I think it would be great if Mantra had a GPU rendering option. It would be invaluable for indie artists who work with relatively smaller scale scenes. GPU renderers are usually 5x to 10x faster in such scenarios. I think it would improve Indie license sales too. Just my 2cp.

sadly it's not a small task. i'm fore sure that they are testing in that area but at the moment there is no news about that.

btw. the new xeon phi can run common software but it won't be a cheap product. :-/

http://www.theplatform.net/2015/03/25/more-knights-landing-xeon-phi-secrets-unveiled/ [theplatform.net]

I think it is equally difficult to afford a xeon phi for an indie artist. Currently Houdini Indie license does not allow external render engines so Redshift and Octane are also out of the table. If Houdini opened a door to GPU rendering with the indie license, either by implementing it into Mantra or allowing an external GPU renderer connection, that would help indie artists immensely.

SideFX just announced that they're supporting a new cloud rendering service that might be worth checking out.

You wouldn't get the immediate speeds of rendering on the GPU, but if you're rendering sequences, it would run in parallel and maybe come back faster than running everything in sequence locally, even with a GPU renderer.

https://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3121&Itemid=66 [sidefx.com]

Any idea how much this could cost?

Thank you Ben. This is interesting, I will definitely check it out. However, GPU rendering has other benefits such as ultra fast look development.

I would consider an IndiePro version, for a bit more money that would allow let's say GPU renders only…

i would love if gpu render could handle fog and some basic refraction

Octane 3.0 will support Open VDB rendering

Octane can not be used with Houdini Indie.

Oh really? Didn't knew that….

“I would consider an IndiePro version, for a bit more money that would allow let's say GPU renders only…”

Would be nice

GPU renderer do can handle volumes and refractions.

I would be willing to pay more for the addition of Mantra GPU option in Houdini Indie.

I must agree that it's one of the biggest problems with indie (perhaps intentional). Mantra is amazing but is is realistic to expect indies paying 199/year to have appropriate hardware to render even a small sequence with it? Allowing Octane like solutions or having GPU acceleration would be very welcome!

Yuri3D
I must agree that it's one of the biggest problems with indie (perhaps intentional). Mantra is amazing but is is realistic to expect indies paying 199/year to have appropriate hardware to render even a small sequence with it? Allowing Octane like solutions or having GPU acceleration would be very welcome!

Exactly my point. Indie artists could truly benefit from the GPU rendering. It would be ideal if Mantra had a GPU rendering option like Cycles. Alternatively a license that allows indie to run Octane/Redshift would be welcome.

I've got to say, I agree completely with tinyparticle.

As great as Mantra is, you need a big outlay of hardware to get the full benefit. This simply isn't feasible for individual freelancers or small studios on limited indie budgets.

GPU renderers like Octane, Redshift and Thea are a godsend for the little guy. A single workstation with a decent spec graphic card can produce fully rendered sequences almost as fast as you can do a screen capture. I know GPU's have a hard time with very large data and volumes but often this is not required for simple scenes.

Houdini Indie is a great idea but when it comes time to get your work rendered what do you do? Cloud rendering is great also but it can't compare to the instant feedback you get with GPU renderers.

Houdini Indie is a great idea but when it comes time to get your work rendered what do you do? Cloud rendering is great also but it can't compare to the instant feedback you get with GPU renderers.

Totally agree with Sam on this one, it would be GREAT to have an Indie Pro version that would allow at least GPU rendering.

Sam Howell
I've got to say, I agree completely with tinyparticle.

As great as Mantra is, you need a big outlay of hardware to get the full benefit. This simply isn't feasible for individual freelancers or small studios on limited indie budgets.

GPU renderers like Octane, Redshift and Thea are a godsend for the little guy. A single workstation with a decent spec graphic card can produce fully rendered sequences almost as fast as you can do a screen capture. I know GPU's have a hard time with very large data and volumes but often this is not required for simple scenes.

Houdini Indie is a great idea but when it comes time to get your work rendered what do you do? Cloud rendering is great also but it can't compare to the instant feedback you get with GPU renderers.

There is not much gain for SESI by limiting GPU rendering in Houdini Indie and I believe it would be a win-win situation if they allowed it for a premium.

Yuri3D
I must agree that it's one of the biggest problems with indie (perhaps intentional). Mantra is amazing but is is realistic to expect indies paying 199/year to have appropriate hardware to render even a small sequence with it? Allowing Octane like solutions or having GPU acceleration would be very welcome!

Also remember that you are only allowed a maximum of three indie licenses, so even if you had the hardware, you couldn't purchase enough indie licenses for them. (you could buy Engine licenses instead at $500 each, which I think incorporate the Batch license, but still…)

I, too, would be willing to pay extra to allow third party renderers to Indie…

ripclaw
Also remember that you are only allowed a maximum of three indie licenses, so even if you had the hardware, you couldn't purchase enough indie licenses for them. (you could buy Engine licenses instead at $500 each, which I think incorporate the Batch license, but still…

You can also purchase up to 3 Indie Engine licenses at $99/each,so an Indie artist could have up to 6 different computers to run Houdini Indie. And there is also GridMarkets and HQueue on EC2.

Hope that helps!

goldleaf
You can also purchase up to 3 Indie Engine licenses at $99/each,so an Indie artist could have up to 6 different computers to run Houdini Indie. And there is also GridMarkets and HQueue on EC2.
Hope that helps!

Even though indie license fees are very affordable not all indie artists can afford 6 computers. Even if I could afford it, I would be reluctant to accommodate them in my home office. Most indie artists usually work on relatively smaller scale scene files with very quick turnarounds in which case the GPU rendering has several advantages over the farm computing. As an example, a single GTX980 on my computer can render photorealistic interior scenes as fast as 6 to 10 i7 CPU's combined, not to mention true real-time feedback in look-development. It is very efficient and very affordable, and the turnarounds involving look development and lighting with GPU are way too fast to ignore.