Houdini 20.5 What’s new What’s new in Houdini 20.5

What’s new User interface, viewport, scripting

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User interface

  • You can now save and reuse parameter presets and nodes as recipes.

  • Improved the node info window for LOPs, ROPs, SOPs, and VOPs.

  • Added a mono color editor for grayscale.

  • Added the Float - Mono parameter type in the Operator Type Properties window.

  • Added the Grayscale View parameter in floating point ramps.

  • Added a Quick Shapes tool to the shelf that lets you create different types of primitive geometry.

  • You can now choose choose Edit ▸ Syntax Highlight to a different syntax highlighting color scheme or create your own using the syntax coloring editor.

  • Added the ability to interrupt the OpenCL kernel compilation.

  • Houdini uses a new hotkey resolution and context system. See Transitioning hotkey systems.

  • Improved the look and feel of viewport HUD widgets and panels.

  • Improved the wireframe representation for HeightFields in Vulkan.

Viewport

Mac

The Vulkan viewport isn’t supported on macOS. MacOS uses the OpenGL viewport renderer.

Vulkan

This feature is still under development. The current functionality is unfinished and subject to change, and may have thin or no documentation. Please bear this in mind when using it.

Note

Currently, the Minimal Pyro Solver runs slower in the Vulkan viewport than it does in OpenGL.

  • Vulkan is now the default viewport renderer.

  • Supports rendering with arbitrary camera clipping planes.

  • Higher quality display in many scenarios.

  • Improved light shading.

  • Improved shadows for area and distant lights.

  • Infinite viewing plane when not looking through a camera.

  • Threaded updates and rendering.

  • More configurable ambient occlusion.

  • The Enable APEX Character Deformation option allows you to display APEX scenes and characters in the viewport without entering the animate state or using an APEX Scene Invoke SOP.

OpenGL and Vulkan

  • Limited support of Karma Material Builder shaders (hextiling, roommaps).

  • Native display of COP nodes in the Scene Viewer.

Difference between Vulkan and OpenGL. Artwork by Andriy Bilichenko.

Scripting

For changes to VEX, see what’s new in VEX.

What’s new in Houdini 20.5