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Houdini 19 - Reveal


Guest Igor

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28 minutes ago, Macmangan said:

I’m actually getting super excited about this, never thought Houdini would even be a possibility to legitimately use.  Will see how that learning curve goes. 

 

SideFX has dramatically improved the accessibility of the software in the last couple of releases, not just with the software itself, but also the availability of online learning material and resources.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of the 3rd party material has not adapted to it quickly enough, and you'll still see them using scripting/coding to accomplish what can now be done with factory-shipped tools.

When I joined at v17, pretty much every single scene of mine had some VEX in it (VEX being Houdini's in-built coding language). Now, I almost never have to use VEX. I'll still use it because I've learned it, and typing one or two lines of basic code can be quicker (for me) than dropping down a node and setting parameters on it, but my preferred approach is to only use it when absolutely necessary - and it hasn't been absolutely necessary in most common use-cases for a while now.

 

Just a few minutes ago, a user on the Houdini Discord was struggling with a tutorial that was advising using VEX, when, in fact, the setup was exceedingly basic and could be sorted with just 3 in-built nodes, and zero coding.

 

Now, having said all that, Houdini is not there yet in terms of absolute ease of use, certainly not in comparison with C4D. There is still a learning curve as it does a few things its own way, and some tools are just straight up for advanced users (like the fluid solver, for e.g.) Still, the pace at which SideFX is making these tools easier to use is astonishing, the community is growing, and the resources are expanding, so it's a great time to get on board and make some cool sh...stuff.

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14 minutes ago, eikonoklastes said:

SideFX has dramatically improved the accessibility of the software in the last couple of releases, not just with the software itself, but also the availability of online learning material and resources.

This is incredibly helpful, thanks so much.  Especially since coding is not my thing lol.  

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16 hours ago, eikonoklastes said:

It's an annual license. You pay upfront and you use the license for 12 months, all upgrades included. It does not renew (yet), you have to purchase a new license after it expires. There is no cancelling - once you buy it, it's yours for 1 year.

 

Indie files are not usable on the pro (FX) version. You can open files from FX in Indie, but not vice-versa.  You can't even copy nodes from Indie into FX. The FX session will downgrade to Indie if you attempt to do so.

Can you help me unpack these two sentences.

 

"It does not renew (yet), you have to purchase a new license after it expires".  I would assume you mean that with the Indie license, there is no automatic renewal and you can continue to purchase Indie licenses year after year.  At first read, it almost sounds like you can ONLY get the indie license for 1 year afterward you need to upgrade to either FX or Core.  Ridiculous conclusion I know, but please humor me.    The Indie license details are as follows:

Quote

 

INDIE LICENSE
Commercial usage of Houdini Indie is limited to following:

  • The annual gross revenue of commercial entities and contracting entities does not exceed $100K USD
  • Commercial entities and contracting entities can purchase a maximum of 3 Houdini Indie and 3 Houdini Engine Indie
  • Houdini Indie includes a supplementary license for use on a second computer/laptop or to work in dual boot mode
  • The use of these two licenses is restricted to a single artist, who can only use Houdini Indie on one of these computers at a time
  • Houdini Indie cannot be used in the same pipeline as commercial versions of Houdini
  • Houdini Indie uses its own file format for saving scenes and assets
  • Houdini Indie works with the following third party renderers: RenderMan, Arnold, Redshift, V-Ray, 3Delight and OctaneRender.

 

 

Note that you can use Indie on two computers (one artist -- or one activation at a time).  That is good!

 

Interesting that you cannot use Indie files in FX but can use FX files in Indie.  That does not make sense in that you would think that the motivation would be for you to upgrade to FX - so why not take your work with you from the Indie version when you upgrade.  That works to the advantage of the Indie user so please confirm as there was nothing I could find on this at the SideFX web-site.   

 

Also can anyone explain the difference between: 

 

.hiplc

.hipnc

.hdalc

.hdanc

 

Are these file formats unique to each version of Houdini?  Understanding these file formats may help explain the inter-operability between versions.

 

Honestly, the main attraction for me with Houdini Indie is the fluid FX so Indie is the only way to go.  Houdini FX annual upgrade costs are a bit extreme at $2500/year (and I thought Maxon was bad).

 

Dave

Sorry...but I simply do not have enough faith to be an atheist.

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4 hours ago, eikonoklastes said:

 

SideFX has dramatically improved the accessibility of the software in the last couple of releases, not just with the software itself, but also the availability of online learning material and resources.

Agreed...very helpful.

 

I would love to get your thoughts on v19 when it is released relative to usability.  Also, how does the fluid solver compare in complexity to XP?  I did notice that there are a number of ready made presets in the menu bar but do the nodes follow an internal logical consistency whether it be smoke, liquids or grains?  Or is a different workflow required for each different type of effect?

 

Thanks,

Dave 

Sorry...but I simply do not have enough faith to be an atheist.

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