Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 28, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The FLIP fluid solver is up to 70 times faster and uses the particle system to achieve this, says Kim Davidson, head of Side Effects Software. A new Voronoi-based algorithm is used for dynamic fracturing. Lighting and shading can also be performed interactively in the new version and are visible immediately. The new interface is also intended to have removed stumbling blocks from the previous generation and to allow faster work – including with Bezier curves in the network editors.
Houdini’s licence-sales approach is also highly interesting. Alongside a “full version” (Houdini Escape, around 1,200 US dollars, and Houdini Master, around 6,700 US dollars) and a Learning Edition (free, around 100 dollars for HD capability), Houdini is now also available by subscription. Here, users can subscribe to the program for one year, requiring a substantially smaller initial investment – Houdini Master is then available from as little as 4,600 dollars.
