I thought I'd start a thread to chat about the new Houdini 17.

After having watched the presentation, I am very excited about this new release. The main component that seems very promising to me is the increase in computing speed for the various simulations from fluids to cloth and erosion. The ability to get much higher quality results from less computing time is by far the most exciting element in H17 for me.

The new UV auto-seams also looks very useful, particularly for those of us who are needing to get good object UV wrapping while not being UV gurus.

I like the new material-based fracturing, it should go a long way toward making destruction more intuitive while being able to get better and more organic looking pieces.

Lastly, I think the new modeling additions seem to be a step in the right direction. I'll reserve my full judgment until I get to use these new tools, but what I have seen from the presentation looks very helpful.

I'd love to hear everyone else's reactions to the presentation and where they think things are headed beyond H17.

It's a bit light on the modeling side of things but there are many useful tools and it's good that they are focusing on interactivity not just for modeling but across the board.

Proceduralism doesn't preclude interactivity. Both can complement each other.

On a side(heh!) note… I wonder why Houdini never ventured into Archviz? It would seem that Houdini would be a perfect fit for segment esp with its focus on games, where many tools that work for scene layouts and such in games can also benefit the Archviz field, esp now that many Renderers ( Like V-ray) are supporting Houdini.

Also, that construction plane looks a neat implementation ( I think I filed an RFE for it or just wondered aloud in the forums ). It remains to be seen if it is as robust as Modo's workplanes, but it's a start.

Overall positive vibes. I might even start thinking of a Z-Brush/Houdini/Marvellous character workflow what with Rigs, Fur and cloth getting much love in this release.

I also like the terrain tools but because Houdini's terrains can seemingly talk with other parts of the program, I would like to see Sidefx push terrain into areas that dedicated programs cannot. Like overhangs using true vector displacements or use terrain deformation on non-planar geometry.

Those modeling alignment handles are awesome! Exactly the kind of seemingly little thing that will I think make a huge huge difference. ♥

Looks like an incredible VFX release. Vellum, grooming, rigging, and fluids improvements are looking absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to test all of them out.

There is one major thing that I wanted to mention from the perspective of small to mid-sized lighting and rendering departments. If Houdini wants to be part of that process, then a native integration of USD and Hydra is necessary. Assets are always getting more complex, and lighting/rendering has to constantly find ways to efficiently deal with all of that data. We've been experiencing a massive growth in terms of GPU rendering over the past few years, and things are going to get even better with RTX. On the other hand, scene “performance” has gotten stuck. Anyone who has tried Multiverse for Maya understands how much things can be improved.

Looking forward to seeing what happens with Project Solaris!

Hah…the one little thing that caught my eye…at the end with the scrolling changes….“64-Bit Vex”

OpenCL accelerated solvers is awesome, GPU accelerated denoiser is awesome. Proprietary API's forcing vendor lock in are not awesome.

Scaling on local axis is actually my favorite part! I just switched from Blender to Houdini for regular viewport modeling, and it has been like running in syrup!

I'm also excited about the poly draw tool, I make mobile games so anything that reminds me of 2000s era Paul Steed is a plus.

kind of disappointed with the non existent modeling updates. still stuck with thar awful polybevel sop. damnit.

One can hardly criticize the quality and the technical achievement of this update.
It is also obvious, that SideFX are working hard to improve the accessibility of the product. Things like the alignment tool are priceless and like most of the things they invent it is unique and a step beyond what others do. It's those little things that made SI so great and it is good to see this philosophy being adapted by the developers at SideFX.
However, in this light it seems incomprehensible that for example the quadview windows are not resizable. That one has to use awkward key combinations to switch views, that tools are switched automatically without the user asking for it, that there is still not real extrude along spline function, instead of a deform extrusion along spline.
While this seems to be a great release for people doing vfx, it still leaves the broad majority that creates the actual geometry with a software that can almost but not completely replace the traditional packages for them. Which isn't enough to fully switch.

I would like to see one release that solely focuses on interaction, viewport, scene-management, multiobject editing and render layer and one or two additional modelling tools.
I might try to use the auto-uv feature in the future a bit and wish I had the alignment tool in SI but there is still not enough to make Houdini my main app. I know the SideFX devs could do so much more for the user experience. One can see that the mindset is right. But that makes it so painful to see how little they actually do in comparison what goes into more VFX.

I completely agree “Barrett Meeker” the new alignment handles are a god send i can spend many minutes to drop down transform node then type in were best guess should be or looking at geometry spreadsheet try work which point is which then uses middle mouse button on the transform node to tweak it were it should be all that eats time and flow so big YES for new alignment handles they are fantastic.

Even though there wasn't much in the terms of Rendering feature updates, the tease at the end of the launch event mentioning LOPs is real intriguing. I'm sure SideFX will do a stellar job once its released, so a lot to look forward to.

Everything else got a nice update and H17 will be a again a release that pulls in more users in my opinion.

el_diablo
Even though there wasn't much in the terms of Rendering feature updates, the tease at the end of the launch event mentioning LOPs is real intriguing. I'm sure SideFX will do a stellar job once its released, so a lot to look forward to.

I was intrigued as well but didn't really get what he meant and the implications
Could anybody explain the final words of the presentation?


Also, is there any official changelog so we can read the full list of improvements and changes in hou17 ?

I personally do not like the presentation for two reasons:
01 SideFX had not time to explain things properly
02 Not any news in render.

1) In my opinion Sneak a Pick was enough to show the big news about Houdini.
But was clear that the alive presentation had not enough time to explain thing properly.
In that scenario is better make individual videos and show the costumer the improvements and explain the new tools.

2) It is a “mantra” in marketing never tell things that you can not show or prove.
In Sneak a Pick SideFX tell about denoiser and in presentation only in the last minute we ear little words about it?!
Please it make me very unhappy if Mantra is not ready why in the world you show it in Sneak a Peak?
If you(SideFX) think it is not the right time to show it(Mantra improvements) OK but what you did was not good.

About the improvements I became happy with animation tools became more clear but in modeling….my opinion is simple if you have no interest in sculpt tools like Blender or Modo you can make a better bridge with Zbrush and 3D Coat even Blender can help.
But your new modeling tool will not working well without a model to refer.
OK it is all that I can tell now.

nisachar
I also like the terrain tools but because Houdini's terrains can seemingly talk with other parts of the program, I would like to see Sidefx push terrain into areas that dedicated programs cannot. Like overhangs using true vector displacements or use terrain deformation on non-planar geometry.

yes vector displacement for terrains would be nice

I was amazed to see it implemented in blender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgKjn1mV2hI [www.youtube.com]

Andr
I was intrigued as well but didn't really get what he meant and the implications
Could anybody explain the final words of the presentation?

I also kind of stuck around there?

OneBigTree
I would like to see one release that solely focuses on interaction, viewport, scene-management, multiobject editing and render layer and one or two additional modelling tools.

Although I would like that too, I'm realistic enough to know that will never happen - Houdini's way too entrenched into VFX/simulation and a huge chunk of its user-base will continue, for the foreseeable future, to be interested in just that.

It's true that Houdini's user-base is growing, with lots of people interested in other parts of the 3d pipeline, but a big part of this growing bubble comprises additional VFX/simulation people. And that's OK, it's all the better for Houdini's and SideFX's growth if not mere survival.

What leaves me flabbergasted, is not the small amount of modeling tools for every new version - I've learned to accept and even expect that - but rather the priorities SESI set in so far regarding those scarce new modeling/interaction tools. I could give a lot of examples of tools and workflows that are much more needed in viewport than an alignment tool - who ordered that? - I was very pleased after the sneak-peek as I though it's a “handle alignment” feature, alas this is not the appropriate thread.

What's appropriate for this thread is to congratulate SideFX for a great release, for which it's clear that a lot of work had to go into and is going to make a lot of people happy. So, kudos SideFX!

edit: Oh, forgot to add that I'm very happy that the local translation of multiple objects has been fixed.

I could give a lot of examples of tools and workflows that are much more needed in viewport than an alignment tool - who ordered that?

I did…not literally like with an RFE…but it is a very usefull and ‘powerful’ feature when used in conjunction with the new save views/construction planes.

Because now you have many options that are far less cumbersome to set up than before (workflow wise);

Like creating boolean cutouts oriented with profiles created with polydraw or aligned objects(created or saved libray objects) on the specific contruction/view which can be the whole object or partial outline. And those cutouts can be either the straight ‘orthographic projection’, or it could simply be the starting point of a ‘sweep’; Think, its' own version of a bevel as one example, which leaves the actual use of the polybevel for final small adjustments - not a major modelling tool.

Also, the alignment tool as before with the new construction/views can compound iterative modelling steps quickly.

I may not be clear, but I'm coming from a Solid Works background - and as the tools stand right now with H17; it has ‘every’ capacity that SolidWorks has to model as efficiently.

From previous comments in this thread I probably could only appreciate what others are saying by modeling myself in other programs like Modo? and other similar ones.

So please don't take this comment as criticism of others for implying the modelling tools are still lacklustre - perhaps you guys a right.

But I also see some indication that not all have explored alternative workflows that might be just as productive to the modelling ends.

So you didn't actually order it, you just happen to like it
DOn't get me wrong, I do not begrudge you or anyone that got their wishes fulfilled to one degree or another in this release, I am among them after all, but I am a bit disappointed in the apparent fact that money are not put where the mouth is when it comes to direct modeling.
It just might be a colossal misread of SESI's intentions starting with H14 or a failure of expectation management from my part regarding the time-frame.

Regarding the align feature itself, if it is as I understood it to be from the video presentation, seems like a more viewport interactive way of “transformation matching” which is currently achievable by clicking on the small buttons at each transform channel's side. The H17 is probably better, I don't deny that, it's just that there are more pressing features that need improvements or downright re/writing from ground up. And this alignment feature, it's very useful when you need it, but you don't need it that often compared to other incomparably more repetitive tools and features. You don't get a lot of mileage from improvements of not that often used tools. So why prioritize it? SESI not knowing what traditional modelers actually use most often could be an explanation.

Anyway, these threads with people going back'n'forth about what features should SESI implement next or whether the new ones have been the best choices, are a glaring consequence of a not so pretty side of our nature and I for one, will take a break from them. I'm limiting myself to filing RFEs, if that.

Did you notice the Python API for viewport handles etc.? This lays the groundwork for any interactive tools eg. modelling tools.
So now that this is implemented even i could develop certain interactive tools. Haveing to learn the SDK was just too much for me.
This is definatly one of my favs!

So now that this is implemented even i could develop certain interactive tools.

Since I have very limited Python knowledge, I for one would watch one of your tuts on this topic - even if it's a paid one.