The physics-based placement in the Edit LOP is now optimized for faster interactive layout in large scenes.

You can now edit instanceable references and local transforms in the Edit LOP.

The Mask From Bounds LOP assigns a primvar to any prims within a bounding box. This lets you apply other nodes only to those prims.

The USD plugin for .bgeo files can now handle compressed formats (.bgeosc, .bgeogz, .geosc, .geogz).

The Explore Variants LOP lets you view and choose from the geometry variants available on a prim in the viewer.

Significantly faster retiming of instances.

The RBD Destruction LOP node is an example of how to a fracturing simulation in USD, as well as a useful effect.

The Geometry Sequence LOP makes it easy to load a sequence of .bgeo files as animated USD geometry.

The HDA dynamic payload LOP makes it easy to generate animated USD geometry from a digital asset.

You can now import crowd agents as UsdSkel prims.

20× faster shader translation performance.

Streamlined shader authoring.

OSL shader authoring in VOPs.

In the shader specialization workflow, the spare parameter shader_skipchildren is now called shader_forcechildren, with the opposite meaning.

New imaketx command-line utility creates mipmapped .exr or .rat textures from image files.

USD material referencing workflows.

Added VEX functions for working with USD namespace paths. See usd_boundmaterialpath, usd_collectioncomputedpaths, usd_iscollectionpath, usd_makeattribpath, usd_makecollectionpath, usd_makepropertypath, usd_makerelationshippath, and usd_parentpath.

VEX is now up to 40× faster working with USD arrays.

Promoting a VOP input that corresponds to a parameter will now properly promote that parameter’s tags.

The Light Mixer now puts lights created from the mixer in a subnet. You now can select a light in the mixer and use the light handles to edit the light in the viewport.

You can now edit transforms in the Light Mixer and Edit LOP spreadsheets.

The Render Gallery lets you snapshot IPR renders and their associated LOP network settings.

Display settings in the Solaris viewer are now per-render delegate.

Improved support for light projection maps.

Houdini’s nodes for creating lights can now add barn doors, with interactive handles in the viewer for controlling them.

Dedicated Distant Light LOP for sunlight.

USD-conforming Dome Light environment maps.

Husk can now do progressive rendering to MPlay.

MPlay can now monitor the output of Husk rendering to disk.

Husk can now output detailed render diagnostics. See the --usd-trace and --usd-chrome-file options.

Husk can now execute pre-render and post-render Python scripts.

Husk now supports tile rendering.

You can now click in the viewer/Mplay to target that area for progressive rendering.

The Solaris viewer now batches up separate small geometry primitives and sends them to the graphics card as one piece. This can can give incredible speed-ups for drawing and interactive tumble of scenes with many small prims (for example, leaves on a tree).

Improved multi-shot workflows with insertion points and Graft Branches.

Fine-grained performance tracking of LOP cooking.

The Scene Graph Details pane can now show the properties of selected prims in a spreadsheet view.

In the scene graph tree, the Descendants column shows how many prims exist under each prim. This can help identify where the complexity is in a big scene.

In the scene graph tree pane, you can now press MMB on a prim to show an info window for that prim, similar to the info window in the network editor. Press ⌃ Ctrl + MMB to open a pinned window.

The scene graph tree pane has a new sub-pane where you can build and save selection rules. You can then use them to select prims, or as virtual collections in LOP nodes.

The USD view no longer displays LOP stages embedded inside Object or SOP networks in the LOP network.

In combination with the Loft Payload Info LOP, the Solaris viewer can display bounding boxes for unloaded payloads, making it much easier to visualize large scenes.

Primitive pattern matching is now more powerful, with computed “auto collections”. For example, %bound:/cameras/shotcam is a virtual collection containing everything visible to the shotcam camera. %rule:rulename contains everything that matches a saved pattern rule. %type:name and %kind:name are easier to use and faster than using the inline VEX test syntax. You can even add your own custom auto collection type using the HDK.

Full support for USD 20.08.

LOP path support for USD packed primitives.

More flexible export of .usd files with USD ROP.

It is now possible for a LOP network to have no display flag set, in which case the viewer shows the output of the closest ancestor network that does have a display flag. This allows you to dive into subnetworks but still see the output of the parent network in the viewer.

Selection of instances in the viewer now just works, even in very complicated instancing setups.

Fixed a bug in the USD Render ROP where it would not update path references to other USD files.

Many other enhancements across the board.