User Guide

What's New in Houdini 6.1

Click here for list of What's New in Houdini 6


Houdini Version 6.1 offers a number of key new features and workflows that are focused on increasing productivity for both animators and technical directors. These new features include the ability to create, publish and manage digital assets in existing production environments, enhanced character animation tools, global illumination rendering, interactive light and camera controls, and an embedded help browser.

An overview of each of these new features is available in the following categories:

Interface
Digital Assets
Modeling
Animation
Characters
Texturing
Compositing

Click here for a list of additional Houdini 6.1 Features.


Interface

Editing Common Parameters - You can now select multiple operators then simultaneously change common parameter values in the Parameter pane.

Path Tool - This tool lets you build a curve using two or more path CVs. These special CV objects let you control and animate the shape of the curve which can be used to set up a Path animation or to control a Follow Curve kinematic solution.

Edge selection - The selection of edges has been enhanced with edge loops and the ability to quickly add the next edge along a chosen direction to your current selection.


Digital Assets

Quick Promotion of Parameters - You now have several new ways of promoting parameters to a digital asset. These methods help speed up the creation of a digital asset's user interface.

One-click Promotion of Handles - Handles and their associated parameters can now be promoted to a digital asset with a single menu selection. You can also use this method to control the look of HUD sliders once they are promoted.

Interaction with Nested Digital Assets - You can now access the controls of a nested digital asset by turning off the selectability of objects within the nested asset. These nested assets are easily accessed using the Pose tool when you animate.


Modeling

Poly Bevel - You can now apply a bevel operation to points and edges belonging to polygonal objects. This tool can be used for different tasks such as Beveling a Cube or to Beveling Facial Features.


Animation

Flipbook Animations - OpenGL flipbook animations can now be quickly created for a specified range and zoom.


Characters

Bones on Curve - This tool lets you apply a number of evenly spaced bones on a curve. At the same time, you can choose to set up a follow curve kinematic solution.

Attribute Transfer - This tool lets you transfer vertex, point, primitive, and/or detail attributes from one model to another based on proximity. This tool is ideal for quickly moving capture weight and UV information to a new model with a modified topology.

Wire Deformation - This tool lets you capture geometry using a curve that includes the ability to deform the surface by pulling the points along the U direction of the curve.

Muscle and Bone deformation [Inflate] - The Inflate SOP lets you deform a surface by pushing it with other surfaces. This tool can be used to push a skin surface with underlying muscle and bone geometry.


Texturing

UV Pelt - This tool lets you unwrap a model's UVs using "cut" lines determined by edge selections to create the boundaries of the UV topology. This topology is then connected to a frame then stretched out.

UV Brush - This tool lets you modify UV vertices using a brush paradigm. You can drag, dilate/contract, and smooth UVs in the Texture viewer. You can also use the smooth function to paint on the model in 3D and view the changes in the Texture viewer.

UV Edit Soft Radius - The UV Edit tool now has a soft radius parameter that offers the same falloff capabilities as the general Edit tool. This feature is used in the beginning of the UV Brush lesson.


Compositing

Render COP - This COP renders an output driver directly into a composite network.


Click here for a list of additional Houdini 6.1 Features.


 

 

 

 

 

 

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