SideFX has released a preview version of Houdini 20, the next major version of its 3D software for visual effects, game development, and dynamic graphics. Houdini 20.0 has updated the software's main toolset, particularly character equipment and animation, simulation tools, and Karma shaders.

Houdini 20 New Features Highlights

Rendering

Many of the features shown in the video are updates to the Karma renderer, whose CPU version officially became Houdini's default renderer in Houdini 19.5.

Some new features are listed as unique to Karma XPU, which can run on both GPU and CPU; The rest are probably shared by Karma CPU and Karma XPU.

Karma XPU nested dielectric, absorption, dispersion, crypmate

Karma hair shader with medullary support

Hexagonal tiling

Physical Sky

Distributed multi frame and multi shot rendering

Updated rendering statistics

In addition, the update has also improved support for MaterialX, which is an open standard for rich material and appearance development data developed by ILM:

Material Linker, Material Catalog, AMD MtlX Library

Thin walled transmission device on MtlX standard surface

Another section on binding and animation videos introduces new animation features, continuing on Houdini 18.5

The work done by introducing the character binding and redirection framework KineFX in.

projectile motion

Viscous collision

New Animation Environment: Selection Set

Video reference in viewport

simulation

As usual, Houdini's simulation toolset has also undergone extensive updates, including fluids, Vellum solvers for fabrics and software, and Pyro for smoke and flames.

FLIP volume combination

SOP White Water Solver

Bubble generator

OpenCL Ripple Solver

The redesigned Houdini ocean program supports all Hydra representatives

Kraft paper wind and shadow

Feather system

All feather programs represented by Hydra

Pyro: Density driven gravity

In addition, the video also showcases updates to Houdini's rigid body dynamics system, including car equipment created using new RBD torsion cone constraints.

Other functions

Other new features displayed in the video include tools for creating artistically guided clouds.

Cloud tool: Skybox

Noise driven cloud shape

Art Guidance Hero Cloud

Generate cloud shapes from polygons

The video also includes a room map VOP (which appears to be an implementation of parallax mapping for generating fake 3D interiors of buildings), as well as quadrilateral re gridding for re topology and machine learning driven terrain generation.

Outside of the core application, Houdini Engine for Unreal has obtained a new shelf.