Houdini is a 3D computer graphics software developed by Side Effects Software Inc. (SESI) in Canada, founded by Kim Davidson and Greg Hermanovic in 1987. Houdini is a redeveloped version of Prisms and can run on operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. It is a product designed entirely based on node patterns, and its structure, operation, and other aspects differ greatly from other 3D software. Houdini's built-in renderer is Mantra, based on the Reyes rendering architecture, so it can also quickly render motion blur, depth of field, and displacement effects. Mantra is a mature renderer that has been validated by the product and can meet the rendering requirements at the movie level. Of course, Houdini also has interfaces for third-party renderers, such as RenderMan, mental ray, Vray, Arnold, and Torque, which can export scenes to these rendering engines for rendering.

| Film production field

It can provide high-quality visual effects for movies, including scenes, characters, props, etc. Houdin ì has powerful digital modeling, animation, rendering, and special effects capabilities, allowing for the creation of various complex 3D models and scenes. It can also be integrated with other movie production software, such as Autodesk Mava and Maxon CINEMA 4D, to provide a more comprehensive solution. Houdini's application cases in film production include Avatar, Avengers, and Gravity.

| Game development field

It can provide high-quality visual effects and game world for games. Houdini has powerful digital modeling, animation, and rendering capabilities, allowing for the creation of various complex 3D models and scenes. It can also be integrated with other game development software, such as Unity and Unreal Engine, to provide more comprehensive solutions. Houdini's application cases in game development include Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and Elder Scrolls.

|  Animation field

It can provide high-quality visual and animation effects for animation. Houdini has powerful animation and rendering capabilities, allowing for the creation of various complex animations and scenes. It can also be integrated with other animation production software, such as Adobe Animate and Toon Boom Harmony, to provide a more comprehensive solution. Houdini's application cases in the animation field include animated films and short animated films such as Peppa Pig, SpongeBob SquarePants and Ninja Turtle

| Houdini 20's Five Key Features

Feather tools

Feather making is one of the biggest challenges in the CG production pipeline. Each feather of a bird is composed of many smaller feathers, and its morphology varies greatly without repetition. In the current version, creating each detail using SOP geometric curves is required

Animation tools

Animation tools include physics systems, dolls, dynamic graphics, and more.

The new Selection set HUD is not just a selection set, but also a display group and channel group. You can decide which parts you want to display and which roles to display. When you fix the selection set, you can ensure that all content is keyframed.

"Velcro" constraint system

The new animation tool does not require complex constraints, but only controls character interaction by adding axes and setting. For example, the three person scene setting below is achieved through axes and groups.

You can quickly control the groups of each character and adjust them step by step from bottom to top. Compared to adjusting keyframes one by one, this method is more convenient and can easily complete the interaction actions of three characters without the need for complex constraint systems.

With powerful one click pivot settings, characters can quickly complete various poses.

Dynamics function

The dynamics function greatly simplifies the process of animation optimization and adjustment, saving a lot of manual operation time.

1. Animation bookmark function

By double clicking to set multiple bookmarks, you can focus on a certain animation interval and quickly jump between each bookmark, making it very easy to manage animations in long scenes.

2. By selecting the dynamics function through the shortcut menu and setting the contact points for takeoff and landing, the precise animation path and time in physics can be calculated. With just a few clicks, the animation quality can be greatly improved.

Doll function

Enabling the doll function only requires simple settings to present complex physical movements.