Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 8, 2017. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Houdini 16.5 is now available to download! A few days ago, SideFX presented a sneak peek at the features in 16.5. We summarise the most important new features here.
New Features in Houdini 16.5
The update covers many areas of the software—from dynamics functions to the interface, there are not only improvements but also completely new, useful tools.
Dynamics
Air-bubble simulations can now be created within a fluid sim. With “air incompressibility”, the bubbles can now be integrated directly into the simulation without additional workflows.
Narrow-band fluid simulations also enable simulation three times faster. Instead of considering the entire volume during the simulation, only the upper surface is used. According to SideFX, the software also uses up to three times less memory. You can find more information about this here.
Character
Motion paths have been introduced to make animating your characters easier. They allow you to draw and adjust paths for the animations.
Grooming tools introduced by SideFX in the Houdini Amarok release have received further user-friendly additions. With the new “Curve Advect” tool, for example, you can determine the grooming direction by quickly drawing curves.
The crowd features in Houdini 16.5 also include many new additions. Crowds can now be adapted to the respective terrain, for example through new slope settings, and a new Crowd State node can switch between partial and complete ragdolls.
Rendering
Rounded Edge parameters in the Principled Shader and Classic Shader have been added in 16.5. They allow you to round hard polygonal edges without having to add additional geometry—or weather the edges of objects. Accordingly, there is also a new Rounded Edge VOP node. Another new feature is the PBR Single Scatter VOP node for faster—but less precise—subsurface scattering.
Modelling
The new Polyreduce tool enables more efficient polygon reduction while retaining attributes, UVs and quads! You can find more information about the new PolyReduce node here.
Topobuilding has become faster in 16.5. The Topobuild tool now allows you to retopologise more quickly and easily. You can find more information about the TopoBuild node here.
The UV Layout tool has been given advanced packing algorithms that are faster and more efficient. You can also control the UV area more interactively and easily correct overlapping regions or inverted UV values.
Interface
Last but not least, the interface has also received some improvements and features. Among other things, Houdini now has a hotkey configurator with which you can make graphical assignments, save themes in the Network Editor, and use a new search function in the Parameter Editor.
Availability & Prices
The update is free for owners of Houdini 16 and can be downloaded here. Meanwhile, the prices have not changed.
Houdini 16.5 Launch Event
Right on time for the release, SideFX held a launch event in Toronto five days ago. The developers discuss the current release and the new features in detail. There are also a few hints about Houdini 17. You can watch the event here:
For more information: You can find more about the new 16.5 release here. A complete feature list in the new 16.5 documentation is available here.
