SideFX Houdini FX v17.0.352

Tags： 三维 动画 特效

SideFX Houdini FX 17 is a powerful 3D animation and visual effects software. With Houdini 17, users benefit from enhanced shader tools, advanced crowd simulation, and the integration of Houdini 2.0 modules. Additionally, modeling, rendering, and animation tools have seen significant improvements.

New Highlights In collaboration with Pixar, SideFX has achieved exceptional lighting effects, according to Chris Ford, RenderMan Business Manager at Pixar Animation Studios. Houdini 15 introduced interactive material creation tools, making it easier for artists to achieve desired results. Houdini 16 expanded with a comprehensive set of RenderMan BxDFs, Patterns, and integrated RIS materials, including RIS lighting and camera shaders. A new RIS render driver provides clearer rendering options for RIB and RIS.

Modeling Improvements Houdini has historically been less user-friendly in its interactive modeling, often requiring lengthy processes. However, with Houdini 15 and the new 17, modeling professionals can now perform new adjustment operations visually within the viewport. New features include loop edges, soft selection highlighting, and tools such as PolyBraid and PolyExpand3D. For high-resolution models, new topology tools allow for the easy creation of low-resolution geometry using resolution-independent techniques.

Rendering Enhancements Houdini 16's improved Mantra renderer offers faster and richer rendering, with features like point and viewport feedback. Material tools have been enhanced with a new material library, recreating the Shader FX 2.0 menu, and adding layer and cartoon shaders. Houdini 16 also integrates Disney's physically-based materials to improve artistic flexibility. A free PBR texture library is available for use with Houdini 16's material tools. Material stylesheets enable the creation of product-level workflows for managing Alembic files and packed geometry materials.

Animation Advancements The animation workspace in Houdini 16 has been enhanced with Onion Skinning, a pose library panel, and an improved character panel, offering better keyframe control. Simple male and female rigs allow artists to explore character animation capabilities. Houdini 16 also includes support for deforming geometry and avoiding volume loss.

Game Industry Applications The modeling improvements in Houdini 16 are particularly useful for the gaming industry, such as in the construction of digital assets for Unity and Unreal Engine. The PolyExpand3D tool simplifies the calculation of Straight-Skeletons, an ideal method for game asset creation. Houdini 16 also supports texture baking and UDIM texture viewport, global space normal mapping, UV boundaries, and overlapping UV regions. Game developers can now import and export normal maps in linear space and transform height and displacement maps onto normal maps.

Crowd Simulation Ragdoll dynamics have been added to Houdini 16's crowd simulation tools, along with body separation, blur, and improved crowd behaviors. It is now easier to control material and geometry shapes and add characters to specific locations. Additionally, the Agent Cam tool creates a camera to view agents from similar angles.

Distributed VFX Houdini 16 significantly boosts VFX artists' productivity, allowing for the simulation of higher-quality and more realistic FX effects. The new Adaptive PBD focuses on particles involved in collisions during granular simulations. New viscous fluid tools, like lava, melting objects, and steam, enable artists to achieve production-ready results more quickly.

Version Update Highlights

The major highlight of this update is the rendering and material capabilities, which can now rival the effectiveness of the Arnold renderer.

Reliability has been significantly improved, with no crashes reported so far.

The colorcurve flickering bug in the generation system has not been resolved.

The material system has been enhanced with numerous new materials.

How to Use Houdini FX 17 To utilize Houdini FX 17 effectively, artists should familiarize themselves with the enhanced shader tools and advanced crowd simulation features. The software's improved modeling and rendering capabilities, along with the integration of Houdini 2.0 modules, offer a robust platform for creating complex visual effects. Training resources and tutorials are available to help users make the most of the software's features.