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Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikibooks Wikidata item Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Release history 2 Features 3 Tools Toggle Tools subsection 3.1 Operators 3.2 Operator Categories 3.3 Operator Wiring and Processing 3.4 Houdini Digital Assets 3.5 Hard to Learn 3.5.1 Conversely 3.6 IO 3.7 Vex 4 Rendering 5 TouchDesigner 6 Production 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Toggle the table of contents Houdini (software) 17 languages العربية Български Català Deutsch فارسی Suomi Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano 日本語 한국어 Polski Português Русский සිංහල Українська 中文 Edit links Article Talk English Read Edit View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikibooks Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 3D animation software For the chess engine, see Houdini (chess) . This article contains an excessive amount of intricate detail . Please help improve it by spinning off or relocating relevant information and removing excessive detail that goes against Wikipedia's inclusion policy . ( March 2014 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) SideFX Houdini Developer Side Effects Software Inc. Release 1.0 / October 2, 1996 &#59; 29 years ago  ( 1996-10-02 ) Stable release 21.0.671 / April 1, 2026 &#59; 2 months ago  ( 2026-04-01 ) [ 1 ] Written in C++ , Python Operating system Linux , macOS , Windows Available in English Type 3D computer graphics License Proprietary Website www .sidefx .com Houdini is an application developed by Toronto SideFX, who originally adapted it from the PRISMS suite of procedural generation software tools. The procedural tools can be used to produce a broad range of different types of data, such as 3D models, animation, many types of simulations, game level/environment layouts, rendered images/footage, USD assets, task-scheduling setups, and completely custom solutions to nearly any problem in VFX/CG/synthesis as long as it is well-understood by the artist/operator. [ 2 ] Some of its procedural features have been in existence since 1987. [ 2 ] Houdini is most commonly used for the creation of visual effects in film and television. It is used by major VFX companies such as Walt Disney Animation Studios , C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures , DNEG , ILM , MPC , Framestore , Sony Pictures Imageworks , Illumination Studios Paris , Eyeline , Polygon Pictures , Marza Animation Planet , Method Studios , RSP and The Mill . [ 3 ] It has been used in many feature animation productions, including Disney's feature films Fantasia 2000 , Frozen , Zootopia , [ 4 ] Raya and the Last Dragon [ 5 ] and Wish , the Blue Sky Studios film Rio , C.O.R.E. Feature Animation's The Wild , [ 6 ] and DNA Productions ' Ant Bully . [ 7 ] SideFX also publishes Houdini Apprentice, a limited version of the software that is free of charge for non-commercial use. Release history [ edit ] Version Release date Supported OSs Price of full license (USD) Observations 1.0 1996-OCT-02 IRIX $9,500 Houdini 1.0 at SIGGRAPH 1996 2.0 1997-AUG-05 IRIX 2.5 1998-MAR-28 IRIX, Windows NT Windows NT support 3.0 1999-OCT-02 IRIX, Windows NT 4.0 2000-JUL-24 IRIX, Windows NT, Linux [ 8 ] [ 9 ] $17,000 Linux support 5.0 2002-MAR-12 IRIX, Windows NT, Linux, SunOS $16,000 First version on SunOS [ 10 ] 5.5 2002-MAY-14 IRIX, Windows NT, Linux, SunOS $16,000 6.0 2003-MAY-08 IRIX, Windows NT, Linux, SunOS 6.5 2004-APR-16 IRIX, Windows NT, Linux, SunOS (needs confirmation exact release date) 7.0 2004-SEP-20 Windows NT, Linux Dropped Silicon Graphics IRIX and SunOS 8.0 2005-OCT-06 Windows NT, Linux $17,000 9.0 2007-SEP-20 Windows NT, Linux New UI 9.1 2008-JAN-30 Windows NT, Linux 9.5 2008-JUL-17 Windows NT, Linux, macOS macOS support 10.0 2009-APR-16 Windows NT, Linux, macOS Pyro FX 11.0 2010-JUL-27 Windows NT, Linux, macOS $6,695 Flip Fluids 12.0 2012-MAR-01 Windows NT, Linux, macOS Bullet RBDs 12.1 2012-AUG-07 Windows NT, Linux, macOS 12.5 2013-MAR-14 Windows NT, Linux, macOS VDB support, Polysoups, Wrangle Nodes 13.0 2013-OCT-31 Windows NT, Linux, macOS FEM Solver, Packed Primitives 14.0 2015-JAN-15 Windows NT, Linux, macOS PBD Grain Solver, Crowd Tools 15.0 2015-OCT-15 Windows NT, Linux, macOS 15.5 2016-MAY-19 Windows NT, Linux, macOS 16.0 2017-FEB-21 Windows NT, Linux, macOS $6,995 New Network Editor, Node Shapes 16.5 2017-NOV-07 Windows 7 SP1+, Linux, macOS 10.10.2+ $6,995 17.0 2018-OCT-10 Windows 7 SP1+, Linux, macOS 10.11+ Vellum 17.5 2019-MAR-13 Windows 7 SP1+, Linux, macOS 10.11+ Procedural Dependency Graph 18.0 2019-NOV-27 Windows 8+, Linux, macOS 10.13+ Solaris 18.5 2020-OCT-17 Windows 8+, Linux, macOS 10.13+ KineFX 19.0 2021-OCT-27 Windows 8+, Linux, macOS 10.13+ $6,995 Karma, CFX 19.5 2022-JUL-21 Windows 8+, Linux, macOS 10.15+ $6,995 20.0 2023-NOV-8 Windows 8.1+, Linux, macOS 11+ $6,995 KarmaXPU, APEX 20.5 2024-JUL-10 Windows 10+, Linux, macOS 11+ Copernicus 21.0 2025-AUG-27 Windows 10+, Linux, macOS 11+ $4,495 KineFX motion Mixer, OTIS Features [ edit ] SideFX Houdini 21 user interface Houdini covers all the major areas of 3D production, including: Modeling – All standard geometry entities including Polygons, (Hierarchical) NURBS / Bézier Curves /Patches & Trims, Metaballs and Voxels including SDF , and heightfield interpretations of voxel values, along with standard 'density' (like a 'fog' or dust-like interpretation of voxel values). This is not an exhaustive list. Animation – Keyframed animation and raw channel manipulation (CHOPs), motion capture support. CHOPs can also read and process audio files, which might be used for example to create audio-based animation-curves. Rigging - proprietary KineFX and APEX systems support in-viewport performant (near-or-beyond-realtime) animation workflows. Particles (many different solvers ranging from very simple forces to MPM ). Dynamics – Rigid Body Dynamics , Fluid Dynamics , Wire Dynamics, Cloth Simulation , Crowd simulation , FLIP and MPM . Lighting – node-based shader authoring, lighting and re-lighting in an IPR viewer (in Solaris). Rendering – Houdini ships with SideFX's rendering engines Mantra and Karma; Houdini Indie license and up support 3rd party rendering engines, such as PRMan , Octane , 3Delight , Arnold , Redshift , V-ray , and Maxwell . Volumetrics – With its native CloudFx and PyroFx toolsets, Houdini can create clouds, smoke and fire simulations. Compositing – full compositor of floating-point deep (layered) images. A new GPU-accelerated compositing context called 'Copernicus' is available since Houdini 20.5. Plugin Development – development libraries for user extensibility. Houdini is an open environment and supports a variety of scripting APIs. Python is increasingly the scripting language of choice for the package, and is intended to substitute its original C Shell-like scripting language, HScript . However, any major scripting languages which support socket communication can interface with Houdini. Tools [ edit ] Operators [ edit ] Houdini's procedural nature is found in its operators. Digital assets are generally constructed by connecting sequences of operators (or OPs ). This proceduralism has several advantages: it allows users to construct highly detailed geometric or organic objects in comparatively very few steps; it enables and encourages non-linear development; and new operators can be created in terms of existing operators, a flexible alternative to non-procedural scripting often relied on in other packages for customisation. Houdini uses this procedural generation in production of textures , shaders , particles , "channel data" (data used to drive animation), rendering and compositing . Operator Categories [ edit ] Houdini's operator-based structure is divided into several main groups: OBJs – The 'Object' context should be considered as Houdini's 'classic' (or legacy) scene-objects area and contains nodes that usually pass transform information down when wired together (Traditionally these are things like cameras, lights, and geometry subnetworks that contain Sops, but Object would have also been used for rigging in Houdini in the past.) This has nowadays been deprecated in preference to assembling the scene in Lops (ie using USD/Solaris). It is worth noting here that a subnetwork of nearly any category can be created within any other category in Houdini. So, for example a Ropnet inside a Sopnet inside an Object Subnetwork, would be totally valid. SOPs – Surface Operators – for generic geometry processing, procedural modelling and some types of simulations. POPs – Particle Operators – used to manipulate particles systems . CHOPs – Channel Operators – for procedural animation and audio manipulation. COPs – Composite Operators – used to perform compositing on footage/image sequences or generate/bake images based on results from the scene. DOPs – Dynamic Operators – for dynamic simulations for fluids, cloth, rigid bodies (bullet) etc. SHOPs – Shading Operator – Legacy context for representing/authoring materials for different renderers. Note this context has been replaced by 'matnet' material contexts more recently and SHOPs is now considered deprecated. ROPs – render operators – for building networks to represent different render passes and render dependencies. This can include any number of steps of processing and is not restricted to pixel-production. VOPs – VEX operators – for building sub-networks of nodes of many of the above-mentioned types that execute using a highly optimized SIMD architecture. Examples include the 'Attribute Vop' and 'Volume Vop' Sops, the 'Gas Field Vop' and 'Pop Vop' Dop nodes, there are many other examples throughout houdini that allow one to write code using nodes. TOPs - Task Operators [ 11 ] LOPs - Lighting Operators - for generating USD describing characters, props, lighting, and rendering. Operator Wiring and Processing [ edit ] Operators (nodes) are connected/wired together in networks. In some of the contexts such as Sops, Cops and Chops, data can be thought of as flowing through the wires, manipulated by each operator in turn. In other contexts the network connections represent other relationships such as 'attachment' (Dops) or 'ordering' (Rops and Tops). Houdini can generate, process and write out many types of data, including 3D geometry , voxel , bitmap images, particles, dynamics , shader algorithms , animation , audio , or a combination of these and custom formats. This node graph architecture is similar (in some contexts) to that employed in node-based compositors such as Shake or Nuke . Houdini Digital Assets [ edit ] Complex networks can be grouped into a single meta-operator node which behaves like a class definition, this is known as a 'Houdini Digital Asset' or HDA (legacy users might also know the name 'OTL' which stands for "Operator Type Library" - essentially a collection of HDAs in one file). These user-defined node-types can be instantiated in other networks (of compatible category) like any other node. In this way users can create their own sophisticated tools without much need for programming. Houdini can be regarded as a highly interactive visual programming toolkit which makes results much more accessible to artists by connecting nodes, reducing the need to write code. Hard to Learn [ edit ] Houdini’s toolset is largely implemented through operators, which can result in a steeper learning curve compared to similar tools. It is not always practical to understand every node type; instead, effective use of Houdini involves representing creative outcomes as networks of nodes. Experienced users are typically familiar with a range of common approaches (network structures similar to algorithms) that produce desired results. The flexibility provided by lower-level building blocks supports both artistic and technical workflows. Proficiency in Houdini often requires time, practice, and access to mentorship. Conversely [ edit ] Within large productions, the development of a procedural network to solve a specific element creation challenge can make automation much easier. Many studios that use Houdini on large feature effects, and senior Houdini artists/TDs at game studios and feature animation companies develop libraries of procedures (usually embodied as HDAs) that can be used to automate the generation of many of the elements for the film or game, with almost no need for regular-artists to edit the underlying (more complex) setup to get an approval for their work. IO [ edit ] Also unique to Houdini is the range of I/O OPs available to animators, including MIDI devices, raw files or TCP connections, audio devices (including built-in phoneme and pitch detection), mouse cursor position, and so on. Of particular note is Houdini's ability to work with audio, including sound and music synthesis and spatial 3D sound processing tools. These operators exist in the context called "CHOPs" for which Side Effects won a Technical Achievement Academy Award in 2002. Vex [ edit ] VEX (Vector Expression) is one of Houdini's internal languages. It is similar to the Renderman Shading Language . Using VEX a user can develop custom SOPs, POPs, shaders, etc. The current implementation of VEX utilizes SIMD -style processing. Rendering [ edit ] Houdini (since 2019) is bundled with two production-class renderers: Mantra, which had many similarities to RenderMan in its scope and application in its initial incarnation. Micropolygon rendering is supported in addition to path tracing , allowing high-quality displacement operations as well as traditional scan-line and raytracing modes. And Karma: A more modern, purely path tracing -based renderer that is geared towards the consumption of USD scene data for the production of images using the USD-centric 'Solaris' context (also known as Lops) in Houdini. The Solaris viewport utilizes a 'hydra delegate' that provides an IPR (interactive preview render) of the USD scene, and allows the delegation of rendering to any installed Hydra/USD-compatible renderer, such as PRman , Arnold and others. SideFX Karma includes an 'XPU' variant that is able to utilize both GPU and CPU compute resources at once in order to render an image much faster than can be achieved with a pure-CPU process. Shaders are scriptable and composed in their VEX language, or by using VOPs; SideFX's node-based interface to programming VEX. Mantra and Karma (as Houdini itself does) support opening point-clouds or voxel fields (including VDBs) in a shader at render-time, which can have similar applications to brickmaps in Renderman. Back when compute resources where more scarce (like in the 90's and early 00's), this allowed more complicated light interactions such as sub-surface scattering and ambient occlusion, to be produced with lower computational overhead. However these approaches are usually catered-for by path-tracing approaches nowadays. Mantra can perform extremely fast volume rendering , and both Mantra and Karma use physically-based path-tracing – a technique which attempts to more accurately model the physical interactions of light and materials. TouchDesigner [ edit ] Derivative Inc. is a spin-off of Side Effects Software that markets a derivative of Houdini called TouchDesigner . Tailored toward real-time OpenGL -generated animation, it was used on rock group Rush 's 30th-anniversary tour to produce dynamic graphics driven directly by the musicians. [ 12 ] TouchDesigner was also used by Xite Labs (formerly V Squared Labs) to create live visuals for Amon Tobin 's ISAM installation tour. [ 13 ] Production [ edit ] Some early works in which Houdini was used include the 1997 Contact movie and 2016 Zootopia . [ 2 ] [ 4 ] , but now the number of productions (including lots of games) that use Houdini would be too many to list here. See also [ edit ] Autodesk Maya Blender Cinema 4D IRIX OS List of 3D animation software Pixar RenderMan Silicon Graphics, Inc. Softimage 3D References [ edit ] ^ "Houdini 21 Production Build updated to 21.0.671" . 1 Apr 2026 . Retrieved 2026-04-17 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: url-status ( link ) ^ a b c "Side Effects Software – 25 years on" . fxguide . 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021 . Retrieved 23 January 2021 . ^ "3D Modeling Software in 2021" . Retrieved 2022-05-19 . ^ a b "Disney Animation Studios | Zootopia | SideFX" . www.sidefx.com . Archived from the original on 2021-07-14 . Retrieved 2021-07-14 . ^ "Raya and the Last Dragon | SideFX" . Retrieved 2022-04-03 . ^ "A Walk on the Wild Side" . ^ "Grid Engine User Stories ::: DNA Productions" . 2006-12-14. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006 . Retrieved 2022-05-22 . ^ "Houdini: Magic Doesn't Just Happen | Linux Journal" . www.linuxjournal.com . Archived from the original on 2021-01-30 . Retrieved 2021-01-23 . ^ "REVIEWS: Houdini 4.0 | Computer Graphics World" . www.cgw.com . ^ "Sun And Side Effects Software Unveil Houdini 3D For Solaris" . HPCwire . 17 August 2001. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020 . Retrieved 23 January 2021 . ^ "Houdini 17.5 Launch Event" . 8 March 2019. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019 . Retrieved 8 March 2019 . ^ "Rush 30th Anniversary Tour" . Derivative . 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021 . Retrieved 23 January 2021 . ^ "Amon Tobin ISAM WORLD TOUR" . XiteLabs . 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021 . Retrieved 2 August 2021 . External links [ edit ] SideFX Software , Makers of Houdini v t e Digital compositing software Free and open-source Blender Cinelerra Kdenlive Natron Olive OpenShot Shotcut Closed-source Adobe After Effects Apple Motion Autodesk 3ds Max Autodesk Inferno, Flame and Flint (IFF) Autodesk Maya CompTime (ILM) Saber (ILM) Houdini Fusion Nuke SilhouetteFX Discontinued Autodesk Smoke Autodesk Softimage Autodesk Toxik Aviary Peacock Avid DS Avid Elastic Reality Avid Matador Avid Media Illusion Kodak Cineon Pinnacle Commotion Silicon Grail's RAYZ and Chalice Shake v t e Motion graphics and animation software 2D ( list ) 3D ( list ) Mix Free and open-source Ajax Animator Animator Pro TupiTube SWFTools Synfig OpenToonz Papagayo Pencil2D Krita Glaxnimate 3D Movie Maker Art of Illusion OpenFX Seamless3d Toonloop Blender Closed- source Freeware FlipaClip Pivot Animator Clara.io Daz Studio MikuMikuDance Source Filmmaker Commercial Adobe Character Animator Antics 2-D Animation Clip Studio Paint DigiCel FlipBook Live2D Moho (Anime Studio) ParticleIllusion CrazyTalk Toon Boom Toonz TVPaint Autodesk 3ds Max Autodesk Maya Autodesk MotionBuilder iClone Bryce Carrara Cinema 4D Houdini LightWave 3D MASSIVE Moviestorm Shark 3D Strata 3D Adobe After Effects Adobe Photoshop Autodesk Flame Blackmagic Fusion Motion Nuke Discontinued , legacy Adobe Animate Autodesk Animator Animo DrawPlus Fantavision Gryphon Software Morph iAd Producer Pegs SWiSH Max RETAS USAnimation Autodesk Softimage Dynamation Messiah Softimage 3D Swift 3D Adobe Director Avid Elastic Reality v t e 3D computer graphics software Open-source 3D Movie Maker Blender CloudCompare FreeCAD GigaMesh Software Framework LuxCoreRender MakeHuman MeshLab MoonRay OpenFX OpenSCAD Point Cloud Library POV-Ray Seamless3d Sweet Home 3D Wings 3D Closed-source 3D-Coat AC3D Arnold Autodesk 3ds Max Autodesk Alias Autodesk Maya Autodesk Mudbox Blackmagic Fusion Bryce Carrara Cinema 4D Clara.io Daz Studio Electric Image Animation System E-on Vue Golaem Crowd Hexagon Houdini Kerkythea LightWave 3D MASSIVE Metasequoia Medium by Adobe Messiah Nuke Octane Render Paint 3D Pixar Presto Pixar RenderMan Poser Remo 3D Rhinoceros 3D Shark 3D Silo SketchUp Source Filmmaker Strata 3D Terragen ZBrush Defunct Amapi Autodesk Softimage Cyber Studio CAD-3D Dynamation Imagine Modo N-World PowerAnimator Sculpt 3D Softimage 3D StrataVision 3D Swift 3D TrueSpace TurboSilver VistaPro Core technologies ACIS C3D HOOPS 3D KernelCAD Open Cascade Technology Parasolid Romulus RGK ShapeManager Teigha IntelliCAD Comparison Category List 3D modeling 3D rendering Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Houdini_(software)&oldid=1352818703 " Categories : 3D graphics software IRIX software 1996 software 3D animation software 3D computer graphics software for Linux Proprietary commercial software for Linux Motion graphics software for Linux Hidden categories: CS1 maint: url-status Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Wikipedia articles that are excessively detailed from March 2014 All articles that are excessively detailed Wikipedia articles with style issues from March 2014 All articles with style issues This page was last edited on 6 May 2026, at 12:21  (UTC) . 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