite reports that Mantra is up to five times faster than in H10, it still has a way to go to compete with specialist renderers such as V-Ray.
The shader creation workflow has also been upgraded. Previous users will remember VOPs as being a very low-level system, that took quite a bit of time to create even the simplest functionality.
Perhaps the biggest addition to the new shader creation is the new Surface Model VOP. In addition there are now preset inputs for Noise, Textures, and a slew of other options. VOPs have never been faster or more simple to use.
A sense of community
Side Effects has once again responded to the needs of the user base making changes to Houdini’s fur package.
In the standard Houdini fashion, we see great fur components with little pre-built settings to tie them together. Users expecting the quick plug and play of Maya’s fur system will notice a slow-down on the initial startup of tools. But again, the freedom that we have come to expect from Houdini shines through.
After the initial growing pains of setup, artists will find themselves with a robust and flexible ‘groom’ that’s ready for any pipeline.
One of the most exciting things about this update is the more involved user base. With Houdini 10 we saw the HDK Documentation released. Since then more and more users have started to generate custom tools to work alongside the Houdini default setup.
With grass-root tools like the Houdini Bullet Solver and several Rendering Instance options available, we see the entire Houdini community coming together to help grow the software.
The common complaint of not enough documentation and presets for Houdini is slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Houdini 11, as expected, is a strong contender in the VFX market. By speeding up the processes of both simulating and rendering, studios will find Houdini a difficult piece of software to pass on. While the specialist apps continue to hold an edge in niche areas, Houdini remains ahead of the pack when it comes to your total effects and lighting needs.
3D World verdict
PROS
- New fast, flexible fluid solver
- Updated lighting and shaders
- Automated destruction tools
CONS
- Many of the simulations still feel slow
- The shading context feels a bit experimental
Houdini 11 shows off Side Effects’ talent for slick FX and innovative tools. While not the major release veteran users may have wanted, this is still a great addition to hold them over until the next update.
—
Jacob Clark
Posted on Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 at 1:03 pm under Applications, Reviews. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
Tags: Animation, Houdini, Python, Side Effects, VFX
