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 Side Effects Software Ships Houdini 6 Posted by: amigo
Source: Press Release
Date: Thu May 08 2003
Santa Monica, CA --May 08, 2003 -- Side Effects Software is pleased to announce the release of Houdini 6. Houdini 6 is available now to all Houdini customers; Houdini Apprentice users can also download a free non-commercial version of Houdini 6 including all-new training materials at www.sidefx.com. Houdini 6 delivers significant productivity and efficiency gains via digital assets, a feature enabling technical directors to create and manage libraries of re-usable characters, effects and other elements that can be set up with artist-friendly controls. Additional enhancements in Houdini 6 include global illumination, embedded on-line help, and enhanced animation, interface, lighting, compositing, and particle tools.
The new digital asset feature makes it easy to bring together geometry, bones, shaders and motion into a unified custom asset. This asset can be created with high-level controls for artists and animators who don�t need to know about the underlying procedural networks. These assets can then be managed through special libraries that make it easy to insert updates into the pipeline or re-use assets across a production. Digital assets can also be used as custom tools for streamlining the manipulation of geometry, motion, shaders, effects and composites.
�Studios are looking to handle more shots with greater efficiency while maintaining the highest level of quality. Houdini 6 fulfills this need by providing tools to create fully-encapsulated digital assets that can be managed in one place and referenced across multiple scenes and projects,� explained Dr. Paul Salvini, Chief Technology Officer at Side Effects Software. �For example, a TD could set up a CG fish with built-in effects such as fins that react to the fish�s motion along a path curve or bubbles that are emitted depending on the fish�s speed. The animator could use a simple version of the fish for keyframing then switch to a full-resolution version when it is time for rendering. The nondestructive nature of the technology enables the TD to make further changes to the fish without affecting the work of the animator."
In addition to digital assets, Houdini 6 includes a range of powerful new tools and enhancements. The new embedded help browser uses html and Houdini�s hscript language to create interactive learning materials while providing a framework for technical directors to produce in-house documentation and browser-driven scripts related to specific production pipelines. Global Illumination is now supported in Houdini�s built-in Mantra renderer, allowing realistic renderings that simulate the way light inter-reflects within a scene. Houdini 6 has a hotkey driven keyframing system and new character tools include forward and inverse kinematic blending and dynamic parenting. Houdini 6 has also been enhanced with a variety of new compositing operators and particles can now be set up to slide across a surface then drop off at an appropriate point.
For more detailed information on Houdini 6 features and system requirements, please visit www.sidefx.com. Houdini 6 is available now; for pricing and purchasing information please contact Side Effects Software. Houdini Apprentice, a free non-commercial learning edition of the application, is also available now in Houdini 6. Nearly identical in feature-set to the full version of Houdini, Houdini Apprentice differs only in that output renders include an unobtrusive watermark, renders are limited to 640 X 480, and projects can only be rendered in Houdini's renderer, Mantra. Visit the Side Effects Software web site to download the latest version of Houdini Apprentice, and to learn more about the Houdini Apprentice Challenge, Side Effects Software�s worldwide animation contest.
About Houdini
The Houdini family of animation software offers digital artists an unprecedented level of power, flexibility and control based on award-winning technology. The comprehensive feature set includes modeling, animation, character tools, particle and channel operations, compositing, integrated rendering with Houdini Mantra, and much more. All Houdini applications work together seamlessly and are available for the Windows, Linux, IRIX and Solaris operating systems. Houdini has been used to create stunning digital animation in blockbuster films, including �X 2: X-Men United,� �Daredevil,� "Spider-Man," "XXX," "The Sum of All Fears," "Black Hawk Down," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "X-Men" and "The Matrix," among many others.
About Side Effects Software
Established in 1987, Side Effects Software is a world leader in the development of advanced 3D and 2D graphics and special effects software for use in film, broadcast and game development. Today, Side Effects Software leads the field of non-linear animation with its unique, award-winning Houdini technology. Houdini is used by numerous digital content creation leaders including Digital Domain, DreamWorks SKG, Electronic Arts, Namco, Nickelodeon, Rhythm & Hues, Sega, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Walt Disney Feature Animation and Weta Digital Ltd.
Related Links: Side Effects Software website
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