The Practical CG Artist - Houdini 22 is Here!
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SideFX recently released a major update to Houdini. It’s an exciting one, so let’s look at some of my favorite improvements!
New Look
Houdini's interface has gotten a major refresh, making it more modern and aligned with the popular “flat” style that other CG apps like Cinema 4D, Blender, and Maya have.
Here’s classic Houdini:
And here’s the new look:
I’ve been dreaming of something like this for a long time and I’m happy to say SideFX did a great job. Designing something like this is by no means easy and even in this first iteration it’s excellent.
You can find a ton of presets by going to Edit > Color Theme, plus you can create your own.
I feel like this makes Houdini so much more pleasant to look at for long periods of time. The old interface can still be accessed by toggling Use Old UI in Edit > Preferences > UI, but note that SideFX has said this option will be removed in the future, making the new UI a permanent change.
Complete Gaussian Splatting Toolset
I’ve been meaning to write about Gaussian splatting for a while and I have extra incentive now that Houdini has first class support. Briefly, Gaussian splatting is a method of volume rendering based on photogrammetry. It uses machine learning to create geometry from photosets, retaining an exceptional level of fine detail and surface information.
Splats can be used to create huge 3D environments that render in real time as a result of the efficiency with which the data is stored.
Houdini 22 includes the ability to not only load and render splats, but fully modify them, including relighting and rigging, and also create them using machine learning models. I’d love to cover this in more detail as it’s very exciting, but also very complex. Maybe coming to an installment of The Complete Houdini before long!
In the meantime, here’s an example from SideFX of animating a Gaussian splat of a wasp (https://www.sidefx.com/contentlibrary/rigging-a-gsplat-wasp-in-apex/):
Improved Modeling When Using Viewport Subdivision
Previously, if you enabled viewport subdivision in Houdini and started modelling you’d be stuck manipulating the cage of the geometry, not the subdivided surface. It was annoying since you weren’t really interacting with the actual shape of the geometry. Here’s what it felt like in the Before Times:
Now, in Houdini 22, you can manipulate the subdivided geometry directly. It’s much more intuitive!
Final Thoughts
Beyond these favorites of mine there’s a lot more new, including in the areas of rigging and animating with KineFX and APEX. SideFX is hoping to take market share from Maya by aggressively expanding their animation tools and working to make Houdini more accessible for those tasks. A lot of this still feels “studio-only” in that the workflow is complex and benefits from an in-house Technical Director to package everything in an artist-friendly way. But, it’s advancing fast and hopefully that will become less true as time goes on.
Check out the full list of Houdini 22 features and fixes here: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/news/22/index.html And comment below which ones you’re most excited about!
SideFX recently released a major update to Houdini. It’s an exciting one, so let’s look at some of my favorite improvements!
New Look
Houdini's interface has gotten a major refresh, making it more modern and aligned with the popular “flat” style that other CG apps like Cinema 4D, Blender, and Maya have.
Here’s classic Houdini:
And here’s the new look:
I’ve been dreaming of something like this for a long time and I’m happy to say SideFX did a great job. Designing something like this is by no means easy and even in this first iteration it’s excellent.
You can find a ton of presets by going to Edit > Color Theme, plus you can create your own.
I feel like this makes Houdini so much more pleasant to look at for long periods of time. The old interface can still be accessed by toggling Use Old UI in Edit > Preferences > UI, but note that SideFX has said this option will be removed in the future, making the new UI a permanent change.
Complete Gaussian Splatting Toolset
I’ve been meaning to write about Gaussian splatting for a while and I have extra incentive now that Houdini has first class support. Briefly, Gaussian splatting is a method of volume rendering based on photogrammetry. It uses machine learning to create geometry from photosets, retaining an exceptional level of fine detail and surface information.
Splats can be used to create huge 3D environments that render in real time as a result of the efficiency with which the data is stored.
Houdini 22 includes the ability to not only load and render splats, but fully modify them, including relighting and rigging, and also create them using machine learning models. I’d love to cover this in more detail as it’s very exciting, but also very complex. Maybe coming to an installment of The Complete Houdini before long!
In the meantime, here’s an example from SideFX of animating a Gaussian splat of a wasp (https://www.sidefx.com/contentlibrary/rigging-a-gsplat-wasp-in-apex/):
Improved Modeling When Using Viewport Subdivision
Previously, if you enabled viewport subdivision in Houdini and started modelling you’d be stuck manipulating the cage of the geometry, not the subdivided surface. It was annoying since you weren’t really interacting with the actual shape of the geometry. Here’s what it felt like in the Before Times:
Now, in Houdini 22, you can manipulate the subdivided geometry directly. It’s much more intuitive!
Final Thoughts
Beyond these favorites of mine there’s a lot more new, including in the areas of rigging and animating with KineFX and APEX. SideFX is hoping to take market share from Maya by aggressively expanding their animation tools and working to make Houdini more accessible for those tasks. A lot of this still feels “studio-only” in that the workflow is complex and benefits from an in-house Technical Director to package everything in an artist-friendly way. But, it’s advancing fast and hopefully that will become less true as time goes on.
Check out the full list of Houdini 22 features and fixes here: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/news/22/index.html And comment below which ones you’re most excited about!
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