Fixed hanging in Houdini related to Python SOP nodes. For example, Houdini would hang when cooking Python SOP nodes from Houdini Engine Session Sync, or when a background thread tried to call into HOM while Houdini cooked Python SOP nodes.

The fix required restoring old behavior in Python SOP nodes that unfortunately reintroduces an old hang, one at least that is limited in scope. The old hang occurs when Python SOP nodes execute multi-threaded code that calls into the HOM `hou` package from separate threads. If you wish to run such code in Python SOPs, then you can set `HOUDINI_ALLOW_PYTHON_SOP_MULTITHREADING=1` in the environment with the caveat that you may encounter other hangs as detailed above (i.e. cooking Python SOP nodes from Session Sync).

Fixed a bug where log float parms were promoted as regular floats in Edit Parameter Interface.

Added support for baking of geometry collections.

Fixed an issue where proxy meshes would not have Unreal's color-per-vertex gamma correction applied.

Added support for baking outputs to a single actor rather than multiple actors. This is controlled by a setting in the Houdini Asset Component next to the bake setting.

Fixed a bug in the Volume LOP where it was incorrectly setting kind on the child prims

Fixed a bug where volumes straddling camera's far clip plane could sometimes cause render to hang.

Fixed a bug where volumes straddling camera's far clip plane could sometimes cause render to hang.

Fixed non-deterministic behavior in python hash calculations for hou.LopViewportLoadMasks and hou.LopLockedStage.

Fixed a potential crash in Edit Material Network LOP when loading shaders.

Fixed a bug in the Mirror SOP that will result in deleted geometry if the node's bypass flag is toggled.

Fixed a bug in the Trace SOP that resulted in stretched results when using a volume wider than it is tall.

Fixed a bug in the Trace SOP that resulted in stretched results when using a volume wider than it is tall.

Fixed an issue with the HAPI_SetAttributeDictionaryData function which was resulting in a segmentation fault when setting a dictionary attribute with a tuple size greater than 1.

Allow USD preview shaders in the HoudiniGL render delegate, even when HOUDINI_GL_USE_MATERIALX env var is set to 0.

Fixed a bug where the Houdini Launcher could install Engine Plug-ins when this was not intended.

Added an option to the Geometry Import TOP to reload file nodes for each evaluating work item. This option is enabled by default when the node has the "Evaluate with Work Item Attributes" toggle enabled.

The normally hidden "core" SOPs are now visible in the APEX Network View's TAB menu. These are useful since their enclosing HDAs can not be used inside APEX. In particular the "characterblendshapescore" node is important for blendshapes.

Fixed Component Output LOP to set the resolution when generating variant layer thumbnails.

Fix a python error in the APEX Animate state that could occur if a scale component on a control was set to 0.

Fixed the Karma Cryptomatte LOP creating new Products.

Render Gallery snapshots would sometimes fail, or even cause Houdini to crash if the stage didn't have a render settings prim.

Fix an issue where the "Reset All" button on the APEX Scene Animate node would not reset the selection sets if the Animate state was active.

Fixed crash that could occur opening images with the OIIO plugin.

Fix an issue where the "Reset Animation" and "Reset Custom" buttons on the APEX Scene Animate node were always resetting the selection sets, and added an item to the tree when "Reset Custom" is pressed to allow choosing to reset the selection sets.